Fresh from his victory over Gerry Pe?alosa, World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez is betting on Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao to defeat Ricky ?Hitman? Hatton on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Lopez successfully defended his title against Pe?alosa with a ninth round technical knockout in front of a hometown crowd in Puerto Rico over the weekend.
Pacquiao-Hatton, which will take place at the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds, is easily the most-anticipated fight this year. Top Rank Promotions recently announced that tickets at MGM Grand for the fight have already sold out. Insiders are also anticipating ?all-time record? in pay-per-view buys for Pacquiao-Hatton. The all-time record is 2.15 million buys, set by the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr., fight for the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight title in May 2007.
?I think it would be a very interesting fight,? said former world heavyweight champion and British pride Lennox Lewis.
While himself a boxing star, Lopez is expected to be reduced to an eager spectator when the bell rings for the Pacquiao-Hatton bout. Just about every known personality in the sport has expressed interest in the mega fight.
Lopez, who raised his record to 25-0 with 23 knockouts with the stoppage win over Pe?alosa, said he believes the PacMan?s versatile boxing style would be crucial against Hatton.
Pacquiao has developed his lateral movement, jab and right hand under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. The Filipino displayed his full arsenal in a masterful knockout win over De La Hoya on December.
Like a ?brawler?
Hatton has been likened to a crude brawler, one who brings down his foes with relentless pressure and voluminous punching.
?If we go based on styles, Pacquiao?s style should dominate Hatton?s,? Lopez told Fightnews.com. ?However, that doesn?t mean that?s what will happen inside the ring. We have to see how Manny Pacquiao deals with a boxer like Ricky Hatton that is strong and aggressive. A fighter that always goes forward.?
?I do believe that if we look at the two styles, Pacquiao should dominate this fight, but we have to see what happens. It?s one thing what should happen and another what will happen when Hatton and Pacquiao start landing on each other. I think most people are choosing Pacquiao to win this fight, but I?m not so sure who?s going to win. A fight with Ricky Hatton is never easy.?
Lopez, 25, solidified his status as the best junior featherweight (122 pounds) champ in the world today with the one-sided drubbing of Pe?alosa. Heading into the bout, the Puerto Rican offered nothing but respect for Filipino fighters. Predictably, ?Juanma? was magnanimous in victory.
?Filipino boxers have recently surged to create a name for themselves,? he added. ?Maybe there was a time when they weren?t recognized as great boxers, but nowadays everyone has to recognize that they have a great school of boxing.?
