By Sam Gregory: In one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory, Ring magazines pound for pound number one fighter Manny Pacquiao 48-3 with 36 KO’s will take on the undisputed 140 pound champ Ricky Hatton 45-1 with 32 KO’s, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2nd for Hatton’s Jr welterweight title.
Not only is this the most anticipated fight, most speculated on and debated fights in recent boxing history, but the follow up to this fight is equally as intriguing with the winner of this fight to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr which adds to the speculation of the outcome of this fight.
I’m not going to make a prediction here, every other website and boxing writer has already done that; I’ll just present the facts and you do your own predicting.
Ricky Hatton has a slight size advantage going into this fight; probably not enough to overpower Pacquiao but it will come down to Hatton being able to neutralize his hand speed, foot work and Pacquiao’s unrelenting attack.
In Pacquiao’s last fight against De La Hoya it was his footwork and dynamic combinations along with his relentless attack that was too much for De La Hoya to handle but his power punch output speaks volumes for how he won the fight. Speaking on HBO’s 24/7 Hatton said, “That was not the De La Hoya we all grew to know and love” but in black and white the numbers don’t lie. In that fight Pacquiao landed 224 of 585 punches thrown (38 percent) to De La Hoya’s 83 punches landed of 402 punches thrown (21 percent). In power punches, a category that will be more pertinent to the Hatton-Pacquiao matchup; the southpaw Pacquiao landed 195 of 333 power punches thrown (59 percent) to De La Hoya’s 51 of 164 (31 percent).
De La Hoya made his jab the most important part of his fight plan; he hoped to land an average of 35 jabs per round to neutralize Pacquiao’s speed, combinations and power punches coming from the southpaw stance. De La Hoya came up short of that number, managing to only throw 29 per round and landing an average of 13 percent of his jabs thrown. What most people don’t know is that Pacquiao only landed 29 of 252 or just 11 percent of his jabs thrown. So how did Pacquiao overwhelmingly dominate De La Hoya in the fight? According to Compubox, “Pacquiao’s success in power connects” was the reason he dominated the fight.
In Ricky Hatton’s last fight against Paulie Malignaggi his numbers ultimately reflected his dominance as he averaged 47 punches landed per round to Malignaggi’s 31 punches per round landed. In order for Malignaggi to win his fight with Hatton he needed to use his jab the way he did in his fight with Lovemore N’ dou to neutralize Hatton’s pressure; obviously Malignaggi didn’t win against Ricky Hatton because Hatton (especially since he’s been under the training of Floyd Mayweather Sr) was able to neutralize his opponent’s jab while doubling up on his own jab which he used to set up his power punches. The result was Hatton landed 99 of 377 power punches thrown (26 percent) to Malignaggi’s 25 of 133 (19 percent). Hatton out-performed his challenger in every round and reached double-digit connects in five of the ten completed rounds, including rounds seven through ten.
These statistics are evidence that Ricky Hatton has transformed into a boxer from a “bullying brawler” in his fight against Paulie Malignaggi. Ricky Hatton has methodically changed his fighting style since his fight with his trainer’s son. He now picks his moments and has added some defensive arsenal in his fighting style. If this will be a plus for Hatton only time will tell. All his life he fought straight-up, brawling with his opponents. Will this change in his style help him defend his title against Manny Pacquiao?
I think it all comes down to Hatton being able to retain his composure when he feels Pacquiao’s power. Paulie Malignaggi is a weak boxer who depended on scoring points to win fights. Manny Pacquiao is a totally different type of a fighter.
Ricky Hatton is the king of the 140 pound division and no one has beaten him at that weight. That is a fact; at least for now it is. Whether or not Ricky Hatton can maintain his composure in his fight with Manny Pacquiao remains to be seen. If he does there will be no doubt who the pound for pound king is; at least until Floyd Mayweather Jr challenges the winner of this fight.
As of the second week in April these are the betting odds going into this fight.
Manny Pacquiao is currently listed as a -200 favorite to win in this fight. Ricky Hatton is listed as a +160 underdog.
This means that a successful $200 wager on Pacquiao would yield a total profit of $100, while a successful $100 wager on Hatton would yield a profit of $160.
The Over/Under for this fight is currently set at 9 1/2 rounds, with the Over going for -145 and the Under going for +105
Both sides are predicting that this fight will not go the distance.
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