You know the scenario, it’s happened countless times in sports. A team comes up with a brilliant performance in a big game, but then falls flat on their face in their very next outing. Either they are emotionally spent from the previous effort, fall prey to complacency, or a combination of both. In the immediate aftermath of the initial victory, while everyone else - from friends, family, fans and the media - lavishes the victors with praise, it’s up to the coaches to bring them back down to earth and to get their troops to refocus on the upcoming task.

That was the job of one Freddie Roach, who guided Manny Pacquiao to his career-defining victory over Oscar De La Hoya last December. It was a victory that propelled ‘the Pac Man’ to unprecedented levels of popularity and influence. This Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he faces the hard-charging Ricky Hatton for the jr. welterweight championship of the world.

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines said he is ready to square off with popular British boxer Ricky Hatton this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. His trainer, Freddie Roach is confident Pacquiao will win.
Freddie Roach, the award-winning coach and trainer of popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, announced that the Filipino boxing icon is ready to face Ricky Hatton of England this Saturday.

Roach said that he has never seen Pacquiao trained so hard for a boxing fight as he predicted that a knock out win for his favorite ward.

Morales turns 33 in September and currently has a career record of 48-6 with 34 knockouts. He is a Hall of Famer no matter if he comes back or not, at least in my mind. His trilogy with Barrera was one of boxing’s greatest, fiercest rivalries, and his trilogy with Pacquiao was a sight to behold as well.

I know some people want to hope for the best and go, “Well he looked pretty good against David Diaz, I thought he even won that fight.” That’s fine — he was competitive.

But he was competitive against David Diaz, a guy Morales would have eaten for breakfast when he was at his best. Seven months later, Diaz would get tested by a pro sparring partner when he fought a stay-busy bout with Roman Montano, and then three months after that he got so thoroughly destroyed by Pacquiao that he admitted mid-fight that there was nothing he could do. Tough guy, gutsy guy, nice guy, funny guy — not a great fighter.

By WIRE SERVICES
Manny Pacquiao is hoping to do what he did his last time in the ring, which is give his opponent a real beating. Oddsmakers feel he will, making the Philippines’ national hero a 2-1 favorite over English challenger Ricky Hatton in their 12-round light welterweight bout Saturday at …

As for Freddie Roach: what is it that he brings to a fighter that no other trainer of his generation does? After all, at first glance he looks far from the notion of what you might think the world’s premier boxing trainer would or should look like - more Harry Potter than Cus D’Amato. And unlike the latter, Freddie has never dedicated himself to one fighter from the very first day they put on the gloves to the last, filling the role of surrogate father, counsellor and protector as he rears his progidy with loving care. On the contrary, the long list of fighters who’ve trained under him for just one or two fights suggests a man for whom the fighter-trainer relationship starts and ends in the gym, someone who would much rather his fighters deal with any demons they might have in their own time, just as he does his.

It’s already been well documented how he’s managed to succeed as a trainer while dealing with the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s. Yet to watch him take a fighter like Manny Pacquiao on the pads is to watch a man in the full vigour of fitness and health, as if everything including his condition is left outside the ring for the duration of the workout. Like a sculptor working on a piece of clay, he focuses in on Pacquaio’s movement, his balance and handspeed, as he calls out multiple punch combinations, striving to improve the armoury of fighter whose ferocity has now been matched with a defence that Roach has painstakingly designed around it.

Thus was the warning given by boxing historian and book author Bert Randolf Sugar, who, together with fellow ring expert Steve Small, enumerated the “strengths and weaknesses” of both main protagonists in the 12-round International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring Magazine light welterweight championship dubbed “The Battle of East and West” on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, here.

“Anyone who has watched 24/7 knows that Manny is trained to throw punches, then duck his head and step away to his left or right,” observed Sugar. “This will work well against Hatton who frequently lowers his head and charges straight forward.”
Sugar counseled that Pacquiao “must be first. Establish jab then dictate the distance and the pace. Once that’s accomplished, look to drop that straight left behind the jab and follow with combinations.”

Pacquiao should not get careless, he added. “Manny’s mistakes are covered up by his blinding speed and power. However, he cannot afford to get caught up in exchange with the heavier-handed Hatton.”

“My people give me the best support and respect any boxer could have. I want to win this fight for the Filipino people, to inspire them. I will then have a few fights more and that’s that.” Filipinos love Pacquiao because he has never lost touch with his poor upbringing, dishing out half of his £30m fortune to his compatriots.

His story is typical of anyone growing up in the Philippines in the 1980s. One of six siblings, he lived in a cardboard box and sold doughnuts and cigarettes to get by when he left home at the age of 12. Like so many in his position, boxing gave him a route out of poverty, and in his glittering career he has won world titles at four different weights.

