By Adam Laiolo: It’s a shame that this great spectacle is near 5 months away, not for the fact of not seeing it earlier but because we have to be subjected to the obligatory predictions from anyone to everyone. Ranging from the biased to the plain obscure. But let’s get this right, we are fans of a sport where anything can happen. That why when these two greats step into the ring, it’s going to be unpredictable to the end. Trainers Floyd Mayweather Sr and Freddie Roach have both added fuel to the fire by both predicting their version of events. Roach claiming Pacquiao has the better hand speed and footwork, Mayweather the sheer power and ferocity of Hatton. Whilst these are both true statements, it’s the flaws in each fighter where this fight will be decided.
Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao has flaws and disadvantages, the biggest being the size difference. Because Pacquiao beat a seriously friend and shot De La Hoya that doesn’t mean he’s a good welterweight, nor does it mean he’s a good light welterweight. It means he beat a flat De La Hoya who was a shadow of himself. Pacquiao isn’t a full lightweight, beating David Diaz doesn’t make Pacquiao the best lightweight either. He had only just moved up to take a title in one division and fought the weakest of the champions in Diaz. Neither Oscar in his dehydrated poor condition nor a half decent David Diaz would give Pacquiao much to worry about when it comes to their power. I don’t believe Pacquiao will have ever felt power like Hatton’s, and those trademark ferocious body blows are seriously damaging punches even to fighters like Juan Urango and Kostya Tszyu, both far bigger and durable fighters than Manny. Neither nowhere near his ability, but you don’t have to be a good fighter to take blow after blow and keep coming. Pacquiao isn’t a natural light welterweight, and after one fight at lightweight it’s hard to see him as a definite lightweight either. The other is his defense, Manny would never ever claim to be a back foot fighter, it’s all about the gung ho with Manny and it has served him well. The speed of his feet means he can get in and out before you’ve blinked, or be quicker around the ring. But Manny is not one for having his hands up and blocking but then again neither fighter in this fight is going to be defensively minded. One place that we know Pacquiao has been exposed at before is his chin. Both fighters have been beaten and both have been knocked out, but in this case Manny being the smaller guy and having being floored by flyweights and bantamweights, is at the disadvantage.
Biggest Worry: Pacquiao biggest worry is going to be taking the full force of a light welterweight. Ricky Hatton is relentless and won’t give Manny an inch, If he gets caught on the ropes at any point Hatton will tear into him and slow those legs down from early on. If Hatton successfully does that Manny would be there for the taking, a blown up lightweight wont handle that for long.
Ricky Hatton
Ricky, in the shortest way, is a flawed fighter. Manny isn’t an exactly ‘textbook’ either but what he does he does with class. The same could be said for Ricky, except he just doesn’t have as many tools in the armory as Pacquiao. Manny will come at you from all angles, and as we know if Ricky isn’t moving his head he’ll just walk onto bombs. On his feet, Ricky isn’t slow, but he’s going to be chasing a lightweight around so if Ricky isn’t 100% sharp in his reactions, Manny can capitalize. Threes also the question of the quality of Ricky’s last wins, bar the knockout to Floyd Mayweather Jr, he has looked awful in one fight and rejuvenated in another. If he carries along the same line of improvement he could be a handful, but if what we saw against Malignaggi was just a right time-right fighter performance then he could be in trouble. Then there’s the chin, which probably won’t prove too much of a problem, Hatton has been hit by far bigger and harder punching fighters than little Manny Pacquiao but it’s the cuts. That a major Hatton flaw and always has been, Malignaggi barely laid a glove on Ricky but yet Ricky had torn skin at the end of the fight. If Manny can throw some of those shots to either eye repeatedly, he could open Ricky up.
Biggest Worry: It’s got to be the cuts, Ricky even with skin grafts is always going to have skin that cuts like wet paper. He has to watch out the overhand left and piercing jab of the southpaw Filipino, devastating punches at any weight.
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