Pacquaio VS. Hatton Fight

Round One
Hatton starts well for the first 30 seconds, stays outside, moving well (and keeping to the game plan) as Pacquiao appears to start slowly. Then Pacquiao launches an assault catching Hatton flush with a straight left hand. Then a right hook. Then he launches an all-out assault, twice sending Hatton to the canvas. The final minute of the round is torrid for the Mancunian, a rapid right hook as Pacquiao moved to his left catching Hatton on the chin sending him to the canvas. Hatton takes the count from referee Kenny Bayliss on one knee, rises, but is soon in trouble again, as a straight left floors him in front of his corner.

Round Two
Hatton looks composed, remarkably, at the start of the second stanza, beginning it with some success, knocking Pacquiao back, but is then warned by Bayliss not to hold and hit. Hatton lands with a left hook, and looks to be getting back into the contest but as the round ends Pacquiao enacts a punch of clinical brutality, felling Hatton flat onto his back, crumpling under a left hook which leaves him glazed and motionless. Hatton looked out before he landed on his back on the ground.

"I did not count," said Bayliss. "I called the fight over because Ricky was glazed in his eyes and was showing no motion to get back up." Promoter Bob Arum says immediately at ringside that Pacquiao can "go on to become the greatest pound for pound fighter of all time". Hatton is on the canvas motionless for three minutes, and walks out of the arena. He is immediately taken to hospital "on precautionary grounds".

"There's only one Ricky Hatton," goes the British fighter's anthem.

But there needed to be two, three or four Ricky Hattons in the ring on Saturday night to cope with the phenomenal Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

Pacman, as he is known back home in the Philippines, gobbled up the Hitman with an awesome array of punches at dazzling speed, and a final fearsome left hook.
Hatton crashed to the canvas with a second to go in the second round, never looking likely to beat the count.

'Shocked and gutted'

The Mancunian hero was later taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up.
It was a stunning ending to the fight and shocked the 20,000 or so Hatton fans who had ignored the economic hard times to travel to Las Vegas to see their hero.
Rob Melbourne, from London, was in the arena with his girlfriend Katie Audsley and he said: "We're shocked and gutted. I can't believe it happened."

But he added: "Total respect to Manny Pacquiao, he totally outclassed him."
Katie said: "I'm still pleased we came all the way out here because the atmosphere was amazing."

Neither of them wanted to see Hatton forced into retirement after such a performance and Katie said: "He has to go out with a win. He mustn't go out like that."
Tim Marshall, an expat who lives in Tokyo, said he felt Hatton looked tense beforehand while Pacquiao looked "super-relaxed".

'Just too quick'

He said: "After he was knocked down twice in the first round it was just a question of when and not if he lost."

For him there is a silver lining. "My wife Lori is Filipino. She's stayed at home with the kids but she will be very happy.

"Pacquiao has done the Philippines proud. The whole place comes to a standstill when he's fighting and the fight was shown live on TV there with thousands in the street."
As for Hatton, Tim thinks he needs to think long and hard about whether he should continue in the fight game after such a devastating defeat.

Bal Johal and his friends Surjit Rai and Gee Punia, all from London, were in despair.

Bal said: "We came over for the Malignaggi fight but this time we are so disappointed. There was 100% effort on Ricky's part but Pacquiao was just too quick."
Would it ruin their weekend, I asked.

"No. This is the party capital of the world. We knew Ricky was the underdog and we are still determined to enjoy the weekend," said Bal.

While thousands of British fans went off to drown their sorrows in the bars and fleshpots of Sin City, their Filipino counterparts prepared to party into the night.
Joseph Palmes had travelled all the way from South Cotabato - the same province where Pacquiao hails from - just for the fight and he was overjoyed.

"Nobody beats Pacman. He is the strongest and the fastest," he beamed.

So who next for the mighty Pacman?

Floyd Mayweather, the only man to have previously beaten Hatton, looms large on the horizon after he announced earlier in the day he was coming out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July.

At the press conference after the fight, promoter Bob Arum said: "If Mayweather wants to pick on a little Filipino, just be my guest."

