How Can Hatton Beat Pacquiao?
January 14th, 2009
By Chris Williams: Now that the purse split scare is pretty much over between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao with Manny agreeing to the 50-50 split, one wonders whether Hatton fully realizes what he’s about to do. I’m sure he’s probably has an idea of how he wants to fight Pacquiao already, as well as his trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. However, the best laid plans are often foiled and when it comes to a fighter as skilled as Pacquiao, he’s someone that is very tough to beat even under the best circumstances.
Hatton, called the best light welterweight in the division by many, has had little preparation for a fighter like Pacquiao in his career and it’s a little unclear what he’s going to do to beat the Filipino star. If Hatton thinks he can simply steam roll over Pacquiao, he may be in for a rude awakening when he gets carved up and taken out by Pacquiao.
Manny is a difficult opponent to train for because he has so many styles of fighting, a product of his ability to soak up things taught to him from every trainer that he’s had in his career. Yet, what makes Pacquiao even harder to fight is that sometimes he fights almost as if he’s had zero training at all, especially when he comes charging in with both hands firing at the same time. Hatton, at least until his recent fight with Paulie Malignaggi, has always been a fairly predictable fighter.
Hatton tends to come straight at his opponents, trying to overpower them with big shots. His fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a wakeup call of sorts, as Hatton seemed to finally understand that he couldn’t get away with his grappling and brawling on the inside, because he found himself in against a fighter with pinpoint accuracy that picked him literally apart at close range.
Hatton continued to have problems in his next fight against Juan Lazcano, making what on paper should have been an easy fight into a bout where Hatton was hurt on a couple of occasions. Those fights showed that Hatton, whether it be age creeping up on him or simply his issues with his fluctuating diet, couldn’t continue to use his old style of fighting.
That’s not to say that Hatton needs to abandon it all together, because that would be insane to do that. He’s very good for brief stretches where he can land combinations, preferably when he has his opponent backed up against the ropes. However, he can’t use that straight line, one direction style against Pacquiao on May 2nd, because Manny will probably easily dodge Hatton’s attacks and give him problems with lateral movement and jabs.
Hatton is good at cutting off the ring but he’s much less effective when having to move for a prolonged period of time. Pacquiao will probably circle him continuously in the right, picking the right spots to lunge forward to pound him with short flurries.
Hatton probably won’t have the reflexes or the hand speed to get the better of Pacquiao when this happens, so he’s going to have to try something different something. I’d suggest he focus on using his jab first off, because he’s going to be getting nailed a lot otherwise.
Tags: 24 Responses to “How Can Hatton Beat Pacquiao?”
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What surprises me is that people haven’t watched the two fights that Manny lost earlier on in his career, when he was knocked out…..
Yes I have seen those. Torrecampo beats Manny with a right hook on the belly….My god Manny was 16 years old then and it was just a lucky punch. Torrecampo was being mug by Manny till he got a lucky punch…16 years old Manny, that is what he was…16..16.
The second loss was a dive for Manny since he was already stripped off with the title and planning on going to a heavier division. He was overweighted during the fight and was to use a much bigger gloves the that (fake winner) Thai boxer. But it was not Manny’s fault, it was the organizer from Thailand who delayed the fight for 3 weeks. Surely after training for the weight Manny gain some because he cannot do anymore training or his body will get overworked before the fight.
The 3rd loss from Erick Morales was cause majorly by a cut on his eyebrow via accidental headbutt. With so much blood loss and impaired vision due to bloodflow covering his one eye, the fight certainly went to Morales favor. But may I remind everyone that Morales never even knock Manny to the floor. And Manny even manage to hit Morales on the last round, Bigtime.
Manny is a fierce fighter who is originally a brawler turned into a boxer. Overall, Manny is a complete boxer tha Ricky Hatton.
just like what happened in the Pacquaio-DLH fight, hand speed and lateral movement would be the key in the fight.. both boxers have one-punch deadly shot.. the only question is who among them would have the first opportunity to throw and land that shot.. I think pacman has the better chance…
What surprises me is that people haven’t watched the two fights that Manny lost earlier on in his career, when he was knocked out. I understand that Pacman has developed into a better fighter but he was KO’ed with a sweet left by Torrecampo after he had dropped his right and he was also KO’ed by a body punch (singsurat I think it was)- something that Hatton is an expert at throwing. I’m a fan of both boxers and what I will say is that it’ll be a great fight to watch. Hatton will go into the ring much heavier than Pacman and I really can’t see Hatton getting knocked out.
Alright people, this 50/50 problem isn’t hard to figure out. It’s not a matter of dollars and cents, it’s a matter of respect.
Do you think Cavs owner Dan Gilbert would pay Lebron James (the best player in the NBA) the same exact salary as Yao Ming (the 6th best player in the NBA), just because he brings the China market with him??
Matter of fact, if that did happen, I hardly think the King would be happy.
