..Manny PACQUIAO - Ricky HATTON: Main Event Showdown (1)...

This post breaks all the NSB rules. That's the highest compliment I can pay it! Excellent work! Yeah, I know I should have been a LOT more biased. That was wrong of me. I should have said something like.... "Freddy Roach is teaching Manny Pacquiao a new trick punch, and they're labelling it the 'Thrilla for the Vanilla Face.'" What the hell was I thinking?

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/1981/mprh.png NAME Manny Pacquiao -- Ricky Hatton NICKNAME Pac-Man -- The Hitman AGE 30 -- 30 HOMETOWN General Santos City, Philippines -- Manchester, England STATISTICS 48(36) - 3(2) - 2 -- 45 (32) - 1(1) - 0 SIZE 5'6" 1/2, 135-147 -- 5'7" 1/2, 140 STANCE Southpaw -- Orthodox ABILITY/TECHNIQUE Manny Pacquiao: Manny is a tricky fighter to figure out. He's an aggressive southpaw fighter who rarely takes a backstep. From early on in his career, you could see the hand speed was there, being a fighter born with it and he's been able to time his shots better while being under the guidance of trainer Freddy Roach. When the pair first got together, Manny was somewhat of a one-trick pony. Fortunately for the two, the trick worked wonders for the most part. However, as they've grown as a team, he's added other tricks to the arsenal. His footwork and balance have gotten significantly better, however the straight one-two down the middle is still his bread and butter. Impressive combination puncher and has added a better body attack. Great stamina with rapid upper-body movement. Solid chin. Ricky Hatton: Ricky Hatton is a very agressive fighter, with one of the better body attacks in the business. When he uses the jab, he can work behind it well. He has shown instances when he can move and box, mainly due to his impressive foot speed and decent lateral movement. His hooks to the body are his weapon of choice, but he can dig in the upper cuts as well. He has above average hand speed and his head movement works well when he's fresh. His chin has been dented, but he's generally shown the ability to adapt and clinch when needed, in order to weather the storm. Generally, he has a solid beard. Has somewhat of a mauling style and will come in and attack, pressing you along the ropes and tear away at you with solid single and combination shots. Generally has shown a solid level, in terms of stamina. WEAKNESSES: Manny Pacquiao: He can be hit, that's the first thing to come to mind. When he's facing a fresh, bigger, young, virtually prime Ricky Hatton, he will be hit. As Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales have shown he can be wobbled. Though he does show the ability to recover rather quickly, it's something to worry about. When you take away the straight one-two, he relies on punches that he's not AS comfortable with. He's prone to cuts and as seen in the second Marquez fight during the ninth round, they can bother him. Early in his career, he was stopped from a body blow. Ricky Hatton: Hatton, like Manny Pacquiao, can he hit. He's shown less of an ability to recover recently, but that was generally against guys 7 pounds north. He loves to go to the body, but against a quicker handed guy like Manny, that could leave him open for Manny's best weapon. After a long career of hard, rough fights, he may be slowing a step or two. This might be the reason for the trainer switch from Billy Graham to Floyd Mayweather Sr. He has overall defensive lapses that CAN be exposed by quicker guys who are able to weather his aggressive storms. OPPOSITION/CHAMPIONSHIPS: Manny Pacquiao: Pacquiao has faced a who's who of 126-130 pounds. Gaining him wins over Erik Morales (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez (one win, one draw), and Marco Antonio Barrera (twice). Else where in his career, he's faced Agapito Sanchez, David Diaz and Oscar De La Hoya. Against the group mentioned, he's 7(5) - 1(0) - 2. These fights have helped propel him to the top of most credible pound for pound lists and he's currently ranked number 5 at Welterweight. He's won TRUE world titles at 126 pounds and 130 pounds. Beating Hatton would earn him his third world title. H'es 3(2) - 0(0) - 1. Ricky Hatton: Hatton has essentially fought all of his career at 140 pounds. He's strayed north early in his career and for the chance to make bigger bucks at 147 and history with Floyd Mayweather Jr. His only defeat. Other than that sole loss, he's fought and beaten Vince Phillips, Ben Tackie, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Lazcano, Luis Collazo and Paulie Malignaggi. This all being overshadowed by his genuine champion win over Kostya Tszyu. Record with that group stands at 8(3) - 1(1) - 0. He's currently within the bottom half of the top 10 pound for pound rankings. Since winning the title, he's made 5 title defenses. Beating Pacquiao would be his 6th successful defense. The Jr. Welterweight championship is his only true world title. He's 6-1 in world title fights. THE QUESTIONS: Who's footwork will be better in this fight? Can Manny carry his power up to 140 against a prime 140 pound fighter? Can Hatton take hard, powerful punches from a guy who will be there to fight all night? Will Hatton be the type of fighter that draws Manny in and makes him make mistakes? Will cuts come into play for either man? Will Ricky attempt to try too much under the supervision of Mayeather Sr? If this fight goes the distance and it's close, which fighter will be favored? Has Manny really strengthened his ability to take a sustained body attack? Can Ricky deal with the speed and angles of a guy who's not used to losing? Who will have the support of the fans? THE OUTCOME: The fight will start out a bit more calm then some might expect with Manny doing more in the first couple of rounds and most likely taking them. Things will pick up, however, around the 3rd or 4th when Hatton becomes more aggressive not being immediately hurt by Pac-Mans attack and coming in roughing him up. The action will be intense in the middle round, with the fight still in Manny's favor, when he'll finally crack Hattons chin in the 5th round or so, but Hatton won't go down. In the 6th to 8th rounds, Manny will begin to cut Hatton up and land more frequently as he feeds on the results he's getting. Towards the 9th or 10th rounds, Hatton will be looking for that one big punch and will be letting himself get hit when he's wide open. Though the body attack he hits Manny with might slow him down during portions of the fight, Pacquiao will be able to counter off them well and towards the end of the fight, he will wear Hatton down and stop him in one of the championship rounds. Likely the 11th. Winner, Manny Pacquiao 11TKO. This post breaks all the NSB rules. That's the highest compliment I can pay it! Excellent work!