Pacquiao-Mayweather would be another monster fight and there is little doubting who most of Ricky Hatton's fans will be rooting for.

In victory Pacquiao was as charismatic and humble as Mayweather was arrogant and insensitive.


It was two rounds of brutal action and a two round blowout for Filipino sensation Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao as he walked through, around, and all over Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-2 with 32 KOs). It was a crowning achievement for Pacquiao who became the first man to beat Hatton, until tonight the linear 140 lb champion, at that weight. The cherry on top? He did it easier and much quicker than Floyd Mayweather, Jr who has now returned to the game and is hoping to take on tonight’s winner. After seeing this performance, he may think twice about that.

Nothing is like a big fight in Vegas between tow seemingly evenly matched fighters and tonight was no different as the star rolled out in droves and the room was filled to the brim with Brits and Pinoys all cheering their man on and shaking the MGM Grand Garden Arena from the floor to the rafters.

Hatton came out to the ring first, looking serious and focused. The crowd went wild as he made his way to the ring. As he waited for the action to begin, Hatton began hitting his head with his own gloves and jumping up and down. Those seemed to be the only shots he landed tonight.

Pacquiao came out relaxed and smiling, taking in the crowd. Hatton’s fans went wild for their guy but Pacquiao’s fans took the volume to a whole other level. The roof about came off and my ears were ringing as Michael Buffer made his pre-fight introductions. As he got to his trademark line “the crowd joined him to say “LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLLLLLLEEE!!!!!”

Both men looked ready and in shape, stretching, bouncing, and getting ready for that first bell. When it rang, both men came to center and the action was on. Hatton got his jab going but followed it with two clinches within the first 30 seconds.

Pacquiao stayed patient, timing Hatton and looking to land his shot. And he did with a right hook that caught Hatton flush and making him clinch again. Hatton worked in the clinch to the body and head. After the break, Hatton dug to the body but Pacquiao came right back with a jab, jab, left hand . A lead left caught Hatton and seemed to hurt Hatton who clinched again. Pacquiao came back with a right hook after that and began to open up as Hatton backed off. A searing right hook caught Hatton moments later and dropped him hard to the canvas. Hurt but full of heart, Hatton rose and Pacquiao went back to work. The crowd was deafening as Pacquiao landed shot after shot, looking to end things early. Pacquiao was landing it all as a one two from Pacquiao broke Hatton’s guard and dropped him again.

It was pure mayhem in the arena as even press row jumped to their feet at what they were seeing. Hatton rose slower this time and was clearly very hurt but still game as they traded to the bell.

In the second, Pacquiao came out aggressive but boxing patient and smart, gauging his foe and poking and prodding to see if a finish was there for the taking. Hatton attempted to bore in close the gap but Pacquiao’s educated feet and sharp jab kept him at bay. Time and again, Pacquiao would catch Hatton coming in wide open and it seemed a matter of time before the end. It would come quickly as Pacquiao seemingly opened up every punch in the arsenal. Left leads, quick right hooks off a step left move that he worked on in the gym. Hatton got in a right hand but the offense was all Pacquiao as he landed jab, left, jab, left and then again followed by a right hook that shook Hatton to his toes. Pacquiao landed two lead lefts as he got Hatton in the corner but the Manchester fighter circled out to center ring and the end of the fight as Pacquiao, stepping to his left dropped a bone chilling left hook that dropped Hatton on his back. He seemingly was out before he hit the ground. Referee Kenny Bayless stepped in, looked Hatton over and waved it off at 2:59 of the second. Easily knockout of the year and one of the most brutal and beautiful KO’s in memory period.

Afterward, a humble Pacquiao would say, “I mean, I am surprised that it was that easy, but the fighter fights hard. He is strong and has a lead hand. Our strategy was one punch: the left hook. Right hook. That was going to be key to this fight. In the first round, I expected my right hook was going to be dangerous for him. He was coming wide open and his hands were down.”

As for the future of the pound for pound king, “I can fight anybody. M promoters will handle that. I am just doing my job and training.”

