In what was without a doubt the most impressive performance boxing has seen on the big stage in years, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao became the Junior Welterweight Champion when he walked through the durable Ricky Hatton in less than two rounds, dropping Hatton three times before the fight was called off.
Earlier on the day of the fight, unbeaten and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that he was ending his second retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July. At the time, it looked like that announcement was going to kill some of the hype for the big fight between Pacquiao and Hatton. Mayweather, after all, has been the most discussed topic in boxing since claiming the pound-for-pound throne in 2005. But Pacquiao’s jaw-dropping performance against Hatton reclaimed the focus of the boxing world.
Hatton received very little respect during the promotion for the fight. Despite being the recognized champion of the 140 pound division since stopping Kostya Tszyu in 2005, his name was second to Pacquiao’s on the billing. He even entered the ring first and was introduced before Pacquiao, which is against boxing’s tradition of presenting champions last. When it was all said and done, though, Pacquiao disposed of Hatton like the second tier fighter he had been treated as, which is no knock on Hatton but rather a thundering statement as to just how great Pacquiao is.
The atmosphere was every bit as electric as expected, with British fans turning up in groves to support Hatton. As the most popular man in the Philippines, Pacquiao always has the support of his entire nation, many of whom turned up to attempt to drown out the boisterous British fans. The British contingent sang out, “There’s only one Ricky Hatton,” prior to the opening bell while the Filipino fans calmly waited for their hero to do the talking for them.
From the opening bell, Hatton was never able to crowd Pacquiao and employ his signature holding-and-hitting tactics that have led to so many other victories in his career. Aside from an early clinch in which Hatton got in a low blow and a right hand, Pacquiao controlled the pace of the fight by keeping a safe distance and scoring from the outside. Hatton came in behind a jab, but Pacquiao came over it with a clubbing right hook. Hatton tried leaning on Pacquiao and clinched again, getting in some clubbing rights of his own, but Pacquiao escaped with another right hook. Hatton walked into another hard right hook immediately thereafter. Hatton tried to pin Pacquiao on the ropes but walked into a straight left-right combination to the face. Another right hook shook Hatton’s head up and had the British fighter clinching yet again.
Hatton swung with a right and walked into another right hook – this one stunning the champion. Hatton doubled over and absorbed two lefts to the head before grabbing Pacquiao around the waist to stop him. Pacquiao pulled off a wild right and slammed Hatton with a straight left hand to the mouth. The force of the blow caused Hatton to lean sideways, but Pacquiao set him upright with a right hook. Another straight left blasted a stunned Hatton but didn’t stop him from coming forward. The off-balance Hatton swung wildly with a left hook, but Pacquiao beat him to the punch with a counter right hook to the jaw, and Hatton stumbled forward, collapsing onto his hands and knees and suffering a humiliating first round knockdown.
Buzzed, Hatton took his time to recover before getting back to his feet by Referee Kenny Bayless’ count of eight. Hatton assured Bayless he was okay to continue, but Pacquiao sensed Hatton was in trouble and went on the attack with a right hook that had Hatton retreating for one of the few times in his career. Hatton went for a right but caught a right hook instead. A doubled over Hatton turned sideways and ate a left hand to the head as well. Pacquiao then blasted Hatton with a whipping right hook-left hand combination across the face against the ropes. Looking to survive, Hatton clinched, but Pacquiao pushed him away and pressed the attack with two straight lefts into Hatton’s gloves as he was pulling back along the ropes, the second of which sent Hatton crashing onto his back in the corner, the second knockdown of the fight.
Hatton sat up and got to a knee at the count of three, clinching the ropes and waiting while Bayless counted, looking to grab as much recovery time as possible after the nightmarish start. Hatton stood at eight and was ready to fight, but the bell bailed him out. The men headed to their corners, with the Filipino fans having something to cheer about and the British fans badly needing to lift their man and get him back into the fight. Hatton’s trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. could only plead with his man to move his head more.