Imo pacman starts well, with hatton rather cautiously but as wel move into the middle/later round 6-9 i can see hatton dominating here, i think if hatton can land a flush body punch at the begining of one of these rounds pacman will go down, whether it be as a result of the body punch or unable to defend himself well enough after the punch. If pacman manages to get through these rounds, the fight is his. But thats just my opinion.

my prediction is pretty much the same. I think Hatton does his best work early in the fight but fades late on then eventually gets stopped. very good post by the way. Thanks, I appreciate that.

my prediction is pretty much the same. I think Hatton does his best work early in the fight but fades late on then eventually gets stopped. very good post by the way.

Fair enough assessment. Manny could always be surprised in there. Some fighters can change essentially from one fight to the next. For example, Barrera seemed to do just that against Naseem Hamed. However, I based my outcome on how likely it was for Hatton to do something similar to that. I didn't see it as being too likely and within THIS fight. Nonetheless, I've been wrong before. its going 2 interesting 2 see how manny takes a big shot to the head and to the body against hatton,u cant really prepare for it and he will get hit this fight and i think hatton is relying on his power quite a lot

you know calderon, i've noticed that sometimes i can predict a fight, but still i think in every fight something is unexpecting,....its what makes boxing....boxing this fight has a lot of question marks and intangibles imo.....we really dont know....i'm hoping this fight will clear the air so to speak........if hatton wins, that might not happen....but seems to me boxing is one big puzzle latley

Cool, I like these type of posts. I agree with pretty much with everything you said, I just think Hatton will pull the upset. Hatton will be the strongest fighter Manny has fougth in his whole career, not to mention maybe the biggest since Oscar came in the ring on fight night at 148 if I remember correctly. Ricky said he'll come in about 154. 18 more days to go I can't wait. Yeah, 18 more days til we see if you're right. Making me wrong..... Lol.

Cool, I like these type of posts. I agree with pretty much with everything you said, I just think Hatton will pull the upset. Hatton will be the strongest fighter Manny has fougth in his whole career, not to mention maybe the biggest since Oscar came in the ring on fight night at 148 if I remember correctly. Ricky said he'll come in about 154. 18 more days to go I can't wait.