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach said “Everytime [Hatton] throws that hook and cocks it, he is wide open for a right hook from the southpaw stance. We worked on that in the gym every day and it worked beautifully. The winner of Marquez/Mayweather is a possibility. I think it would be great.”



Ricky Hatton's pound-for-pound dream has been wrecked inside two shocking rounds.

Manny Pacquiao put the Hitman down twice in the first before ending a one-sided contest with a chilling left hook one second from the end of the second.

It was such a bad knockout that Hatton was out before he hit the canvas and he needed treatment before finally 0 thankfully - getting to his feet.

Whether he climbs back into a boxing ring again, is doubtful.

Hatton did no interviews, had to be helped from the ring and was surely headed for hospital. And possible retirement.

When his head clears he will realise that the performance was a complete and utter disaster. He came to Vegas dreaming of being crowned the best boxer on the planet. He will leave after an absolute nightmare.

At least it was a short one. Freddie Roach's initial three-round prediction was not far off the mark in the end. Pacquiao's trainer also said it was too late for the Hitman to change his style - and that was just as accurate.

Ferocious

In six ferocious minutes of action, there was no sign of any boxing skills, no head movement, no cunning whatsover as he tried to close the gap and take Pacquiao on on the inside.

Instead it was the Hatton of old. Walking straight forward, square on and, as he did even on that fateful night when he forced Kostya Tszyu to quit, taking way too many shots.

Reports of a rift with trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr on the eve of the biggest fight of his life can't have helped. If there had been problems - and in five minutes 59 seconds Hatton did little to dispel the rumours - they were cruelly exposed by the Filipino phenomenon, who now stands alone at the top of boxing's tree.

Hatton's plan to chop him down had been based on getting in close and in the very first clinch of the fight, he did get two sneaky shots in on the inside. But Pac Man hadn't even begun to fight.

A few seconds later and he was in the swing, catching his man with a right and even when he was pinned on the ropes, he slipped out untroubled.

Knowing his speed would keep him clear of any one-dimensional danger, he was then able to stand his ground in the face of thoughtless attacks and let his own fists fly.

Stunned

A left-right-left combination soon had Hatton cowering, then a huge right hook, signalled the beginning of the end.

Down Hatton went, stunned, but got back to his feet at eight. It was no flash knockdown, no lucky counter, no fluke. It was speed, timing, power; everything a boxer craves, everthing Hatton had promised - and it was to be repeated.

The next time he stuttered forward, a straight left repeated the punishment and had the Hitman on his back again with 55 seconds of the first round still remaining.

Juan Manuel Marquez might have survived three first-round knockdowns against Pacquiao five years ago, but even though Hatton got up again and held on for the ball, this was so patently different. Pacquiao had, as promised brought plenty power up to 140lbs to match his pace.

Hatton did at least catch his man at the start of the second, but still he was hunting in straight lines, not using, never mind moving his head. Soon enough another left landed and sent his head rocking back, while Pac Man let loose three or four-punch combinations and stepped out of range as Hatton lunged forward.

It was all too familiar and although he managed to mess Pac Man up for the next chunk, Bayless warned him for a low blow and roughing on the inside as desperation took over far sooner than anyone had dared fear.

Horrendously

How he made it to within a whisker of the end of the session perhaps only Pacquiao can answer, but just as the seconds were getting ready, the Hatton dream was ruined. Absolutely, unequivocally and, as fiancee Jennifer's piercing ringside scream will testify, horrendously.

This time he didn't even walk onto the shot. Almost casually, Pac Man prodded out half a jab before unleashing a lightning fast left hook flush to the chin. Hatton toppled to his left, smacked the canvas hard and did not even need a count.

He did need extensive treatment and he will now need a serious assessment of just where to go next.

Pacquiao, in contrast, can look forward to the winner of Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Marquez later this year.

On this chlling evidence, he can do so with supreme confidence. Boxing has a new pound-for-pound king. And sadly, he was a class above the same old Ricky Hatton.