By Manuel Perez: I think people are blowing up Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) to be some kind of superman after his win over Ricky Hatton last weekend. The win was a good one, I agree with that, but in looking at the bigger picture of Hatton’s diminished punch resistance and his failure to follow instructions from his trainer Floyd Mayweather Jr., it’s no mystery why Pacquiao was able to beat Hatton.
I’d be willing to bet that a lot of other, perhaps anyone in the top 10 in the light welterweight division could have beaten Hatton with his flawed game plan and his weakened chin. My parents brought me up to question things and not blindly form conclusions based on limited information.
I think right now many of the boxing fans that are crowing about how great Pacquiao is after this win aren’t seeing the complete picture about this fight. Hatton looked awful in there, as if he hadn’t learned a thing from his 10th round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2007.
Hatton just ran right at Pacquiao as if he was trying to knock him down with his chin. And, of course, Pacquiao did what any fighter would have done in a similar situation. He tagged the wide open Hatton with right hooks and left hands and eventually knocked him cold.
The way Hatton fought, I think he would have lost to pretty much anyone of talent in the light welterweight division on that night. I think Hatton’s previous battles in the ring caught up with him on that night, and with his faulty plan of attack, Hatton was quickly chopped down by Pacquiao.
But, I don’t think that Pacquiao did anything special that any other top light welterweight wouldn’t have done if they were in his situation and fighting Hatton. Indeed, I think if anything, Hatton might have been knocked out even quicker if he were facing someone like Timothy Bradley or Kendall Holt instead of Pacquiao.
As far as I can see, Pacquiao looks to be the exact same fighter he was in his two fights with Juan Manuel Marquez. In both cases, Pacquiao struggled and took a lot of punishment. The first bout ended up in a 12-round draw in 2004, and in the 2nd fight Pacquiao was given a 12-round split decision win over Marquez.
However, I saw Marquez winning both of the fights by a narrow margin. If he hadn’t been knocked down, Marquez would have easily won both the fights, because he was the superior fighter over the course of the bout.
At any rate, in looking at Pacquiao’s win over Hatton, you have to put it in perspective. Pacquiao beat a fighter that couldn’t take a big punch anymore, and who was fighting with a primitive style that looked more suited for the 40s rather than 2009. If Hatton had used the things that were taught to him by his trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr, Hatton would have an excellent chance of beating Pacquiao.
I think Pacquiao is going to have problems once he fights Marquez again or takes on someone like Miguel Cotto. I think the bubble is going to be burst when that time comes, and people will finally understand that Pacquiao’s win over Hatton wasn’t that big of a deal after all.
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