MANNY PACQUIAO PRE-DEPARTURE STATEMENT

PhilBoxing.com
I am looking forward to the promotional tour that will be held in London and Manchester this weekend as I have received tons of emails from English boxing fans, who are one of the most passionate in the world.

Even if it’s going to be hostile territory for me--as Ricky Hatton comes from this boxing-crazy country--I know that I will enjoy every minute of my brief stay there as I have heard a lot of great things about England, its notable people, its amazing culture and its proud history.

After my trip to England, I will proceed to Los Angeles so I could kick off my preparation for Ricky Hatton, who is one of the world’s most exciting fighters. Hatton is a very dangerous opponent as I have seen most of his high-caliber fight on video and you cannot take somebody like him lightly.

This is going to be a big challenge for me. This early, I am confident in saying that I will train harder for Hatton and I won’t be surprised if I end up in a much better shape than when I fought the legendary Oscar De La Hoya last December.

Once I report for training camp at the Wild Card under my very capable trainer Freddie Roach, my sole focus will be training. I will be eating, breathing and living Ricky Hatton from the day I start my training camp.

I assure fight fans that when I get into the ring on May 2, I am going to show my best--as always--and ours will be an explosive and exciting fight.

And most importantly, I am dedicating this important fight to my beloved countrymen and to all boxing fans from around the world.

Manny Pacquiao
Boxing’s Pound-For-Pound King
February 27, 2009

Editor's Note: Pacquiao left Manila for London on board Cathay Pacific at 6:30 a.m. Friday.

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The Hatton Strategy

BY: Rota Em

The Hitman has seen many brands of fighters in his eleven and a half years in the ring. From the likes of veteran Kostya Tszyu and speedster Paulie Malignaggi, to rugged brawlers like Jose Luis Castillo and Juan Urango, Hatton has undoubtedly cemented his own style as a dominant governor of the junior welterweight division. With an exception to the sole loss, a knockout at the hands of the undaunted slickster Floyd Mayweather Jr. at welterweight, Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) has rarely been touched let alone be in danger of defeat in a 140-lb fight. This is an extremely bold statement considering the catch weight has bred many exceptional champions and has seen many more pass through its gates within the last decade. And in those ten plus years, even his decision wins were great in disparity. Simply put, all 12 fights that have gone to the cards have been clear-cut unanimous decision wins in the eyes of the judges. Even his gaudy conqueror, Mayweather Jr., cannot assert this notion about himself.



Strictly from a stature point of view, Ricky is just a tad short of the ideal height for a welterweight but that obviously hasn’t been a problem for him. He looks to be closer to 5’6” (as Wikipedia lists) rather than the 5’7 ½” that boxrec.com boasts. But in all fairness late greats such as “Homicidal Hank” Armstrong, Aaron Pryor, and Barney Ross are all 5’7” or under. His ‘boxy’, square-chinned build hides no secrets as to why he can take a good lickin’. Furthermore, he has excellent maneuverability and a nice pop in his punches.



Floyd Mayweather Sr. is entrusted with the delicate task of taking everything about Richard John Hatton and molding a specimen that can out-duel, out-gun, and out-last the former WBC lightweight champion and reigning pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao. The self-proclaimed ‘shoulder roll’ trendsetter will embark on devising a defense system to neutralize the Pacman’s speed and movement. Much of the required ingredients, however, the Hitman should already have. We often hear that a fighter either has it or he doesn’t. With some things you simply cannot instill when it just doesn’t come naturally. So let’s go over what Hatton needs to do in order to thank (with a win) the hundreds of thousands of fans who have supported him every step of the way.



“There’s only one Ricky Fatton!”



