Hatton Needs Marquez Touch To Beat Manny, Says Roach
By Mark Vester
According to trainer Freddie Roach, the way to give Manny Pacquiao the most trouble is to have a strategy and style like Juan Manuel Marquez, and Ricky Hatton is not the fighter to have it. Hatton challenges Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas. Roach tells Gareth Davies of The Telegraph that Pacquiao will not stand in front of Hatton. They plan to use speed and movement to work Hatton over.
Roach admits that Hatton will be the bigger and stronger guy by the time the two fighters step in the ring, but he will need a lot more than that to beat Pacquiao.
"To stand in front of Ricky, that's not our plan. The best way to fight Manny is the way [Juan Manuel] Marquez fought him. I expect Ricky to be better than Oscar [De La Hoya] was at this point. He is younger, fresher. We'll make the weight a lot easier. Then again Ricky will be the bigger guy. But bigger and stronger does not win fights," Roach said
"Manny's abilities to bounce laterally are key. Yes, he feared Oscar for three rounds. The bigger, stronger guy. If you stand in front of Ricky Hatton, he'll have success. We can't use the exact same strategy as we did against Oscar. Hatton is more adaptable. And maybe he won't be so aggressive against Manny. Maybe he will have been instilled with things from Floyd Mayweather."
He says at some point the bout will become a fight.
"I know how to fight Manny Pacquiao, and what styles trouble him. Boxers don't give him trouble. Marquez, yes, but he's just smart. He goes with the flow. Thinks his way through. Manny's not like that. Ricky's not like that. Ricky gets hit - he wants to fight. Manny gets hit - he wants to fight. They revert back to what the do best. If you hit Manny, he claps his hands together and away he goes," Roach said.
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