Hatton vs Pacquiao tommorow night
- Thread starter redtailfool
- Start date
Damn, I actually felt bed for Ricky Hatton!! 
by 1 final second left in the 2nd round, that KO was Thunder!!
It wasn't even Paquiao's SPEED being the factor, it was his STRAIGHT UP POWER!!
by 1 final second left in the 2nd round, that KO was Thunder!!
It wasn't even Paquiao's SPEED being the factor, it was his STRAIGHT UP POWER!!
BOXING
Pacquiao knocks out Hatton in second round
8:48 PM PDT, May 2, 2009
Reporting from Las Vegas -- Ricky Hatton entered the crowded MGM Grand ring first to Supra's version of "Blue Moon," the song of Manchester City, Hatton's favorite soccer club.
Trailing a pair of police officers and wearing a short black-sequined robe with blue and gray stripes, the gritty Brit drew a raucous ovation from thousands of mostly British fans, who made the long trip to cheer on Hatton, the son and grandson of former professional soccer players from Manchester. In Hatton's corner was trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., whose son is the only man to beat Hatton, having knocked him out in the 10th round in this same ring 17 months ago.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. crashes the party
Pacquiao, in a knee-length robe styled after the Philippines flag, entered moments later to an equally loud ovation. His longtime trainer, Freddie Roach, has a deep personal feud with the senior Mayweather that bubbled over at times during the long buildup to the fight, offering a stark contrast to the professional, business-like approach the two fighters took toward one another.
"I respect Ricky Hatton," Pacquiao has said. "He is a nice guy and I would like to remind everyone that there is nothing personal for this fight. We are just doing our job."
And though it's Hatton's junior-welterweight title that is on the line, the Brit stepped into the ring a clear underdog against the Filipino, who has lost just once since 1999 and is widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
"That doesn't scare me," Hatton said. "I have been the underdog before."
Here's the round-by-round updates:
Round 1: Pacquiao, who inherited the title as the best pound-for-pound fighter when Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired after his 2007 win over Hatton, weighed in at 138 for the bout, the fourth weight class in his last four fights. At that, he weighed in nearly 10 pounds lighter then he did before beating Oscar de la Hoya in December, but he still looks both trim and strong in the early going.
Hatton weighed in at 140, a figure he's comfortable with having weighed in between 139 and 140 for 27 of his last 29 fights -- one of the exceptions being the loss to Mayweather, when he tipped the scales at 145. Hatton probably entered the ring closer to 150 pounds, though, making him the heaviest man Pacquiao has fought, and he charged out to meet Pacquiao at the opening bell.
Both fighters were active from the start with Pacquao landing a pair of jabs early and Hatton answering by clutching. Hatton did get off one clean shot about a minute in that left Pacquiao backing up with his hands at his side as if to say, "That's the best you've got?"
Entering the final minute Pacquiao gets off a barrage of punches that sends a startled Hatton to the canvas. Hatton stays on his knees for a few seconds, gets up but Pacquiao won't retreat and Hatton goes down again, under a much fiercer attack in his own corner. Hatton gets back up with a second left.
Pacquiao wins the round, 10-7
Round 2: Hatton, a courageous brawler and inside puncher for most of his career, has shown signs of becoming a smarter, more technical boxer during his short time with Mayweather, who has worked to improve the Brit's defense. But he's showing none of that here. His face reddened from Pacquiao's relentless barrage, Hatton seems overwhelmed by the Filipino's famed quickness. Pacquiao won't let Hatton get close enough to hit him, this despite the fact the Brit has a slight reach advantage. Midway through the round Hatton is told to keep his punches up. He does get off a hard right breaking from a clinch with about 50 seconds left in the round but it doesn't appear to have hurt Pacquiao.
With less than 10 seconds left Hatton goes down again after a hard left and does not move. Referee Kenny Bayless immediately stops the fight. Pacquaio caught Hatton flush on the side of the head with a wide left. Hatton never appeared to see the punch because he did nothing to stop it. The Brit went down with his hands over his head. He brought his hands back to side but after that, he laid motionless, face up, on the canvas for several minutes and doctors rushed to attend to him in the ring as the Pacquiao corner celebrated victory.
[YT]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FxfHWTETT_o&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FxfHWTETT_o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YT]
[yt]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QwqzXtcwivY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QwqzXtcwivY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/yt]
