By Francisco Chantengo: Light welterweight Ricky Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) has been considering a future bout with WBC lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) for 2009, a fight which has attracted a lot of attention in the media. However, I wonder if it might be a better idea of Hatton, 29, to forget about a fight with Pacquiao, and focus more on just trying to defend his IBF light welterweight, if he should defeat champion Paulie Malignaggi in their November 22nd fight in Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s nothing with Hatton fighting Pacquiao, since it would probably be an appealing fight for most boxing fans, but I’m thinking more for Hatton’s own welfare. If had more speed, movement or overall boxing ability, I would be all for him taking on Pacquiao.

In fact, I’d be the first one pushing for him to take the bout with the Filipino boxing star. However, I’ve seen Pacquiao fight many times, and after watching him methodically dismantle former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz in a terribly one-sided 9th round beating last month in June, I give Hatton no chance of beating Pacquiao. In fact, not only will Hatton lose to Pacquiao, but he’ll also take a horrendous beating, one even worse and more humiliating than his defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December 2007.

It’s one thing getting stopped quickly as he was against Mayweather, which saved him from the type of slow death that he would very likely be suffering at the hands of the 29 year-old Pacquiao, who is perhaps the best fighter in boxing at this moment.

Forget about Hatton being the bigger and stronger fighter between the two, because Pacquiao will be just as big and even stronger than Hatton if the two were to set foot in the ring for a bout. The strength, the size, the boxing ability and the speed will all be in Pacquiao’s favor. I really can’t think of any one factor that would be in Hatton’s favor other than the crowd, for which would obviously be British, being that the fight would most definitely take place in England rather than the U.S. or the Philippines.

However, I’d much prefer that Hatton not fight Pacquiao, for I like Hatton and I don’t wish to see him take another loss and lose even more of his stature in the boxing community that he’s already lost recently. He’s making a good comeback from his disappointing loss to Mayweather, having beaten Juan Lazcano by a 12-round unanimous decision in May.

Who cares if Hatton appeared to need saving by the referee to prevent from him almost being knocked out in the 10th round, he still won; That’s all that counts. I’m certain if the two were to fight again, Hatton would be much more careful next time out, and would avoid getting clipped by another check-hook by Lazcano, saving himself a little pain and a lot of negative feedback in the process.

Pacquiao is much better than Lazcano, believe me. If he were to get Hatton in a similar situation where he had hurt him with a hook, no amount of referee assistance would be able to save Hatton from the eventual knockout. Pacquiao would just start in where he left off if the referee gave Hatton a break for him to have his shoelaces tied. Pacquiao would go after him and unload with a blur of head shots, with the outcome being Hatton lying on the canvas in a pool of his own blood.