You see when you reach top dog status in any sport, it’s like elevating to the boss of a crime family, there’s a certain amount of respect that must be given. Just ask Tony Soprano.
Look, you work your ass off, you face the best, you beat the best and when you’re finally on top, there’s a unique sense of pride you attain, a certain type of arrogance, albeit deserved arrogance. Only top dogs like Tiger and MJ know how this feels, and now Pacquiao too.
And for the TOP DOG to be splitting 50/50 against a guy who is HARD PRESSED to EVEN CRACK THE TOP 5 pound for pound boxers in the world, is simply, INSULTING. (words were highlighted in CAPS for those who still don’t get it)
Let me stress it again, it’s not about the money, it’s about respect.
Matter of fact, even if the split moved up to as small as 53/47, Pacman would probably give the green light, because that extra 3 percent is a show of respect- that he is currently the best.
If you still can’t figure it out, (and yes I am beating a dead horse here, cause it seems like people as Harvard educated as Arum can’t figure it out), you don’t pay the number one fighter in the world, the same exact split as the number 6 fighter. You just don’t. And people, Pacquiao is the one kicking ass not you guys, so his demands are more than deserved.
The only exception to this rule WAS De la Hoya, but believe me, Hatton is not as golden. Can someone please pull up his PPV numbers from his last fight. Case closed.
Even I didn’t watch that fight. Oh yah, I forgot, cause i’m a “pac nuthugger”.
Besides, Hatton has no other choice for a big money fight, who is he even gonna fight that would draw half of the potential of a Pacman-Hatton purse???
Trust me nobody is gonna watch a rematch with Mayweather, after he got Ko-ed in the 10th. There is no intrigue, no compelling storyline for a rematch. Come on the first time around wasn’t even close.
On the flip side, (pun intended), Pacquiao has plenty more big money options. Anybody read that article about Money Mayweather being broke??? That’s a fight waiting to happen. We’ll just call him “Pretty Broke” Floyd from now on, I’m officially patenting that, you heard it here first.
Also I may be crazy (which is what people called Pac’s last fight), but I think a Pacquaio-Margarito match would be crazy good. Yah, it’s crazy. This would be a fight that could potentially turn Pacquiao from Boxing Legend to the Greatest Boxer Ever. And it would probably generate as much money as the De La Hoya fight, not only for its intrigue, but i’m sure there are plenty of Mexicans out there just salivating at a chance to see Pacquiao get knocked out. I mean come on, is this really a crazy idea?
Let’s also not forget about completing the trilogy with Marquez as well.
And so what we see here is that not only does Pacquiao deserve a bigger split simply out of respect AND because he’s the best, but also… he has other big money options.
So by now, if you still can’t figure it out, you don’t have my respect.
pacquiao will crush hatton in just round 9 on May 2. just is for sure.. hatton is a good body puncher but how can he hit? speed is the advantage, ricky will miss a lot of shot.. that is for sure..
All hatton fans will cry. Manny will destroy Ricky in round # 7 on May 2, 2009 (if the fight will settle to 60-40).
firstly, pac has not fought a top fighter at the peak of his career at the heavier weights he has stepped up to. as much as i like the guy, david diaz is the weakest of the top 20 lightweight boxers, a stand up straightforward fighter, he never stood a chance against pac. DLH, still a good and dangerous fighter, but not at welterweight, far to much weight to drop to make the fight and regardless of the comments made on this webpage, he went in to the fight weight drained, weak and a shadow of himself.
hatton is undisputed at light welter, he has fought bigger, stronger guys than pac, AND HAS SUCCEDED…..UNDISPUTED. pac has never been up against a guy with hattons strength and power, let alone a fighter at the top of his game at a weight he hasnt fought at yet. hatton also hasnt been brawling all his career, he is a damned good boxer with fast feet and can cut off the ring better than most out there, add that to his power and ability to bomb a boxer on the ropes, pac will have a very tough time. the only reason he brawled the past few years is an injury with his elbows which made it impossible for him to straighten his arms properly, an injury he has been working on rectifying over the past 3 years.
in being unbiased, i do think ricky will struggle against the pac, hes fast, strong and a tricky wee fighter, but i certainly wont right hatton off, for me its to tough to call.
Despite being English i’m not going to even talk about Hatton. I think Pac Man is very good. However, I don’t think he’s the best there is. I watched the De La Hoya fight (which seems to have elevated Pac Man to invincible status) and all I see is this: De La Hoya got it wrong with the weight. Big style. I don’t like De La Hoya but that fight wasn’t him. He weighed only 2 pounds more on fight night than the weigh in and looked as weak as a kitten. He was probably too dehydrated to be allowed to fight. So… say what you like about Pac Man but you should ignore the last fight with DLH. It was over before it began.
I agree with most of Adams last post. Hatton is mostly all a little less than the pacman.
HOWEVER, that would be at their normal weights and that is why pacman is P4P king. But this at Hattons weight where he is king and he is at his strongest, fastest, most confident and best.
And thats why hes guna smash him to peices and people will be shocked about how easy it was.
