The Filipino Pacman proved he's the best fighter on the planet with his two-round demolition job in Las Vegas. Now Manny is eyeing the biggest purse of his career...
Blazing through with phenomenal hand speed and devastating punching power, Manny Pacquiao proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he is the king of boxing - the best fighter in the planet today.
Pacquiao rocked Ricky Hatton with a vicious left hook to the jaw to score a brutal knockout victory in the second round of their junior welterweight championship match on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao sent Hatton crashing to the canvas, flat on his back and motionless for a moment, prompting referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight at the 2:59 mark and award a TKO win to the Filipino superstar, who also snared Hatton's IBO junior welterweight crown.
The match, dubbed as the 'Battle of East and West', came to an abrupt end and was reduced to a no-contest as Pacquiao totally outclassed the brawler from Manchester.
Hatton's legion of British fans - who had boisterously cheered for him - fell silent when their hero collapsed into a helpless heap for the final time in the fight.
The outnumbered Filipino fans erupted in wild celebration as Pacquiao dropped to his knees to pray in a corner and was hoisted on the shoulders of his assistant trainer, former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer.
Pacquiao's emphatic victory cemented his claim as boxing's pound-for-pound champion and carved his name among the sport's legends by winning title belts in six weight classes - a rare feat achieved only by the great Oscar De La Hoya, whom Pacquiao also destroyed last December.
With the stunning win, Pacquiao raised his record to 47-3-2, with 37 knockouts, and extended his winning streak to 10 consecutive fights.
The early knockout win surprised even Pacquiao, who made short work of his highly-regarded opponent by knocking Hatton down twice in the first round before sealing the contest with a crushing left hand late in the second.
“I’m surprised this was so easy,” said the Pacquiao, who was unmarked after the fight.
Hatton made Pacquiao's work so easy by leaving himself wide open for the Filipino's right hook - and it landed flush on his jaw and sent him sprawling to the canvas for the first time with 54 seconds left in the opening round.
Dazed and legs wobbling, Hatton received more punishment as Pacquiao blitzed him with a sizzling combination capped by a straight left that left the Englishman sitting on the canvas near his own corner.
Living up to the words tattoed on his back, The Hitman showed pride in battle by taking Bayless' count on his knees and then went right after Pacquiao. But he swung and missed as the bell sounded.
Hatton appeared to have recovered after the knockdowns when he started connecting with his right to Pacquiao's body in the second round but the Filipino took his best shots with hardly a flinch.
In his trademark fighting style, Hatton started grabbing Pacquiao and hitting him with rabbit punches to throw the Pacman out of rhythm. The ploy seemed to give Hatton some momentum but as soon as Pacquiao got his distance and out of Hatton's arm lock, the Englishman was ripe for the picking.
Pacquiao beat Hatton to the draw with his signature punch - which could rank as one of the best knockout punches delivered in the history of the sport. Upon impact, Ricky Hatton was history, too.
“It was a hard loss, but I’m OK,” Hatton said later. “I didn’t really see the punch coming, but it was a great shot.”
Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer, revealed during the post-fight conference that Hatton was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The fight, which was expected to be very competitive, turned into a spectacularly one-sided performance by Pacquiao as fight stats showed that he landed 73 of his 127 punches, including 34 of 53 power blows in the second round, while Hatton connected with only 18 of 78 punches.
“Our strategy was the one punch,” Pacquiao said. “Left hook. Right hook. That was going to be the key to this fight.”
Pacquiao's quick work affirmed the pre-fight prediction of his chief trainer Freddie Roach, who said his prized pupil would stop Hatton inside three rounds.
"It will be easy. I told Manny I will be really disappointed in him if it goes beyond three rounds, " Roach said during the pre-fight interviews.
Indeed, Roach reputation as boxing's best trainer glowed even brighter with Pacquiao's electrifying knockout win. “This was no surprise at all,” Roach said.
“Hatton pumps his hand before he throws a punch. He’s a sucker for the right hook and that’s what we worked on the whole camp. He fights the same way over and over.”
The thrilling match was attended by more than 16,000 fight fans dominated by Hatton's devoted followers, who trekked across the Atlantic to cheer for the British ring idol.
They went home disappointed as Hatton (45-2), who was unbeaten in the 140-pound class, suffered only his second defeat at the hands of the current pound-for-pound title holder.
In December 2007, Hatton was also brutally knocked out in 10 rounds by Floyd Mayweather Jr., previous holder of the mythical boxing crown, who announced his comeback from retirement before the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.
Mayweather's return sets up a gigantic collision course with Pacquiao in a fight that will determine the true pound-for-pound king.
“I left on top, and I came back on top. I’m here to fight and reclaim what’s mine,” Mayweather declared after announcing his July 18 fight against Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao's nemesis, who held him to a draw in 2004 and lost on a split decision in March last year.
Pacquiao was guaranteed $12 million and Hatton $8 million, excluding the revenue from pay-per-view and gate receipts. Pacquiao figures to earn the biggest purse of his career if the fight with Mayweather pushes through late this year, as envisioned by fight afficionados.
by Ramir Correa on 04 May 2009
The fight, which was expected to be very competitive, turned into a spectacularly one-sided performance by Pacquiao as fight stats showed that he landed 73 of his 127 punches, including 34 of 53 power blows in the second round, while Hatton connected with only 18 of 78 punches.
“Our strategy was the one punch,” Pacquiao said. “Left hook. Right hook. That was going to be the key to this fight.”
Pacquiao's quick work affirmed the pre-fight prediction of his chief trainer Freddie Roach, who said his prized pupil would stop Hatton inside three rounds.
"It will be easy. I told Manny I will be really disappointed in him if it goes beyond three rounds, " Roach said during the pre-fight interviews.
Indeed, Roach reputation as boxing's best trainer glowed even brighter with Pacquiao's electrifying knockout win. “This was no surprise at all,” Roach said.
“Hatton pumps his hand before he throws a punch. He’s a sucker for the right hook and that’s what we worked on the whole camp. He fights the same way over and over.”
The thrilling match was attended by more than 16,000 fight fans dominated by Hatton's devoted followers, who trekked across the Atlantic to cheer for the British ring idol.
They went home disappointed as Hatton (45-2), who was unbeaten in the 140-pound class, suffered only his second defeat at the hands of the current pound-for-pound title holder.
In December 2007, Hatton was also brutally knocked out in 10 rounds by Floyd Mayweather Jr., previous holder of the mythical boxing crown, who announced his comeback from retirement before the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.
Mayweather's return sets up a gigantic collision course with Pacquiao in a fight that will determine the true pound-for-pound king.
“I left on top, and I came back on top. I’m here to fight and reclaim what’s mine,” Mayweather declared after announcing his July 18 fight against Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao's nemesis, who held him to a draw in 2004 and lost on a split decision in March last year.
Pacquiao was guaranteed $12 million and Hatton $8 million, excluding the revenue from pay-per-view and gate receipts. Pacquiao figures to earn the biggest purse of his career if the fight with Mayweather pushes through late this year, as envisioned by fight afficionados.
by Ramir Correa on 04 May 2009
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