He’s now odds-on favourite to make that five against Hatton - even though this is his debut at light-welterweight - and add the Hitman to his list of impressive scalps, which includes De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

Tomorrow night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, we get treated to the first superfight of 2009. Manny Pacquiao challenges the junior welterweight reign of Ricky Hatton. Filipino and British fans are storming the Vegas strip by the thousands. Since the recent retirement of Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao and Hatton have emerged as two of the biggest ticket sellers in the sport. The fight is very important for a number of reasons. The biggest is the globalization of boxing. If the HBO pay-per-view numbers come back with a significant number, it proves that a major fight in America does not require an American-based fighter to be involved.

The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions.

The American sends British star Hatton into the MGM Grand Garden Arena to defend his unbeaten record at light-welterweight against the pound for pound best boxer in the world.

It is just their second fight working together, with Hatton seeking to get back on top of the boxing world after suffering the only defeat of his career in a welterweight showdown with Mayweather’s son in December 2007.

Mayweather Sr had just seven weeks to prepare Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) for last November’s victory back at light welterweight over Paulie Malignaggi, but the lead in to the fight with Pacquiao (48-3-2, 35 KOs) has been longer and there has been speculation that the training camp has been marred by personality clashes.

By Joe DeMaria
This weekend, boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao takes on tenacious jr. welterweight ruler Ricky Hatton in a highly-anticipated clash at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View. Get a full breakdown of the fight… why it's important, what will happen when the bell …

Now, you notice that last sentence I wrote…”I cannot really see…” I equivocated, because I know enough to know that I don’t know it all. Not even close. This is all guesswork. For all I know, Ricky eats a bad batch of Shepherd’s Pie the night before the bout, prepared by a chef with Swine Flu, and he enters the ring in a diminished state…

If I am correct, and my guess..I mean, my prediction pans out, I will try and not crow about it, as if my kid just got into Harvard, early admission. Because I know full well that a bucketload of other predictions over the years haven’t come to fruition. Anyway, guessing is fun. Please fire away with your prediction for Pacquiao/Hatton.

Both are superstars in their respective countries but Pacquiao has transcended sport and is feted like a demi–god in his homeland.

He intends to go into politics upon retiring and such is his popularity that if he ran for president right now he would win hands down.

Pacquiao is regarded as pound–for–pound the world’s best fighter, but Hatton is not far behind

“To be honest with you, I’ve come up my whole career with people thinking I was just an exciting kid,’’ Hatton said. “Just a brawler. I put too much weight on between fights. My lifestyle is going to catch up with me. Kostya Tszyu is going to flatten me. It seems I spent my whole career with knockers and even with this fight nobody’s given me a prayer as well. It’s those knockers that I want to knock on their asses May 2. I just feel like sometimes everybody just sees me as a little fat brawler and I know I’m better than that. That’s my inspiration.’’

That and one other thing that he talks about far less. In the end, Ricky Hatton knows he can think what he wants about himself but his legacy will be written by others. Historians, boxing writers and fight fans will decide where he stands and all he can do to affect that is to stand tall against a little man from the Philippines who holds not only his own future in his hands but also that of Hatton’s. The only person who can alter that equation is Ricky Hatton himself.

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?

By CompuBox
Boxing’s first big "event" of 2009 will unfold when Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KO) defends his Ring Magazine junior welterweight championship against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KO) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While "The Pac Man" is a more than 2-to-1 favorite to beat "The …

Hatton has struggled with southpaw opponents his entire career. Though undefeated against lefties, “the Hitman” has had several close encounters against less-than-spectacular lefty opponents. Pacquiao, a sometimes awkward southpaw who throw punches from unconventional angles, would be wise to follow the steps other Hatton lefty opponents have paved before him.

In October of 2000, Hatton took on aggressive British southpaw Johnathon Thaxton in his toughest fight to date. In a rugged 12-round fight in which both men landed bombs, Hatton prevailed on a close 117-113 points win. But Hatton was severely cut over his left eye in the first round, and Thaxton, a tough but limited fighter, was able to inflict significant damage throughout the bout.

“Right now, it’s so hard to look for Manny Pacquiao’s weakness. Manny is at the peak of his career. Whatever power, moves, footwork and everything he has have all gone up,” boxing analyst Dennis Principe told ABS-CBN’s morning show, “Umagang Kay Ganda.”

Principe said the only possible weakness Pacquiao may have is his instinct as a fighter, meaning being drawn into a brawl with Hatton, who likes to attack his opponents.