Another poorly-kept secret is the fact that Manchester’s own has been known to balloon to forty pounds above his campaigning weight in between contracts, hence “Fatton”. Ring experts and analysts would credit this non boxer-like peculiarity for his low gas finishes of late. When you’re physically trying to hold your own against naturally bigger guys like Luis Collazo, most certainly depletion becomes a problem by the time the last bell comes. Some fighters utilize plyometrics training to hone strength and energy. With plyometrics, targeted muscles are loaded, contracted, and spent in rapid sequence to stimulate elasticity and innervation to ultimately increase the speed or force of muscular contractions. Some example areas that this training can address are to increase the height of a jump or to maintain speed bursts and fast recovery throughout an entire performance. Hatton wouldn’t necessarily need to follow this specific regiment but the ideal improvement region would surely be stamina and conditioning. He should be consistent in his offensive strategy to ensure that he has gas for the later rounds, should he need them. Normally when advising a prone-to-tire fighter, you wouldn’t suggest that he go after his opponent but in this case I think Pacquiao would have more trouble fighting while backpedaling so it should be mandatory that Mayweather Sr. infuse the ‘always forward’ mentality. You can’t wait for a faster guy to make the first move. Frankly put, come ready and in shape and stay consistent throughout the fight.



‘Float like a butterfly’… counterclockwise.



Hatton has speed. But in this fight with Pacquiao, it’s not about whether he has the quickness or not. It’s whether he can ‘catch up’ to the lighter man that makes the biggest difference. Now remember, Hatton is a ‘box’. He’s a large target compared to Pacquiao so his movement might not necessarily get him out of range all the time. His biggest defense against the lightning fast Filipino is a little dance called ‘jab, jab, body, body, side step.’ It’s crucial that he ends the dance with a ‘side step’. You might even catch the ‘step’ repeated more than once during some intervals. He won’t outrun Manny, but he can make himself harder to be reached. He’ll look like David Diaz if he just stands in front of the Pacman. And Diaz didn’t do it by choice.



‘Sting like a bee’… and add feints.



This key has to do particularly with his movement and timing. He can dance with Pacquiao all night but there’s only one direction that can bear fruits to this labor. The Hitman needs to move to his left, specifically away from Pacman’s left hand. Ever since the annihilating wins over Erik Morales, the implementation of the right hand (once dubbed the Manila Ice) has been central to Pacquiao’s success. This will surely make it harder for any opponent now that there are two fully functional cannons on board. Nevertheless, we all would tend to agree that it’d be a smarter idea to circle away from the naturally stronger hand and allow only fractional contribution. And since that left will partially be out of commission, Pacquiao will look to over-assert it and that’s when Hatton can time and ‘sting’ the daring Filipino.



Live downstairs but sneak upstairs.



Lastly, Ricky needs to go to the body. Aiming for a little guy who has the head and upper body movement of prime Tyson is extremely difficult. De la Hoya’s ill-fated plan to engage Pacquiao in his fight was easily trounced. Hatton should apply body shots to his combinations. In fact, his combos should revolve AROUND working the body. In standing toe-to-toe, Hatton will risk being bruised, bloodied, and cut. The last of the three poses the biggest threat (for both). Pacquiao was cut in his first fight with Morales and you could clearly see the Filipino flustered and bothered. Hint: this was his last loss.



Hatton has the tools to break down any opponent in front of him. Now it’s only a matter of whether he’ll use the right ones at the right time. Mapping the blue-print is a fraction of the equation, executing it is the other 99.99%.Catch the action live on May 2 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Ricky Hatton Exclusive: “I will pressure Manny Pacquiao like no one has before!”

FightFan.com's Ace Freeman caught up with 'The Hitman' Ricky Hatton and got his thoughts on his upcoming mega fight with Manny Pacquiao. Don't miss this detailed exclusive interview, only on FightFan.com!

FF: Ricky can you tell us how you plan on fighting Manny Pacquiao?

RH: Cut the ring off and stay in his face. I need to draw him into a fight. Manny is an aggressive fighter and he has a lot of pride in the way he fights. Obviously Manny has good footwork and he tries to hurt you with that big left cross so I do have to be careful as I put the pressure on. I plan to use lots of head movement and jabs to work my way in. I want to pick off shots and hopefully when Manny misses I’ll land some big shots. I think Manny is there to be caught quite a few times in fights.



Exclusive Ricky Hatton interview on Manny Pacquiao:



FF:FightFan.com here with ‘The Hitman’ Ricky Hatton. Ricky thanks for taking the time. Can you please tell us your thoughts on the style match up between yourself and Manny Pacquiao?

