It was just Manny being Manny last Saturday night.
On the day when former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his return to boxing, current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao solidified his spot as the best in the sport with a second round knockout of Ricky Hatton in the biggest fight of the year so far.
It is worth noting the irony of Mayweather Jr.’s announcement coming on the same day that Mayweather Sr. tasted defeat as Hatton’s trainer.
The fight itself was even less of a contest than the De La Hoya fight was for Pacquiao with Hatton throwing two more punches than Pacquiao landed during the two rounds, but Hatton would only land eighteen of his punches—only eight in round one—with none being of any significance. Pacuquiao on the other hand again was able to use his speed to keep a heavier fighter completely disoriented and look almost amateurish by comparison; such was the domination that was on display from Pacquiao last weekend.
The first knockdown saw Pacquiao land a devastating right hook just as Hatton missed a punch on his way to the canvas. The onslaught would not stop as Pacquiao continued to throw and connect eventually knocking Hatton down again within the final ten seconds of the round, a round that all judges scored 10-7 for Pacquiao.
The second round saw more of the same with Hatton having several notable whiffs while looking more and more awkward trying to keep up as Pacquiao danced circles around him.
The knockout was the definition of highlight reel as Pacquiao connected with a big left hook smashing Hatton in the face and knocking him cold before he even hit the ground, which Hatton did with a noteworthy thud.
And while the biggest fight of the year did not live up to the hype, that fight combined with Mayweather’s announcement and the fact that Mayweather will opt against a tune-up fight and return against Juan Manuel Marquez, a man who embodies the warrior spirit of boxing, made May 2 the biggest day of the year in boxing.
With the win coming in the fashion it did, combined with the fact that Marquez is the only man to win more rounds against Pacquiao since Erik Morales’ decision win over Pacquiao in 2005 and Mayweather still being the biggest name in the sport, it’s safe to say that the Mayweather/Marquez winner will be the next to face Pacman.
As for whom I’m rooting for, it’s a win-win for boxing no matter which way it goes. A third fight against Marquez would provide Pacquiao with a test against someone who not only knows how to fight him, but someone who could’ve beaten him twice if it weren’t for one knockout in each fight. A fight with Mayweather would give Pacquiao the chance to not only become the symbol of the sport, but would also be the biggest fight the sport has seen in a decade below the heavyweight division. Either way it will be a sell-out, either way it will be a happening to coin a cliché.
As for who I think will win, I’m leaning towards Marquez on this one. Yes I’m a big Marquez fan, but being the only cheering fan in my section at Wrestlemania for Mayweather proves my loyalty to the man called “Money.” The x-factor is the fact that in the seventeen months that Mayweather has been away from the ring, Marquez has fought in three fight of the year candidates, losing a close decision to Pacquiao, beating Joel Casamayor by decision, and TKO’ing Juan Diaz in what is the fight of the year at this moment. The fact that Marquez has been against three top-level fighters and has technically beaten all three (he won more rounds than Manny, but being knocked down in round three ended up costing Marquez the fight) means that Mayweather’s speed and raw talent isn’t going to be something new to Marquez. Add to the fact that Marquez earned decision wins in 2007 over Rocky Juarez and Marco Antonio Barrera and one has to think that Mayweather’s ring rust will be more of disadvantage for him than people will mention.
However with that fight two months away, the spotlight of the boxing world shines brightest on Manny Pacquiao, a man who has all the options and the accolades in the world at his feet. And rightfully so.
