This is a look back at some of Manny's career defining fights in the lead up to his blockbuster bout
vs Tim Bradley coming up on the 12th April.....
Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton
With his win over Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao now got the ‘24/7’ treatment from the HBO camera’s for his next fight against Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton. With Manny and his team lapping up the attention their confidence was at an all time high and this fight wasn’t going to change that. Manny’s trainer and trusted mentor Freddie Roach was so unconcerned about Hatton that he opened up Manny’s sparring to the TV cameras basically showing Hatton his strategy before the fight. Freddie was telling Hatton how Manny was going to beat him before the fight. Manny was just that good.
Freddie was telling Hatton exactly how Manny was going to beat him before the fight. Manny was just that good.
Freddie was telling Hatton exactly how Manny was going to beat him before the fight. Manny was just that good.
Manny Pacquiao’s previous fight against Oscar De La Hoya was a showcase of his much vaunted straight left cross. Against Hatton however he would save that punch for his grand finale. Under the watchful eye of master trainer Roach, Manny was now a versatile fighter and he demonstrated this by using his right hook as his main weapon of choice.
Hatton was a pressure fighter who moves his feet well. However he was a somewhat crude boxer and when he stepped up to fight Mayweather and Pacquiao his lack of refinement was exposed. After pressuring Floyd Mayweather for 9 rounds Hatton was knocked out with a well timed left hook counter. Pacquiao would use the same strategy of constantly throwing counter hooks over Hattons predictable jab, but Manny only needed 2 rounds.
Effective jabs need to include feints and / or movement. When throwing the jab the boxers defence is compromised as the jab hand is not there to protect his chin so it is imperative to disguise this punch or move quickly after it has been thrown. Hatton did nothing of the sort. His jab was painfully predictable and he did not move after throwing it. He was a stationery target and against a brilliant counter puncher like Manny this is a recipe for defeat as can be seen in the video clip below. In the first round Manny just waited for Hatton’s telegraphed jab which he timed perfectly, slipping the shot while simultaneously landing a hook over the top with amazing accuracy.
The finishing move came when Manny landed flush with a brilliantly disguised straight left hand.
By the end of the first round Hatton was done, and in the second Manny finished him off. First he hit him with a quick left uppercut. Just a setup to the award winning final blow. The finishing move came when Manny landed flush with a brilliantly disguised straight left hand. The last scene in the above video highlights show Manny feinting a jab, then starting to throw what looks like an uppercut or body shot. At this point Hatton thinks Manny is going to hit him with another uppercut like he had just seen. Hatton moves his right hand to block this shot only to find Manny changes in mid punch to a straight left, looping it perfectly around Hatton's compromised defence to the chin. For this masterful one punch KO Manny won 'Knockout of the Year' from ESPN and Ring Magazine, his fame hitting stratospheric heights.
With another big win, a $12 million plus paycheck, and plenty of karaoke the Manny Pacquiao show continues to grow and hit fever pitch. Next up, Miguel Cotto............
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