RH: I think it’s a good clash of styles. Manny is very aggressive and I’m very aggressive. Manny is a southpaw but he’s not necessarily an awkward southpaw. I think when he commits himself with some of his punches he puts all his eggs in one basket. He really tends to commit himself with some punches. If he hits you… you’ll feel it because he’s got good balance and shuffles in and out. He tends to go for broke with some punches. With that said, if he throws some of those punches - and misses… I think he sometimes puts himself off balance. I feel I’ve got good balance and good footwork and if he misses I’m going to slip some heavy shots of my own in there.

In his recent fights with the likes of Oscar, Diaz, Marquez, and Barrera… I don’t think anyone has really put the pressure on Manny. I think that because he’s so aggressive everyone has backed off. I’ve studied a lot of tapes and I think the last person to put him under pressure effectively was Eric Morales. Morales was able to push him backwards and he beat him doing it. I understand I’m the underdog but I’ll tell you I’m going in to this fight brimming with confidence. I feel anyone who fights me at 140 pounds will come in second.

FF:You got a good look at Manny when you were ringside for his victory over Oscar De La Hoya in December. Can you tell us what you thought of Manny’s improvements as a fighter in the last couple of years and how you thought he looked at that weight?

RH: He looked very good. Any win against Oscar De La Hoya is an exceptional one. Pacquiao showed good boxing ability. Not to take anything away from that, but I have to say - and I hope Oscar won’t take offense - that De La Hoya looked like a dead man walking that night. He didn’t look like he had his legs under him and he wasn’t throwing punches. I think the trouble with the weight effected Oscar’s performance. Manny did outbox Oscar, but I don’t think that was such a difficult task on that night.

FF:Ricky are you the bigger and stronger man in this fight, and if so how will that play a role in the outcome?

RH: Yes very much so. I also think my speed with surprise him. I think people underestimate my speed a little bit. I’ve changed up my training routine recently after years of doing heavy weight lifting. For the Mayweather fight I stopped doing the weights and I think my hands have been faster for it. With another training camp under my belt without the weights I think I’ll be even faster.

A lot of people are expecting Manny’s speed to cause me problems and I’m sure it will to an extent, but my speed is underestimated. Paul Malignaggi is a quick handed fighter and I feel I was faster than he was.

FF: If Manny elects to box and move, how do you plan to deal with that?

RH: Cut the ring off and stay in his face. I need to draw him into a fight. Manny is an aggressive fighter and he has a lot of pride in the way he fights. I’m hoping to draw him into a fight. Obviously Manny has good footwork and he tries to hurt you with that big left cross so I do have to be careful as I put the pressure on. I think if you look at my last fight my defense was improved. I think it will be even better with another training camp under my belt.

I plan to use lots of head movement and jabs to work my way in. I want to pick off shots and hopefully when Manny misses I’ll land some big shots. I think Manny is there to be caught quite a few times in fights.

FF: If Manny does stand toe-to-toe with you at some point do you feel that’s to your advantage?

RH: I do feel it’s to my advantage. Obviously there are dangers for myself as well because Manny can punch… but two of his previous defeats (when he was younger) were from body punches. Marquez has shaken him up a few times, and I also saw tape of a fighter who knocked him down with a body shot. I also saw Nedal Hussein knock Manny down hard with a jab. He’s been hurt in the past and I feel I will be more in-his-face than those fighters were. Manny is a very aggressive guy and because he fights the way he does it seems like opponents tend to back off and give him a lot of space. I won’t be giving up ground to him.

FF: You’ve started training already. How is camp going and what are you working on?

RH: We’ve been in the gym two weeks now. We’ve been working on putting the pressure on and jabbing my way in, picking off shots on the way in. I’m working on slipping the left cross, so it’s all really going according to plan so far. Me and my camp are extremely confident as we approach this fight. I understand I’m the underdog. Manny is a modern day legend when you think about how he won his first world title at flyweight. I understand we’re the underdog in the fight but I feel that’s a great position to be in. Not a lot of people expect me to win but I’m super confident.

FF: Ricky in this day and age a lot of fighters are very selective about who they fight. You seem to always be gunning for the biggest names out there. Do you feel you get enough credit for that?

