Saturday May 2nd is tomorrow and we have a battle of the ages upon us. Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton will surely be a fight talked about for a long time. Both of these men have alot to fight for and much to proove. Is Ricky a new fighter with a more tactful side than we all thought. Or is Manny going to prove that Floyd Mayweather has a legitamate opponent with a legendary record.
Manny Pacquiao trained by Freddie Roach will be the faster fighter in this fight. He will attempt to attack from different angles and spaces to keep Hatton guessing. His key to winning the fight will be to stay in the middle of the ring while moving laterally away from Hatton. If Manny remains in front of Hatton and allows him to force him into the ropes then it will be a rough fight for Manny. Manny needs to combine his combinations with speed and head movement to try and keep Hatton off balance. We all know Manny as a very brave and fearless fighter who will try to match his opponent with power at times. This could be a recipe for disaster.
Ricky Hatton trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr will be the bigger, stronger guy of the night. He will try and put relentless pressure on Pacquiao from the minute the bell rings. Hatton's best chance to win the fight will be to jab on his way into the clinch. By jabbing his way in he will avoid having to absorb as many shots as he used to before he had Floyd Sr in his corner. He should shoot upstairs to make Manny pick his hands up while setting up his crushing body shot. He can use his excellent footwork to gain ring generalship throughout the night. Ricky would also be wise to exercise patience and avoid rushing in carelessly.
The key moment to the fight comes when Manny Pacquiao lands that first clean straight left hand to Hatton's chin. What will be Ricky's reaction? Will he feel that Pacman's punch isn't that strong after all? Or will Manny's punch make Ricky respect him all night? If Ricky isn't fazed by Manny's shot and keeps coming forward then it will probably be a long night for Manny (ex. Cotto vs Margarito). If Manny is able to keep Ricky honest with that initial punch then he might decide that "Hey, he packs a punch but I do too".
I think Ricky will be able to execute the gameplan that I talked about. I think that Manny is a proud man that will try to trade blow for blow and will eventually lose that battle. Manny will try to prove that he has just as much power as Hatton but he might come up short. His punches wont be able to keep Ricky off of him. I also see Hatton getting cut and showing lots of bruising as a result of Manny's combination punching.
RigoBox chances to victory: Hatton 55% - Pacquiao 45%
Prediction: Ricky Hatton by TKO
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Very nice and crisp analysis. I agree with you on most of the points, except maybe for the Hatton footwork. I feel that it is really not as "excellent" as you describe. I also did an approximation of chances a couple of days ago, and ended up with 55% for Hatton and 45% for Paquiao. Boy was I surprised to see the exact same numbers from you, lol.
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