One of the best posts I have ever seen on this site. Green K. Thanks. I appreciate that.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/1981/mprh.png NAME Manny Pacquiao -- Ricky Hatton NICKNAME Pac-Man -- The Hitman AGE 30 -- 30 HOMETOWN General Santos City, Philippines -- Manchester, England STATISTICS 48(36) - 3(2) - 2 -- 45 (32) - 1(1) - 0 SIZE 5'6" 1/2, 135-147 -- 5'7" 1/2, 140 STANCE Southpaw -- Orthodox ABILITY/TECHNIQUE Manny Pacquiao: Manny is a tricky fighter to figure out. He's an aggressive southpaw fighter who rarely takes a backstep. From early on in his career, you could see the hand speed was there, being a fighter born with it and he's been able to time his shots better while being under the guidance of trainer Freddy Roach. When the pair first got together, Manny was somewhat of a one-trick pony. Fortunately for the two, the trick worked wonders for the most part. However, as they've grown as a team, he's added other tricks to the arsenal. His footwork and balance have gotten significantly better, however the straight one-two down the middle is still his bread and butter. Impressive combination puncher and has added a better body attack. Great stamina with rapid upper-body movement. Solid chin. Ricky Hatton: Ricky Hatton is a very agressive fighter, with one of the better body attacks in the business. When he uses the jab, he can work behind it well. He has shown instances when he can move and box, mainly due to his impressive foot speed and decent lateral movement. His hooks to the body are his weapon of choice, but he can dig in the upper cuts as well. He has above average hand speed and his head movement works well when he's fresh. His chin has been dented, but he's generally shown the ability to adapt and clinch when needed, in order to weather the storm. Generally, he has a solid beard. Has somewhat of a mauling style and will come in and attack, pressing you along the ropes and tear away at you with solid single and combination shots. Generally has shown a solid level, in terms of stamina. WEAKNESSES: Manny Pacquiao: He can be hit, that's the first thing to come to mind. When he's facing a fresh, bigger, young, virtually prime Ricky Hatton, he will be hit. As Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales have shown he can be wobbled. Though he does show the ability to recover rather quickly, it's something to worry about. When you take away the straight one-two, he relies on punches that he's not AS comfortable with. He's prone to cuts and as seen in the second Marquez fight during the ninth round, they can bother him. Early in his career, he was stopped from a body blow. Ricky Hatton: Hatton, like Manny Pacquiao, can he hit. He's shown less of an ability to recover recently, but that was generally against guys 7 pounds north. He loves to go to the body, but against a quicker handed guy like Manny, that could leave him open for Manny's best weapon. After a long career of hard, rough fights, he may be slowing a step or two. This might be the reason for the trainer switch from Billy Graham to Floyd Mayweather Sr. He has overall defensive lapses that CAN be exposed by quicker guys who are able to weather his aggressive storms. OPPOSITION/CHAMPIONSHIPS: Manny Pacquiao: Pacquiao has faced a who's who of 126-130 pounds. Gaining him wins over Erik Morales (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez (one win, one draw), and Marco Antonio Barrera (twice). Else where in his career, he's faced Agapito Sanchez, David Diaz and Oscar De La Hoya. Against the group mentioned, he's 7(5) - 1(0) - 2. These fights have helped propel him to the top of most credible pound for pound lists and he's currently ranked number 5 at Welterweight. He's won TRUE world titles at 126 pounds and 130 pounds. Beating Hatton would earn him his third world title. H'es 3(2) - 0(0) - 1. Ricky Hatton: Hatton has essentially fought all of his career at 140 pounds. He's strayed north early in his career and for the chance to make bigger bucks at 147 and history with Floyd Mayweather Jr. His only defeat. Other than that sole loss, he's fought and beaten Vince Phillips, Ben Tackie, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Lazcano, Luis Collazo and Paulie Malignaggi. This all being overshadowed by his genuine champion win over Kostya Tszyu. Record with that group stands at 8(3) - 1(1) - 0. He's currently within the bottom half of the top 10 pound for pound rankings. Since winning the title, he's made 5 title defenses. Beating Pacquiao would be his 6th successful defense. The Jr. Welterweight championship is his only true world title. He's 6-1 in world title fights. THE QUESTIONS: Who's footwork will be better in this fight? Can Manny carry his power up to 140 against a prime 140 pound fighter? Can Hatton take hard, powerful punches from a guy who will be there to fight all night? Will Hatton be the type of fighter that draws Manny in and makes him make mistakes? Will cuts come into play for either man? Will Ricky attempt to try too much under the supervision of Mayeather Sr? If this fight goes the distance and it's close, which fighter will be favored? Has Manny really strengthened his ability to take a sustained body attack? Can Ricky deal with the speed and angles of a guy who's not used to losing? Who will have the support of the fans? THE OUTCOME: The fight will start out a bit more calm then some might expect with Manny doing more in the first couple of rounds and most likely taking them. Things will pick up, however, around the 3rd or 4th when Hatton becomes more aggressive not being immediately hurt by Pac-Mans attack and coming in roughing him up. The action will be intense in the middle round, with the fight still in Manny's favor, when he'll finally crack Hattons chin in the 5th round or so, but Hatton won't go down. In the 6th to 8th rounds, Manny will begin to cut Hatton up and land more frequently as he feeds on the results he's getting. Towards the 9th or 10th rounds, Hatton will be looking for that one big punch and will be letting himself get hit when he's wide open. Though the body attack he hits Manny with might slow him down during portions of the fight, Pacquiao will be able to counter off them well and towards the end of the fight, he will wear Hatton down and stop him in one of the championship rounds. Likely the 11th. Winner, Manny Pacquiao 11TKO. One of the best posts I have ever seen on this site. Green K.