RH: Well in certain areas I get the credit but I think any fighter like Manny or Mayweather or even myself… there’s always going to be people who will knock you and put you down. I spent the earlier part of my career listening to people calling me over-hyped and over-protected, saying I didn’t want to leave Manchester and that I was avoiding certain fighters. I think if you look at the last few years since I’ve been fighting in America I moved up in weight to fight the pound-for-pound best in Floyd Mayweather. I’ve won world titles and beat Kostya Tszyu. I was the first fighter to drop and stop Jose Luis Castillo (with a body shot).

Now I’m challenging the best pound-for-pound fighter again in Manny Pacquiao. There will always be people who will knock you but I don’t think too many people can complain about the fights Ricky Hatton’s been taking over the last few years. It seems all I’ve been doing is fighting world champions up in weight and down in weight. I’m taking on the best fighters in the world and that’s what I’ve said I was going to do since my early days. There’s no fear in Ricky Hatton.

FF: That’s a good note to leave it on. A lot of guys are quite selective about who they’ll fight but I guess that’s why they say there’s only one Ricky Hatton! Mad respect for that. Ricky thanks for doing this.

RH: My pleasure, thank you.

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Ricky Hatton's excesses tamed as he prepares for Manny Pacquiao arrival

According to several insiders from Ricky Hatton's camp, the thoughts of trainers Floyd Mayweather Snr and Lee Beard on Hatton's excesses between fights have found a foothold.

Hatton has not 'binged' on his family holiday this year, and is believed to have had an earlier 'cut-off' point in his celebrations. Hatton is deadly serious about this contest, having felt he underperformed when he fought the then world No 1 pound for pound fighter in Floyd Mayweather Jnr 15 months ago.

It also appears that Hatton has grown tired of looking 'big' next to his upcoming opponents, with Manny Pacquiao due for a public fan rally in Manchester on Saturday, with the pair then heading down to London for a press open day at the Imperial War Museum on Monday.

Several times now, Hatton the man who has promoted his contest three months before on a press tour is not the man who appears in front of the fans and media in fight week.

Hatton is serious - and that can only be good, as Manny Pacquiao has the potential to close Hatton's career if he is not in tip-top shape.

Beard insists fans should not worry. "Ricky is coming along and is in great shape."

Pleasing for the camp, is that Hatton has passed several early fitness tests with flying colours. It is also a sign of growing maturity with the Mancunian, who wants two more fights after this, potentially against Floyd Mayweather Jnr, and one other major name,

For now, having been dismantled by Pacquiao, last December, Oscar De La Hoya would seem out of the equation. Beard is insistent on having Mexican sparring partners to approximate the Pacquiao style, admitting there is no-one in the UK capable of creating the havoc that the Filipino can generate in a ring.

Beard, who has been studying Pacquiao's style in minute detail, said the hallmarks of Hatton's opponent were "extremely strong fighter, very active and throws every punches in the book, allied with variety of punches, good on his feet and fine defensively or offensively going forward or backwards." No wonder Hatton is already in shape !

The business begins this weekend. It will be a long haul until the moment they meet at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on May 2.

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Hatton wants to train at home, not Vegas

By Robert Morales, Staff Writer

Ricky Hatton of England is known to gain quite a bit of weight between fights. He likes to hang out with his buddies at the neighborhood pubs and drink lots of beer.

Hatton's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., is stationed in Las Vegas. He would like Hatton to come to Las Vegas for eight weeks of training leading up to his May 2 fight against Manny Pacquiao at MGM Grand.

But Hatton told British newspapers earlier this month that he doesn't want to be away from home for eight weeks. He said he would miss his girlfriend, his son and his favorite soccer team.

Hatton, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, will be facing the best pound-for-

pound fighter in the world. Yet he is worried about being away from home too long?

That's not a good thing.

But Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, said he is not concerned.

"I have two comments on that," Schaefer said this week. "One, he should talk to Bernard Hopkins. He'd make sure his priorities are straight."

Hopkins is 44, but still one of the best fighters in the world, pound-for-pound. Sheer dedication is one of the reasons.