But Hatton made no adjustment for round two as he went right after Pacquiao once again. Pacquiao didn’t back down either, taking big home run swings and looking to get Hatton out of there as quickly as possible. Coming forward, Hatton walked into a hard straight left to the jaw that backed the champion off a moment. Keeping his distance, Pacquiao walloped Hatton with a winging left-right combination to the head. Pacquiao then scored with two left hands inside. Hatton finally caught Pacquiao dipping in with a left hook to the side of the head and added a rabbit punch with the right before Bayless warned him to stop. Stepping in for a right, Hatton got his head knocked up with a counter right hook. A frustrated Hatton grabbed Pacquiao around the head and stuffed in a body shot and another rabbit punch, earning another warning. Always behind their man, the British fighters booed Bayless’ upholding of the rules.
Hatton tried getting inside again and took a big left over the top of the head from Pacquiao. He scored with a straight right but took a right hook from Pacquiao for his trouble. Pacquiao sunk in his first body shot moments later and added a jab to Hatton’s head. Hatton pulled back to avoid a straight left-right combination as the crowd roared in approval and enjoyed every second of the fight. Hatton clinched Pacquiao’s arm, and, this time, it was Pacquiao who did the hitting inside, stuffing left hands to Hatton’s head. Hatton’s band played “Rule Britannia” as Pacquiao dug in another body shot. Hatton tried to clinch but was beaten back by some Pacquiao left hands.
With less than ten seconds remaining in the round, Pacquiao wound all the way up with his left and laid into Hatton with everything he had. The result was downright frightening as Hatton’s jaw snapped violently to the right and his body froze up on the spot before he crashed into a heap on the canvas, flat on his back – one of the most brutal knockdowns the sport has seen in some time, probably since Pacquiao’s devastating knockout of David Diaz last summer. Bayless began counting, decided it was pointless, and waved the fight off, denying Pacquiao the “KO” he had earned but giving him what really mattered: the win.
Hatton was seen shaking his head as Bayless stopped the fight, and, while most would consider it Hatton’s indication that he couldn’t go on, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume he was telling Bayless not to stop the fight. After being down for thirty seconds, he was rolled onto his side and appeared to be struggling with breathing. After another two minutes of being down, he sat up, responsive and disappointed. He had taken some vicious punishment and gone out on his shield, no less than what boxing fans have come to expect of the British warrior.
Trainer Freddie Roach, who expressed some regret that so much of the promotion had been focused on he and Mayweather Sr. rather than the fighters, had predicted the fight would not last more than three rounds. He couldn’t have been more spot on with his analysis, which trumps even the way he was able to foresee the fight with Oscar De La Hoya unfolding last December.
Pacquiao, now unofficially a six-weight champion, may only have two or three fights left in him, but his next big opponent is a no-brainer. With five-division champion Mayweather undefeated and not having struggled with an opponent since he fought Jose Luis Castillo with one good arm for 11 rounds in 2002, Pacquiao knows he will never be a universal number one in boxing as long as an unbeaten Mayweather lingers. And with Mayweather taking on Marquez, a man who lost to Pacquiao by a single point this time last year and who many believe should have gotten the decision, the winner of that fight is on a collision course with Pacquiao. Perhaps Pacquiao takes a smaller fight in the interim, but he has unfinished business with Marquez and business that needs to be addressed with Mayweather.
As for Hatton, he’s come up short in his two biggest fights, but each fight came against the best fighter in the sport at the time and two fighters who probably belong among the top 20 of boxing’s illustrious history. There is nothing to be ashamed of there, but if retirement comes next, then so be it. Hatton’s style was never made for a long career, and it would be upsetting to see him engage in further wars with lesser fighters. And everyone in boxing is a lesser fighter than Mayweather and Pacquiao.
What looked to be a Fight of the Year candidate on paper ended abruptly, though it was exciting while it lasted – just too one-sided to be remembered as more than the biggest moment in Pacquiao’s career to date. Boxing historians will talk about this fight for years in the way that Thomas Hearns’ vicious knockout of Roberto Duran is discussed. The problem is Duran was the smaller man moving up in weight for that fight, whereas Pacquiao, the perceived little man, continues to knock out bigger men and add to his already larger-than-life legacy.
