8CountNews sat down with Manny Pacquiao and got his thoughts on the current negotiations taking place between himself, and Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao confirms that a date for May 2nd, in Las Vegas has been set, and that the negotiations are ongoing, and making nice progress. Manny also talks in depth about his very impressive win over Oscar De La Hoya. ONLY AT THE 8!
8CN ? Manny, thank you for joining us.
MP ? Thank you.
8CN ? Can you give us an update on how the negotiations are going between you and Ricky Hatton?
MP ? The negotiations are still going on, and I heard that it is close, and we are waiting for the final decision.
8CN ? Do you know when and where the fight will take place?
MP ? Probably on May 2nd, in Las Vegas.
8CN ? Are you excited about fighting Ricky Hatton?
MP ? Well yes, I am excited to fight him. I am waiting for the negotiations to finish up, so I will wait until then.
8CN ? After you beat Oscar De La Hoya, you had a huge reception in The Philippines. Talk about how you were treated when you went home.
MP ? After the fight when I got back home, people recognized me of course, and remember my last few fights. This fight was the biggest fight of my career.
8CN ? Were you surprised with how easy you beat De La Hoya?
MP ? Well I was thinking before the fight that I would beat him. I didn’t think it would be that easy, but I believed that I would win the fight. I trained very hard for the fight.
8CN ? You were just too fast for him.
MP ? I told everybody that before the fight, right?
8CN ? Yes, you did. You told everybody not to worry, and you were right.
MP ? I told them not to worry because my speed would be the key to the fight.
8CN ? When you were in there with Oscar, did you think part of how easy it was to defeat him was due to the fact that he is older?
MP ? Well, he is still fast and strong so I think I got him early with my speed. I am faster than he is, so that’s why it looked like he was slow.
8CN ? When did you know that it was going to be an easy night?
MP ? After the first round, and the beginning of the second round when I cut him, I knew it. I knew that the hard work in the gym was going to pay off. If you saw the fight, most of his left hooks couldn’t hit me.
8CN ? That left hand that you threw ate him up.
MP ? (Laughs) Yes, we worked hard in training on that punch.
8CN ? Manny I know you’re busy, so I will cut this short. Hopefully you and Ricky Hatton will get the deal done, and the fans can get excited about the next fight. Do you have any closing thoughts?
8CN ? Yes, the Hatton fight will be a great, great fight. I think it will be a great fight, and I want to thank all of my fans around the world, and the Filipino people, and the Mexican people, and the American people. Thank you very much for your support.