"The other one is, I'm not really worried about it because the guy who is going to train him is Floyd Mayweather Sr.," Schaefer said. "I can assure you Floyd Mayweather Sr. is going to make him forget his girlfriend and whatever else he has in his life, because Floyd Mayweather Sr. is a trainer who does not accept any of that whatsoever."

Schaefer said that although every fighter boasts he is going to be in the best shape of his life for a given fight, Mayweather is the trainer who will make sure Hatton is just that.

Schaefer said Mayweather also wants to show that he can train a fighter to beat Pacquiao. Mayweather formerly was Oscar De La Hoya's trainer, but not when De La Hoya fought and lost decisively to Pacquiao in December.

Schaefer said that to Mayweather, a win over Pacquiao would prove that De La Hoya made the wrong choice by not having him work his corner for that fight.

"One thing the Mayweathers have is an incredible will to win," Schaefer said.

So how long is Hatton going to be in Las Vegas? Only the last four weeks of his training camp. The first four will be spent in England.

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Pacquiao to use footwork vs. Hatton

By Jun Medina, Special Correspondent

Good footwork is a key element of Manny Pacquiao’s successful boxing career, a tool he used to advantage in pummeling to submission the bigger and stronger Oscar De La Hoya in their December 6 fight.

It’s a device he would need to employ again to the hilt when he tangles with British junior welterweight star Ricky Hatton in their coming May 2 bout, according to his renowned trainer Freddie Roach.

Nigel Collins, editor-in-chief of The Ring Magazine, observed that the signature move Pacquiao used in his “Dream Match” against De La Hoya carried the Filipino icon to his upset victory by “largely nullifying Oscar’s biggest weapon, his concussive left hook.”

“Pacquiao would step in quickly, deliver a rapid combination, pivot to his right, bend at the knee, and duck low,” Collins, a veteran boxing writer, wrote in his article “The Lost Art of Footwork” in the April issue of The Ring.

It is a routine that Pacquiao mastered at training camp and employed to near perfection during the fight, and handed De La Hoya, boxing’s biggest draw, his worst beating in his entire career.

“We developed that move especially to take away Oscar’s bread-and-butter [left hook] and work on it throughout camp,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainor for more than eight years. “Footwork is something of a lost art, but it was the key to Manny’s victory over Oscar.”

Collins observed that the top four boxers in The Ring’s current pound-for-pound ratings—Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins—are all known for employing intelligent footwork.

“Overlooked, misunderstood, and difficult to master, footwork [and its co-joined twin, balance] has always been and remains and remains the hallmark of the great fighter down throughout the generations,” said Collins, a keen student of The Sweet Science.

He said that among the iconic heavyweights, Jim Corbett, Jack Johnson, Gene Tunney, Joe Walcott, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes were all gifted hoofers.

Collins said good movement in the ring also played a major role in the success of fighters not normally associated with fancy legworks, noting how the likes of Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, or better yet, Roberto Duran cut off the ring in their prime.

Among active fighters, Collins mentioned the ageless Bernard Hopkins, who practically gave unbeaten middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik a boxing clinic using excellent footwork.

“It’s all about footwork, footwork and balance. They’re together,” Hopkins told Collins.

Hopkins said that “70 percent to 80 percent of winning a fight is based on positioning,” adding that it is proper footwork that allows a fighter to be in position to attack or defend himself.

Hopkins said the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard both had great footwork, a quality that helped earn them their status as best among the elite boxing greats in the history of the sport.

According to Collins footwork has always been a part of the development of boxing since the time of the bare-knuckle prizefighters of the 18th and 19th century.

“Footwork has always been the shifting foundation upon which boxing excellence is built,” Collins said.

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Freddie Roach: “If Hatton goes toe-to-toe with Manny he’ll get knocked out!”

By FightFan.com Staff (20-Feb-2009)

Photo: Ace Freeman

FF: Freddie, what do you think about the style match up with Manny set to face Ricky Hatton?

FR: It’s great. You know Ricky comes to fight. He’s young, he’s vibrant, and he loves to fight. He believes in himself and he’s a tough guy. It’s going to be a very competitive fight and I think it’s a good style match up for Manny and I. Manny does very well with guys who come forward like Hatton does. It’s definitely a great match up… but we’re going to knock him out.

