By Gary Burns: As the world awaits the biggest fight of the year when pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao takes on junior Welterweight king Ricky Hatton, we should look at both men and why this is such a significant fight for boxing. Both pugilists are coming into the fight on the back of career enhancing and defining W’s respectively. What is so intriguing about this fight in my opinion is the weight.
Pacquiao in his last three fights has fought and won in three different weight categories. In a fight that could have gone either way against fellow P4P contender Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny secured his claim to the Super-Featherweight crown.
In defeating tough but limited David Diaz at lightweight Manny became a contender for one of the most competitive divisions in boxing at the time but in my opinion did not stay long enough to become the division’s top dog. He then skipped a division to defeat a weight drained De La Hoya at 147. It was a match-up that had no significance for those that were fighting in that division. Not yet anyway.
So what about the division he leap frogged? Ricky Hatton has in no doubt been the ruler of the Junior Welterweight division since his defeat of Kosta Tszyu. He has fought a variety of contenders since then varying in quality but there is no one boxer that could have claimed to be the greater force in the division over the past number of years.
(Junior Witter may have claimed that he was avoided by Hatton but losses on the big stage by Witter set Hatton apart from him in my opinion) so unlike the Diaz fight Manny is taking on the real champ in the division.
The fight could go any way. Hatton is a natural at the weight. He bully’s and dominates men in his divison that he simply could not do at 147. Just look at how Hatton handles men on the inside in his own weight compared to the Mayweather and Collazo fights.So why will a naturally smaller man like Pacquiao be any different?
Well for one he is an unbelievable talent. His footwork and hand speed alone would defeat most but he also possesses power in both hands now according to trainer Freddie Roach. No matter how drained Oscar was a man that started at 106 should not have been able to dish out that sort of punishment to the bigger man.
But on the other hand Hatton is “the man” in this division. It’s the division he has trained to fight in for the best part of his career. He knows how to win in this division. He knows how best to make weight in this division.
He knows how strong he is in this division. He also knows how to take a punch in this division, something Manny has never done. Remember that Manny is actually coming up in weight in reality forgetting the Oscar fight. He is the one making the adjustments to his diet. He is going into the unknown.
This is why the fight is so important for boxing. It is very close to call. Too close to call. It is a super-fight that will put two boxers at the top of their games against each other. This is what boxing has been missing over a number of years. A fight that, in hindsight, still would have been difficult to call!!
For too long the big bucks were in alternating divisions. I think for once they have landed where the public and boxing will benefit in equal margins. Hatton can cement his place as one of the best ever in his division while Manny will be looking to become one of the greatest men to ever lace up.
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