(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Pacquiao vs. Hatton: Head to Head
May 2 is fast approaching and for those of you who have been living in a cave deep in the nether regions of nowhere, that is the day that boxing fans the world over are waiting for. Two of the sports most popular icons are set to square off against each other in the ring battle that has been dubbed “The Battle of East and West”.
The Principals
The man from the East in this venue is none other than Manny Pacquiao, pride of the Philippines, (an understatement I’m sure) division hopping warrior aka “Pac man”, the currently recognized pound for pound king in all of Boxingdom and coming in from the West is the Pride of Manchester, (another understatement) king of the 140 pounders,aka “the Hit Man” and seeker of the “Holy Grail” of boxing, the pound for pound crown, Englishman Ricky Hatton.
Trainer vs Trainer
It’s probably apparent by now to all but the casual or by the way fan that trainers Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr. have been locked in an ongoing battle to see which one of them can out-macho the other.
They’ll each be afforded a new opportunity come May 2nd when their charges go head to head. Roach, who has had a winning formula with Pacquiao over their many years together is confident that East will conquer West and Mayweather Sr. seems just as confident that when the smoke clears it is the West that will emerge victorious.
This is as much a battle between trainers as it is between boxers. While Pacquiao and Hatton do battle on a physical level on the night of the second, they’ll be the pieces on the board game of Roach and Mayweather: a game which has already commenced play on the training grounds and will conclude when one combatant’s hand is raised and this one is in the books. How will this play out and who will win?
Records and Quality of Opposition
Manny Pacquiao sports a pro record of 48-3 (KO 36) and hasn’t lost since dropping a decision to Mexican legend Erik “El Terrible” Morales in March of 2005, a loss he has twice avenged by stopping Morales in their two follow up battles.
The other two losses on his record came early in his career before he had developed into the unstoppable force that he is today and therefore have no bearing on here and now.
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