Freddie Roach on Pacquiao vs. Hatton:

FF: Freddie now that the fight is set, and Manny Pacquiao will face Ricky Hatton… can you give us your thoughts on the style match up in this fight?

FR: It’s great. You know Ricky comes to fight. He’s young, he’s vibrant, and he loves to fight. He believes in himself and he’s a tough guy. It’s going to be a very competitive fight and I think it’s a good style match up for Manny and I. Manny does very well with guys who come forward like Hatton does. It’s definitely a great match up.

FF: Hatton is a very strong fighter. How will Manny deal with that strength?

FR: We’re not going to deal with his strength. We’re not going to fight him on the inside. We’re going to fight smart and box this guy. I don’t think Hatton’s strength will come in to play in this fight.

FF: Ricky really likes to work out of the clinch and makes things very physical. Will Manny’s footwork be a big asset in this fight to counter act that?

FR: Of course. You know we’re planning on dealing with it. We’re not going to rely on the referee or anything like that. We will definitely have an answer for it.

FF:How would you rate Hatton’s power? He is a strong guy and a strong puncher. Is there any concern there, maybe with Hatton’s body punching?

FR: He’s a decent puncher and he’s very good with attacking to the body. He’s a good puncher but we’re not going to stand in front of this guy and exchange with him. We’re going to fight a smart fight like we did with Oscar.

FF: If there are moments where they end up standing toe-to-toe do you like Manny’s chances even though it might not be the smartest thing to do?

FR: If Hatton stands toe-to-toe with us, we’ll knock him out.

FF:Hatton is a younger guy, very strong… do you think he can still pull the trigger?

FR: Oh yea… but I also don’t think he’s the same fighter he was before he lost to Mayweather. I think the Mayweather fight took something out of him and that he looked pretty shaky in the Lazcano fight. He did look very good in the Malignaggi fight, but Paulie looked really bad in that fight for some reason. We’re not that style of fighter though.

I’ve been watching tape of Ricky, I’ve studied the Lazcano fight and I have his last ten bouts on video. We’ll study him thoroughly and see what kind of game plan we can come up with. My new assistant Michael Moorer (former world heavyweight champion) is going to help with training Manny for this fight. We should be okay.

FF:Where do you think Hatton ranks up with the other fighters Manny has faced?

FR: He’s definitely up there… you know the top three guys were probably Morales, Marquez and Oscar and Ricky’s a world champion and that doesn’t happen by accident. Ricky’s a tough guy who likes to fight - and we like to fight - so it should be good.

FF:Did you notice any improvements with Hatton training under Mayweather Sr.?

FR: Oh yes! Tremendous improvements! (Laughs) Give me a break!

FF:I thought if anything else he looked a lot more like his old self…

FR: No comment.

FF:Okay… moving right along. What weight do you want to see Manny enter the ring at for this fight?

FR: The contracted weight for the fight is 140, and I’d like to see Manny at 147 in the ring on fight night.

FF:We’re going to put you on the spot. What’s the prediction for this fight?

FR: We’ll knock Hatton out.

FF:Freddie as always, thanks for this.

FR: My pleasure.

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Inevitable war of words in Pacquiao-Hatton superfight

Boxing's pound-for-pound No 1 Manny Pacquiao has hit back at Lee Beard's comments that Pacman "makes mistakes" in the ring, that there are flaws in the great Filipino's technique, and that Beard, Floyd Mayweather Sr and essentially, Ricky Hatton, will attempt to expose them come fight night on May 2.

"Let your ward train hard and good luck come fight night" was Pacman's response.

Part of the cut and thrust of a superfight are the intricacies, the discussions of styles, how they will meet, the records, the mutual opponents. One of the great aspects to this contest is that there are no mutual opponents, and that Pacquiao has never fought at 140lbs.

It has, and is generating, at times, fairly vitriolic debate. (Perhaps that is only to be expected with arguably two of the world's most popular boxers each with their own fervent following meeting in the square ring).

They say Pacquiao is more dangerous when riled. Like a coiled cobra. And that the more silent he is, the more dangerous he becomes. Humble men are often that way. There are similarities with Hatton. Focus is his key. He lost it against Mayweather. And I'm talking about the build-up in fight week here. So many fans, so much adrenalin. The finger across the throat stuff...just not Hatton.