The boxing analyst said if Pacquiao is able to use “controlled aggression” and fully use his speed “more than the power that he has,” he will manage to dodge punches from Hatton and win the fight easily. “Easier than the fight agaist Oscar dela Hoya,” Principe added.

By Don Steinberg
In boxing, statistics often don’t tell the whole story. Many ring insiders reject numbers and say it’s really about styles. To some, the only relevant number in Saturday night’s junior-welterweight clash in Las Vegas between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao is 360. Or to be specific, 360 degrees.
To …

By Jim Slater
Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao matches his speed and deceptive moves against the superior size and power of British star Ricky Hatton on Saturday in a long-awaited boxing showdown.
Both 30-year-old fighters are trying to cement their spot in ring history in the junior welterweight matchup, with Pacquiao, 48-3 with …

“I don’t see it being a distance fight,” says Hatton. “One, because Manny doesn’t fight like he claims to go the distance. In fairness Manny goes for the knockout, I go for the knockout. But I think Manny is not the most elusive. You know I think he’s there, and sometimes he’s a southpaw and when he comes - very square on, he puts himself in the pocket so if there’s a hit, it comes square on. He likes to engage in a fight, which obviously anyone who engages in a fight there’s obviously dangers for me and I am aware of that. But if he engages and wants to have a fight with me, I do strongly believe he will come second best.”

With everything on the line and his new techniques and tactics in place, all that is left is winning the fight. For Hatton, this isn’t just about beating a big name. This isn’t just defending his title. This fight is about something you can’t touch or put around your waste. This is for pound for pound supremacy.

“If I perform like I did [against Mayweather, Jr],” confesses Hatton, “I’ll get beat again. I mean you’d have to be stupid to say that it’s not the most important fight. Of course it is. It’s for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world title. Everyone’s goal is to become the world champion the first day you lace a boxing glove on. But beat the pound-for-pound number one? You’re beating the best fighter in all weight divisions. A boxer cannot go any higher than that. So it’s the biggest fight of my career.”

By THE RING Editors
Who’s going to win Saturday, Manny Pacquiao or Ricky Hatton? We went to two of the foremost boxing experts in the U.S. to get their opinions. Joe Goossen, who has guided a dozen fighters to world titles, picks Hatton. Ken Adams, a former Olympic coach who has …

Outcome: The outcome of this fight will be determined by distance. Whoever can establish it and control it will win. Hatton will be at his best if he can close the distance and impose his size and strength on Pacquiao on the inside. If he can back Pacquiao to the ropes, he can dish out punishment. If he can’t get inside, he’s going to get punished by the quicker, sharper, busier puncher. Hatton will be careful in the early rounds as he tries to employ some of Mayweather’s technique to get in close without getting caught with anything flush. Pacquiao should enjoy success early on using his feet as much as his hands to keep a healthy distance between Hatton and himself, while he peppers the champ with jabs and straight shots to the body. Hatton will land a few counter shots as Pacquiao darts in, which will set off heated exchanges that thrill the crowd. However, as the fight continues, the more consistent offense from Pacquiao — to the body and head — will tell on Hatton, whose form and technique will break down with fatigue, setting him up for a late-rounds stoppage that is eerily similar to the one he suffered to Mayweather Jr.

Prediction: Pacquiao wins by ninth-round TKO.

Over the past six months, nearly three million Americans have lost their jobs. The stock market losses are measured not in billions, but trillions. Real estate values have plummeted, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the average person to get a loan and even the New York Yankees have been forced to hold a fire sale.

And on Saturday night, two men whose total weight is less than the average NFL linemen are guaranteed $24 million for a maximum of 40 minutes of work.

The point here is not that either Manny Pacquiao or Ricky Hatton are being overpaid – by the current standards of professional sports, quite the opposite, in fact – but that in the depths of the greatest economic downturn the country has seen since the Great Depression, the promoter, Bob Arum, appears to be taking a great risk on this bout at the worst possible time.

And if you think Arum has a lot invested in the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, well, just imagine how much boxing itself has invested in it.

Because at long last, this is the fight that will answer the question boxing has both needed to confront and been desperate to avoid.

Namely, is there life after Oscar?

Mayweather dismissed the issues. “It doesn’t mean that the camp wasn’t a good camp because people had their problems,” Mayweather told reporters in a round table discussion for trainers at the MGM Grand Hotel on Thursday.

“I think we had a good camp. Was there a problem there? Yes. But I will say right here that the camp was good.”

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach earlier told reporters that Mayweather had been late for at least one of Hatton’s sparring sessions. “I think it’s a slap in the face for a trainer to show up late for a training session with a world champion,” Roach said.