By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton’s British trainer Lee Beard says the IBO light welterweight champion is already in great shape as he starts his early preparations for his showdown with Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2.
In an overseas telephone conversation with BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Beard said Hatton’s training was “coming along very well and he is in really good shape.”
Asked about Hatton’s weight because of his tendency to bloat in-between fights Beard said they hadn’t actually weighed him as yet but his body was in fine shape because “there’s not been too much time between the last fight (against Paulie Malignaggi last November 22) and this fight (against Manny Pacquiao on May 2.)"
Beard said they plan to check Hatton’s weight on Friday but said “he took his shirt off and his six-pack abs (ripped abdominal muscles with no fat) are there already and he’s in really good shape and his fitness is very, very good too.”
The trainer said Hatton would probably have a couple of light sparring sessions during training at Ashton which is just outside his hometown of Manchester to get his timing and movement but said “once we get to Vegas that’s when all his hard sparring will start.” Beard conceded that “there’s nobody in England that can get anywhere near what Manny does so it’s a bit of a lost cause.”
He said they could get sparring partners who could approximate “the speed and things but in the end it’s the level of experience and the level that Manny’s at as the best fighter in the world. You are not going to get anyone like that.”
Beard said “there are a lot of things that Manny brings to the table especially the speed. But in America there are obviously a lot more options. ” He described Pacquiao as an “extremely strong fighter, he’s very active and he throws all the punches in the book. He’s a got a variety of punches, good on his feet and he can go forward or go backwards” while throwing punches.
The trainer indicated they were considering Edwin Valero who fights Antonio Pitalua for the WBC lightweight title relinquished by Pacquiao in April. He said Valero “doesn’t fight like Manny but he’s got similarities in other ways.”
Beard said that since Valero (24-0, 21 KO's) is now with Top Rank he was not sure whether he they could get the undefeated knockout artist as a sparring partner for Hatton. However, Beard said “we would have to get somebody with the hand-speed of Manny and someone who could bang because Manny is not just fast, he's very heavy-he’s handed too.”
Pacquiao was scheduled to leave for London on Friday 6:00 a.m. and will arrive in London around 3:00 p.m. He is set to would take Hatton on in a game of darts where the British world champion was described by Beard as being pretty good. Hatton told him he had “seen Manny throw a few darts” on the 24/7 program of HBO before the Oscar De La Hoya fight and said the darts showdown on Saturday “would be good fun.”
The venue will be the set of the TV series Coronation Street and although Arum said Pacquiao was “a whiz” in darts and won’t be paying for the beer, Hatton said he’s “looking forward to it.”