It was good to see Hatton - back in light training this week - calm and collected about his fight with Pacquiao. And see him complimenting his opponent. "It's going to be an outstanding fight. None of us are ever in a dull fight. I don't think I've ever seen Manny in a boring fight. If I wasn't fighting Manny, I think I'd be a fan of him because he's always in outstanding fights." I assume the same will come from Pacquiao. Seeing him at Freddie Roach's gym it is clear that he lets his work ethic do the talking.

However, the likelihood is that Mayweather will get under the skin of the opposing camp for this fight, that Freddie Roach will bite, because the two have history. Beard also seems to have adopted the stance that he, too, will speak out and be vocal.

The diverse trainer-fighter relationships will have a bearing on this fight. They are stark in contrast.

Roach on Pacquiao: "Manny is like a son to me, he's more than just my fighter."

Mayweather on Hatton: "I will need more than a few weeks to teach him to box like my son, but you are going to see a different Ricky Hatton come fight night." I do not buy the arguments that Hatton can only brawl. I have watched almost all his fights, and there was a marked improvement in his fitness, movement and ring generalship against Paulie Malignaggi, who admittedly, was not a heavy puncher.

But criticism of Hatton's hit-and-hold tactics do not hold water. What he does, the way he fights, is within the rules. Look at the wily skills of Bernard Hopkins in defence. I believe we should admire fighters for their survival instincts.

One of the keys to the outcome of the fistic meeting between Pacquiao and Hatton may lie in whether Hatton can get Pacquiao onto the ropes, or into corners, to nullify his great lateral, bouncing, movement, which forms part of his great defence, honed and developed under Roach.

Long before we get to see these things, however, we are likely to have a protracted war of words between the camps. It just seems inevitable. What are the odds on Mayweather throwing the first verbal punch ? Odds-on.

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Pacman in for tough fight–Roach

By: Jun Medina, Special Correspondent ; Manila Times Online

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will be in for a tough, competitive match when he fights British junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton on May 2, according to Pacquiao’s renowned trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach, who has trained 17 world champions, said he is devising a new game plan for the Hatton fight, which will be completely different from the strategy used in the Filipino icon’s last fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

Hatton is known for holding his opponents and crowding them in the inside to land his vaunted body punches. And unlike De La Hoya who was 35 years old when he fought Pacquiao, Hatton is only 30 years old.

Some boxing scribes also see Hatton improving under the watch of Floyd Mayweather Sr., who has succeeded in polishing Hatton’s defense at least for the Briton’s recent fight against Paulie Malignaggie.

However, Pacquiao’s camp is devising a game plan for the Hatton fight.

“We have a great game plan and look to fight the perfect fight again,” Roach told boxing columnist Scott Dryden of People’s Defender, an Ohio-based weekly. “If we do [execute the perfect fight] he [Hatton] will get knocked out in the later rounds. It’s going to be a good fight up until that point.”

Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, is guaranteed $12 million, his biggest paycheck, for the megabuck fight to be held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Roach said Pacquiao-Hatton would be an exciting fight because both boxers pack power in their punches and that they “come to fight.”

Roach, a three-time trainer of the year, said one thing he likes about Pacquiao is his discipline and focus while training for a match.

“Pacquiao is a machine. From day one his work ethic was unbelievable,” Roach said of his prized student. “He is the hardest working fighter I’ve ever seen.”

He recalled that while training for the Oscar De La Hoya fight, Mike Tyson dropped by the gym told Roach to slow Pacquiao down because they had a fight in a couple of days.

“I said, ‘Mike this is slow,’” Roach said. “Manny is just a machine.”

“Manny averaged 44 rounds per day. He runs a lot basically trains like he fights; no caution. He really works hard,” Roach said.

Roach said he expects Manny to report to the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood on February 24 as he and Hatton are scheduled to kick off the super fight’s promotional tour Hatton’s hometown, Manchester in the United Kingdom.

They will also promote the fight in London before flying back to the United States with stops in major cities, like New York and Los Angeles.

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