With their megabuck match for May 2 signed, sealed and delivered, the camps of boxing superstars Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao and Ricky ?The Hitman? Hatton are predicting knockout wins.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao?s renowned American trainer, said he is confident that his prized student would find a way to knockout Hatton.
?Ricky?s style of constantly coming forward is perfect for Manny,? Roach said. Ricky is a great fighter, but I am quite confident that Manny will stop him in the later rounds.?
Pacquiao promised a ?great fight? as he acknowledged Hatton?s impressive record of 45 win, 32 of them by knockout against a single defeat.
?All I can say is that we are going to have a great fight that the fans will love,? Pacquiao said in his column in the tabloid Abante.
Pacquiao, who is guaranteed $12 million for title fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, would be fighting in his fourth different weight class in four fights.
He won the junior lightweight championship in March via split decision against Mexican star Juan Manuel Marquez, then knocked out David Diaz in the ninth round to snatch the lightweight title. The Filipino ring icon then moved two weight classes up to welterweight and dominated Oscar de la Hoya in eight rounds in December.
Known as Pacman by his legion of fans worldwide, Pacquiao said his trainer has devised a game plan that is ?completely different? from the strategy he used in his easy win against future Hall of Famer de la Hoya.
?Hatton is a very strong puncher so I must deal with that in the ring,? said Pacquiao, the reigning best boxer in the world pound-for-pound. ?I promise I will be completely prepared and I will do my best to make all of my fans happy.?
Roach said such preparation would entail Pacquiao staying away from the ropes, using his superior footwork to advantage and guarding against Hatton?s body punches.
?Ricky Hatton is a very good body puncher and is very dangerous,? said Roach, a three-time trainer of the year. ?Hatton likes to go to the body and the key for Manny to deal with that is his footwork. Manny has to keep moving and stay away from the ropes.?
Hatton said he is quite excited to get back in the ring in Las Vegas after beating New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi to successfully defend his International Boxing Organization and Ring junior welterweight title in November.
?I am confident that I am the fighter to take down the pound-for-pound champion and I believe I will be victorious on May 2,? said The Hitman from Manchester.
Hatton?s trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., sounded even more confident, predicting Hatton would knock Pacquiao out in one round ?unless he decides to run.?
Mayweather said Pacquiao is not strong enough to fight toe-to-toe with Hatton because the British brawler would blow him away with his power punches.
?Manny Pacquiao?s chances are slim and none,? said Mayweather, who wrongly predicted de la Hoya would knock Pacquiao out in the early rounds.
?If Manny doesn?t run, we?ll get him in one. Ricky?s gonna knock him out. So, all Manny can do is run. But even if he runs he won?t win,? Mayweather said.
De la Hoya, founder and president of Hatton?s promotional company Golden Boy Promotions, predicted a thrilling fight, which he said has the makings of a fight for the year candidate.
?I think Hatton will dethrone Pacquiao and become boxing?s pound-for-pound king,? de la Hoya said in a press statement.
