Britain's Ricky Hatton has lost his light-welterweight fight against Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The Filipino knocked-out the 30-year-old Manchester fighter in the second round.
In the first round, Hatton, who had lost only once before in his career, was knocked down midway and then again towards the end.
Hatton made it through most of the second round before a left hand sent him sprawling.
Saturday May 2, 2009Hatton wasn't in it from the start. Manny's hand speed and footwork were in another league entirely. Who you like in a Manny vs. Money matchup?
By Michael Woods
Bring on Floyd Mayweather. After Manny Pacquiao’s destructive display against Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night, it is not a foregone conclusion that the returning Mayweather will reclaim his pound for pound title when he steps into the ring in July.
Pacquiao sent Hatton down twice in the first, shocking the Brit with his blinding hands. He finished him off at the end of the second round (2:59), with an overhand left hand that sent Hatton to the mat completetly out of it. The TKO win was exhilarating, but also scary, as Hatton, unconscious as he sailed to the canvas, found himself in the toughest section of Queer Street. Hatton grinned after a few minutes, which made everyone in the joint happy. We wonder if the Hitman, now 0-for-2 in his last two signature bouts, both via KO, will hang up the gloves. HBO PPV viewers were informed that Hatton didn't feel well after, and thus would not be interviewed by Larry Merchant. All fight fans have fingers tightly crossed that the loveable hitter comes home to Manchester with no severe damage, beyond his pride.
Pacquiao (from the Phillipines; weighed 138 on Friday, 148 on Saturday; age 30) is now 49-5-2, while Hatton (from England; weighed 140 on Friday, 152 on Saturday; age 30) is 45-2. Hatton entered with the IBO and Ring junior welterweight crown. Hatton was all business entering the ring; no Ricky Fatton fatsuits on this night. The classy Brit showed his humility when he deferred to Manny, as the top pound for pounder in the game, and let Manny enter the ring last, though as the lone beltholder in the equation, he could’ve come in last. Pacquiao had the edge in the notable-entourage-member department; WWE wrestler Batista accompanied Manny into the ring.
Michael Pernick, CJ Ross and Glen Trowbridge were charged with judging, if it came to that, and Kenny Bayless was the ref.
In the first, Ricky went low with a right immediately. He got in Pacman's face, and stayed there. Manny banged with the right nicely. The Brit mauled and brawled, and clinched copiously. A gorgeous right hook sent Hatton down and he was up with 45 seconds left. He was down again at the end of the first, off a left that hit off Hatton’s glove into his face. Hatton got up at eight and the bell clanged. Wow is the best, if pedestrian, word to use at that opening round display.
In the second, Hatton landed a left. Manny’s right worked still, though; apparently he and Roach had figured out that a right hook would be just the ticket to pester Hatton. It was a left hand from hell that dropped Hatton hard at the end of the round, and Hatton was done, stick a fork in him. Pacman fans are well aware of the fact that the cautious Moneyman took ten rounds to finish off Hatton, while Manny needed just two. Did Floyd soften Ricky up for Manny? Money-maniacs will say so. Let me be the first to suggest that Team Mayweather pay Juan Manuel Marquez some step aside money, and book Pacquaio/Mayweather in September. There is no need to jeapordize what will be the most anticipated non-heavyweight scrap since what, Hagler-Leonard?
The main subplot entering the bout was the trainer vs. trainer angle, with top P4P honors being up for grabs in the minds of many. Freddie Roach, who has overseen the transformation of Manny from a one handed swarmer into a two fisted technician over an eight-year span, put some distance between he and Floyd Mayweather Sr with Pacquiao’s exclamatory victory.
Pacquiao had an extra measure of excitement and probably nervousness coming into the MGM ring; his mother Dionisia traveled to the States for the first time to see her son Manny do his thing. Wonder if mom had known the depth of her son's talent, and his daunting capacity to render another man into a near-comatose state. Heady stuff...
SPEEDBAG Anthem watch. Who would boo?
The Filipino version came first, then Tom Jones doing the English ditty, God Save the Queen, and finally the US rendition, done by someone named Jasmine Villegas—maybe the kids know her. Only the visiting Brits, for the record, chose to sully the moment with hooting.
Stay tuned for David Avila's ringside report...
LAS VEGAS – Round-by-round coverage of Saturday night’s Ring magazine super lightweight title match between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
| KEVIN IOLE’S UNOFFICIAL SCORECARD | |||||||||||||
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Manny Pacquiao | 10 | W | |||||||||||
| Ricky Hatton | 7 | KO | |||||||||||
Round 1: Pacquiao hugs trainer Freddie Roach just before the bell sounds to start the fight. Crowd is cheering and singing. Hatton goes hard to body and referee Kenny Bayless warns him to keep them up. They’re clinching a lot. Hard right hook by Manny. Jab and a hook to the body by Ricky. Hard straight left by Pacquiao. One-two from Pacquiao and they clinch. Combination from Pacquiao on the ropes stuns Hatton. Four-punch combination by Pacquiao. Hatton is is down from a right. About 45 seconds left. Huge combination by Pacquiao. Hatton is getting drilled. This may be it. Hatton down again.
Pacquiao wins round, 10-7
Round 2: Right by Hatton early. Good combination by Pacquiao. He’s hurting Hatton with those shots. Right hook lands by Pacquiao. Three-punch combination by Pacquiao and Hatton wobbles. The speed is way too much for Hatton at this stage. Right hook again by Pacquiao. Hatton goes to body and is warned for holding and hitting. Straight left by Pacquiao and theny bang heads. Right by Hatton lands flush, Pacquiao takes it well. Combination from Pacquiao backs Hatton to corner. Right hook to body by Pacquiao. Left hand by Pacquiao knocks out Hatton. The fight is stopped at 2:59.