But then people will go on about maybe Hatton is P4P king and they would be wrong. Haton can do it at light welter but cant do it in other divisions like Paxqiauo can.
I know how Ricky can beat Pacquaio.Instead of making this a boxing match.Make it a race to the bar.I’d bet the farm on Hatton with odds.
And 1 more point for all the people on this site that wanna cry and use the excuse that Hatton lost the fight to Mayweather because Hatton had to move up a few pounds to make the fight.Ummmm!Hatton baloons up to 200 pounds when he’s not training.I really don’t think 7 pounds is really gonna hurt him.
intersting fight,hatton will be far better prepared than odlh,pacman will be shocked as early as round 6
Compared to Pacquaio,Hatton is slow.Compared to Pacquaio,Hatton is weak.Compared to Pacquaio,Hatton has no skills.Compare the records,Hatton’s looks like a list of ametuers.It will be a good fight.But for Pcquaio.Hatton is not on the same level as Pacquaio.
Sorry, i missed the 10th off its Vitali Kiltsko
Chad Dawson, stop going on about him?
Name me 3 good fighters on his cv??
All the fighters above have fought quality opposition and the weker opposition they have fought they have mostly destroyed.
Chad Dawson is a bum and doesnt belong in the same ring as CALZAGHE
Rob,
Your top 10 only has 9. Can we agree that Chad Dawson belongs?
mayweather didnt batter hatton.
This was an EXPERTS scorecard up to the 6th rnd:
Round 1 – 10-9 HATTON
Round 2 – 10-9 mayweather
Round 3 – 10-9 HATTON
Round 4 – 10-9 mayweather
Round 5 – 10-9 HATTON
Round 6 – 9-9 HATTON
However rnd 6 should of been 10-9 HATTON as he had a point deducted which made it 9-9
Work it out? In the 6 opening rounds HATTON won 4 and mayweather won 2.
Next thing it all changes with a little help from floyds friend…oh a get by with a little help from my friend (joe cortez)
(Hatton gets a point deducted for something that never happened and loses his head)
Round 7 – 10-9 mayweather
Round 8 – 10-9 mayweather
Round 9 – 10-9 mayweather
Round 10 – 10-8 mayweather
WORK IT OUT!
Ricky ‘THE HITMAN’ Hatton is the best body puncher in the world. He is the best offensive fighter in the world. He is the biggest attraction in the world. He is the best light-welterweight in the world.
Top 10 fighters in the world -
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Ricky Hatton
Joe Calzaghe
Juan Manuel Marquez
Bernard Hopkins
Antonio Margarito
Manny Pacquaio
Miguel Cotto
Paul Williams
It might be a blowout. Pac has only fought once above 135 and doesn’t have the one punch KO power to stop Hatton in his tracks. It is possible that this might end up being an aggressive 140 pounder with punching power against a smaller, quicker man with nothing to keep the bigger man off of him.
Either Hatton dominates from inside or Pac dominates from outside. There is no middle.
And imnot talkin about you guys im on about the article writer.
Hatton will KO him, he will do the things DLH was expected to do as he aint washed up of over trained and will be too strong and Pacman will run out of room to run and be clocked way too much, infact it wont even be as close as people think
You know apart from Pacmans power this is exactly the same crap that was being said as the reasons Paulie Malinaggi was going to beat Hatton.
Either you people continuosly underestimate Hatton or you are just not in any way willing to admit to what your really thinkin about the fight.
Hatton showed his accuracy, speed, power, tactics and his hunger are all massive and yet the next fight he lines up you all forget about all that and go back to saying hes nothing more than a dumb slugger.
The key question for me is whether Hatton can get to Pac’s body. He’ll have to walk through faster hands and better accuracy to get there.
But once there, he could make it a short fight. Pac hasn’t been hit hard in the body like Hatton can hit. (Remember Castillo?)
The only near certainty is that this fight won’t go the distance.
pacman is fast, fast, fast. that will give hatton big problems. like collazo did at 147. in and out, side-to-side -pacman can throw from every angle. bury that chin is right.
i’m curious when the last time hatton was in against a southpaw. anybody know? would like to know how he handles that. oscar sure couldn’t.
but hatton has a chance in this one. i can see him moving manny around the ring, with a jab or a push. a nice clinch and a shove. manny can get off-balance when he throws. ricky could use that leverage and get pacman way off his game. if ricky plants a foot between pacman’s feet -throws a few elbows, knees, etc. imposes his size and strength -use the short right cross. he could do it. but he’s going to have to walk through hell first. pacman brings it every time. just ask oscar.
I think it’ll be more down to how Pacman plays it. If he wants a brawl he could get out muscled, but he’ll mix it up so much it dazzles and confuses Ricky. But who knows what strategy big Floyd is planning?
I think Pac is vulnerable to the left shovel to the body, especially when he steps to his right, providing Ricky leans forward and the chin is deeply buried away from the right counter…..
Action packed for sure !