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Boxing’s pound for pound best is always a subjective title. Who is the best fighter at any weight in any current era of boxing?
If you look at the history of the sport, certain matchups spring to mind. Leonard v Duran, Leonard v Hearns, Hagler v
Hearns, Chavez v Whitaker, Toney v Jones, De La Hoya v Whitaker, Morales v Barrera, De La Hoya v Mosley, De La Hoya v Mayweather Jr…the list could go on and on, but whatever your opinion, all these matchups created major interest amongst fight fans.
Another one takes place tonight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada when Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton from Manchester, England takes on Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao from Bukidnon, Philippines.
The first time I laid eyes on Pacquiao was when I laid in bed, bleary-eyed in June 2002, waiting for the Lennox Lewis v Mike Tyson superfight to take place in Memphis, Tennessee. On that night, on the undercard, Pacquiao successfully defended his super bantamweight title in two rounds against outgunned challenger Jorge Eliecer Julio.
18 months later in November, 2003, the Pacman shot to world-wide prominence when he defeated Marco Antonio Barrera in 11 rounds to be recognised as the linear featherweight champion.
Fight of the Year honours followed in 2004 when in a match up for the ages, Pacquiao dropped 126 pound rival Juan Manuel Marquez three times in the opening round before battling to a 12 round draw.
Mexican legend Erik Morales would be next on Pacquiao’s radar and the two men would meet three times between 2005 and 2006, in action packed fights with Pacquiao proving his dominance by stopping Morales in three rounds in the rubber match.
Since then, Pacman has solidfied his position as one of boxing’s best with wins in rematches against Marquez and Barrera. He has also won a fourth world title, at lightweight, against David Diaz.
Last time out in a welterweight matchup against the strongly fancied Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao outworked, outpunched and outhustled his opponent forcing a ninth round retirement.
In Ricky Hatton however, Pacquiao meets a man who’s proven best weight is 140 pounds. Indisputably the world’s number one at this weight, Hatton for all but two fights has campaigned in this division.
A pro since 1997, Hatton won the British title in 2000 against Jon Thaxton, overcoming a nasty early cut before winning over 12 rounds.
The Hitman would win the lightly regarded WBU title in 2001 before winning the big one in 2005 by defeating the legendary Kostya Tszyu over 11 gruelling rounds in Manchester in June, 2005.
A unification victory would follow five months later in November, 2005 against Carlos Maussa in nine rounds before Hatton moved up to 147 to capture the WBA belt against Luis Collazo. After knocking down Collazo in the first, Hatton struggled to a 12 round points win.
Back at light welter however, Hatton would prove unstoppable. He would regain the top 140 pound mantle when outpointing Juan Urango in January, 2007. A four round win over rugged Mexican Jose Castillo would follow in June, 2007 before Hatton would attempt the ultimate challenge at 147 pounds.
Floyd Mayweather Junior was the top man in boxing in 2007. After defeating Oscar De La Hoya in May of that year, he was tempted into defending his 147 pound title against the Hitman.
In Hatton’s first superfight, it wasnt to be as “Pretty Boy” nullified Hatton’s best work before stopping him in round 10. The junior welterweights once again beckoned.
A comeback against Juan Lazcano saw Hatton get back to winning ways in his hometown of Manchester, but the 12 round shut out win was still viewed by the press as unimpressive. If winning every round with a chest infection isnt impressive, I don’t know what is!
A parting of the ways with longtime trainer Billy Graham would follow and Hatton would prove his number one position in the 140 pound division by dominating the brave but outclassed Paulie Malignaggi in 11 rounds last November in Vegas. The new training partnership with Floyd Mayweather Sr had begun.
Much has been made of Pacman’s speed leading into tonight’s fight. To be honest, I don’t think this is as big a factor as people make out. Hatton, as we know, isn’t a fancy dan boxer, as he says himself, it’s not a tickling contest.
However, that being said, the Hitman can be a smart and savvy boxer; for examples, see his pre-Tszyu wins over Ben Tackie and Ray Oliveira. I also think people maybe are reading too much into Pacquiao’s win over De La Hoya when he pretty much did what he pleased.
In Hatton, Pacquiao is meeting a fully fledged, strong 140 pound fighter, who, most importantly, is at his best at that weight.
I have watched the 24/7 preview shows from HBO with interest on Sky Sports and was amazed when Freddie Roach and Michael Moorer labelled Hatton an overrated fighter. Only a fool would say such a thing, but maybe this was just hype, as all of the acrimony has been between the trainers, not the fighters.
Come Saturday night, I feel that if Hatton can work out the southpaw style of Pacquiao, he can wear the Filipino down through through the stretch, proving his dominance in the 140 pound division in eight rounds.