Pacquiao wins by knockout
MEXICO CITY (AFP) - - Officials tried to quell growing panic over swine flu on Thursday as governments braced for a global pandemic and US Vice President Joe Biden recommended a boycott of planes and subways.
A day after upping its pandemic alert level, the World Health Organisation said there was no evidence to suggest it should be raised to the maximum of six, but warned of fresh outbreaks during the southern hemisphere's winter.
European ministers meanwhile rejected an EU -wide ban on travel to Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak where citizens have been told to stay at home for five days.
Mexican authorities have put the number of probable flu deaths in the country at 84 although the confirmed death toll is only eight.
"We have to be careful, we have to exercise vigilance, we should not panic, we have to be prepared," European Union Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said at an emergency meeting of health ministers in Luxembourg.
France had pushed at the meeting for a ban on flights to Mexico but its Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot acknowledged there was little support among Paris' EU partners for such a drastic measure.
Pharmaceutical giant Roche stopped delivering its flu remedy Tamiflu to French high street pharmacies due to panic-buying, saying the drug was needed for hospitals
Britain, the Netherlands, Peru and Switzerland confirmed fresh case of the virus, taking to 12 the number of countries affected outside Mexico, with Japan expecting to join the list.
In the United States, where the number of confirmed cases rose to 111 spread across 13 states, comments from Biden did little to ease nerves.
In an interview with NBC's "Today" show, Biden said: "I would tell members of my family -- and I have -- I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now.
"It's not that it's going to Mexico -- it's that you're in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft.
"I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, (be) suggesting they ride the subway."
The comments drew dismayed responses from the US Travel Association and the airline industry and Biden's office later tried to downplay his comments by saying he was referring only to an administration warning against non-essential travel to Mexico.
Speaking late Wednesday, President Barack Obama vowed to do "whatever it takes" to combat the deadly swine flu but said closing the border would be pointless with the virus already spreading on US soil.
In a televised address, Mexican President Felipe Calderon urged people to stay home during a five-day holiday weekend that starts Friday.
"There is no place as safe for protecting yourself against swine flu as your own home," he said. The government said the crisis could cost Mexico up to 70 billion dollars (53 billion euros).
Mexico has shut down public venues and even bars in the capital -- while major tour operators have halted trips to the country.
However, "the (revised) numbers indicate we are heading towards a stabilization phase," said Armando Ahued, health secretary for Mexico City.
The only confirmed death outside Mexico is a Mexican toddler in the United States.
Nevertheless, the United Nations advised its own staff to delay non-essential travel to swine flu-hit countries after it emerged that a World Bank employee had contracted, but been cured of, the virus.
Swine flu is believed to be a new strain that combines bird, swine and common human influenza.
The WHO's phase five alert status signals widespread transmission from person to person and that a pandemic is imminent.
The UN organisation meanwhile said it would begin referring to the swine flu virus as "influenza A (H1N1).
Pig farmers in many countries have been hit hard and are pressing governments to change the name of the virus.
Egypt began the slaughtering all pigs in the country on Thursday and there have been widespread bans on imports of North American pork, even though the disease cannot be caught from eating the meat.
In Britain, where three more cases were confirmed, the government's top health official said he was "concerned but... not alarmed" by the virus.
"To put things in proportion, in any flu, even the seasonal flu, there are some deaths, often of elderly people and the very frail," Liam Donaldson said.
LAS VEGAS – Unless they put the Secret Service on him, there’ll be no more grand arrivals in hotel lobbies for Manny Pacquiao.
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Bob Arum of Top Rank said that for safety reasons, he’d rather have the extremely popular Filipino boxer just popping out of his hotel room window and waving down at his fans and the media in his future fights.
“This is insane but it’s not surprising. He could have been trampled if we stayed down here,” said Arum after making sure that Pacquiao was in one piece, up in his 60th floor suite, after getting a tumultuous welcome.
Pacquiao and his huge entourage, including his mother, Dionisia, trainers Freddie Roach and Michael Moorer, advisers Mike Koncz and Wakee Salud, and friends always glued to the boxer, got off their bus at noon.
Then it was all “close to being dangerous” as Pacquiao was literally mobbed. Lee Samuels of Top Rank said they haven’t seen anything like this before, not even during Oscar dela Hoya fights.
Pacquiao was like a human magnet as he squeezed tightly inside the main lobby of Mandalay Bay. In the past, he’d stop for brief interviews, but this time, Arum just won’t allow it to happen.
“It would have been a dangerous situation. When I saw what was developing I got him right up to his suite. I think this will be Manny’s last arrival. Next time we’ll put him up in a window and he waves at them,” said Arum.
The legendary promoter wasn’t blaming anyone. He said it was understandable that with Pacquiao’s popularity, everybody wants to get a piece of him.
“They told me that in the Time Magazine poll, in the 100 most influential people in the world, Manny Pacquiao has now officially outpolled, and got more votes than President Obama. Hey! Here’s the new President of the Philippines,” said Arum.
When the smoke cleared, the first thing Arum did was call the MGM Grand where Ricky Hatton was to have his own arrival ceremony.
“I alerted them of the situation and I told them not to get out of the car,” said Arum, and MGM took the cue, by lining up velvet ropes from the main entrance all the way up to the makeshift ring where the British star greeted his fans and did interviews.
“This is as close to being dangerous. Luckily we have here Rob Peters (Team Pacquiao head of security) and we got him out,” as he looked back.
“And they wanted to make interviews. If we stopped for interviews he would have been killed,” said Arum with a little exaggeration. - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
