If every top Mexican fighter can?t stop Manny Pacquiao, somebody from England will teach them how.
“I believe that Ricky Hatton can stop Manny Pacquiao,” Hatton?s trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. told the Bulletin yesterday from Las Vegas in relation to the May 2 battle between the Filipino pound-for-pound king and the British superstar.
“The best man will win on that night but it?s my man who?s going to be the best man that night,” said Mayweather. “Pacquiao is not going to be the best fighter that night.”
Despite Pacquiao?s dominating performance against Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather doesn?t see a parallelism between the Golden Boy and the Hitman.
“Ricky will not go into that fight like De La Hoya, who was dehydrated,” stressed Mayweather, pointing to Pacquiao?s easy eighth-round stoppage over the slow-moving and often-tentative De La Hoya.
Still, Mayweather admits that Pacquiao has the advantage in speed but is quick to counter that ? this early ? he already has several strategies in mind aimed at putting to waste just about anything that Pacquiao brings to the fight.
“I can?t take that (speed) away from Pacquiao. But if there?s one thing that Ricky will take away from Pacquiao, it will be his jab.”
That (left) jab was key to Pacquiao?s sound beating of De La Hoya and Mayweather says he has everything all factored in for training camp.
Mayweather boasts that “I?ve got a whole lot of strategy” for the Pacquiao fight and he?s just waiting for Hatton to show up for training camp to let him know what he thinks.
Through the years, it has become a habit for Pacquiao to victimize every standout Mexican puncher who was put in front of him with Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez all winding up with their butts on the floor.
Hatton is touring England and Wales for a series of comedy shows and is going on a Caribbean cruise later this month before starting serious training, according to his agent Paul Speak, adding that even while on vacation, Hatton will also try to do some light training.
Speak said Hatton will begin serious training in February.
Mayweather is so confident of seeing Hatton emerge triumphant that while he acknowledges that Pacquiao has a good chin and is fast as well, “Hatton is stronger than Pacquiao.”