erislandy lara, cuban southpaw jr. middleweight has been added to card but opponent to be named later....lara has been hatton's main sparring partner Thats right, Lara, Hattons sparring partner, the guy who suppose to duplicate Pacquiaos southpaw style. Id love to see this. James Kirkland vs Michael Walker will be on the undercard, I'm pretty sure there'll be a showcase fight for Mike Alvarado, Humberto Soto vs Benoit Gaudet and I think a showcase fight for Matvey Korobov. Soto really? Soto was on how many of Pacquiao's undercards already? Sotos probably thinking, damn Bob when you gonna put me on the main event with Pacquiao as you promised.

Damn that sucks to hear. I didn't even know that fight got cancelled. If only you had a chick in your avatar with a nice ass to cheer me up........... OH WAIT! Yup, last I heard Luevano get injured in training unless he recouped.

erislandy lara, cuban southpaw jr. middleweight has been added to card but opponent to be named later....lara has been hatton's main sparring partner

James Kirkland vs Michael Walker will be on the undercard, I'm pretty sure there'll be a showcase fight for Mike Alvarado, Humberto Soto vs Benoit Gaudet and I think a showcase fight for Matvey Korobov.

Does anyone have a link to the undercard of this event? Who else is on the card, I know that Conception and Luevano fight got canceled but is there anyone else on this card? Bobby "The Sniper Pacquiao vs. Matthew Hatton maybe? Damn that sucks to hear. I didn't even know that fight got cancelled. If only you had a chick in your avatar with a nice ass to cheer me up........... OH WAIT!

Does anyone have a link to the undercard of this event? Who else is on the card, I know that Conception and Luevano fight got canceled but is there anyone else on this card? Bobby "The Sniper Pacquiao vs. Matthew Hatton maybe?

Fair enough, I consider the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy and so on to be the man in the division regardless of The Ring belt, since Pacquiao beat the man (Sasakul) who had beaten the man (Arbachakov) who had beaten the man (Kittikasem), I consider Pacquiao to be the lineal champion at 112. I understand your point though. While I generally agree with that situation, sometimes the correct ratings (The Ring magazine ratings, in my opinion) just opporate differently. I get you though, and you make a good point.

The man and the champion don't always imply the same person, however. For examples.... Mayweather was the best fighter at 147 when Baldomir was the champion. He had to win the title. Shane Mosley is essentially the top dog at 147, however he's not the champion. A lot of things come into play. You don't just award the vacant belts to the best guy in the division, there's a process. Not trying to be arguementative, however I just don't see how this TRULY matters. As from my post, you can tell I wasn't trying to discredit EITHER guy. And the guys Manny fought at 112, weren't world beaters. So, even with that title, it's not as if the entire would alter dramatically. This is mostly directed at FasTHarD, since he and I have had civil conversations about the subject in the past. Not trying to come off as annoyed or anything, just stating my opinion. Fair enough, I consider the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy and so on to be the man in the division regardless of The Ring belt, since Pacquiao beat the man (Sasakul) who had beaten the man (Arbachakov) who had beaten the man (Kittikasem), I consider Pacquiao to be the lineal champion at 112. I understand your point though.

Good job although I think Pacquiao was the man at 112 too. The man and the champion don't always imply the same person, however. For examples.... Mayweather was the best fighter at 147 when Baldomir was the champion. He had to win the title. Shane Mosley is essentially the top dog at 147, however he's not the champion. A lot of things come into play. You don't just award the vacant belts to the best guy in the division, there's a process. Not trying to be arguementative, however I just don't see how this TRULY matters. As from my post, you can tell I wasn't trying to discredit EITHER guy. And the guys Manny fought at 112, weren't world beaters. So, even with that title, it's not as if the entire would alter dramatically. This is mostly directed at FasTHarD, since he and I have had civil conversations about the subject in the past. Not trying to come off as annoyed or anything, just stating my opinion.