By Bryan Brennan

Not too long ago it seemed like after every fight I watched the winning fighter would call out Floyd Mayweather Jr. Experts and fans alike had differing opinions on who should get a crack at the reigning pound-for-pound champ. A little over a year after Floyd Mayweather Jr's retirement and it seems as if everyone agrees Manny Pacquiao is the guy who deserves the shot (or at this point Mayweather deserves the shot at Pacquiao). Did "Pretty Boy" actually help himself out by disappearing for a little while?

The names of Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Manny Pacquiao were all being thrown out there. Not to mention some thought Hatton deserved a second shot at the undefeated fighter. If Floyd hadn't retired would we have gotten to this point?


Here are some big fights that have lead to a Mayweather Jr. - Pacquiao showdown:

December 12th 2008: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton

Mayweather Jr. KO’s Ricky Hatton with a perfect right hook to Hatton’s jaw. Following the 10th round face plant Hatton would still call for a rematch.

February 9th 2008: Carlos Quintana vs. Paul Williams

Quintana upsets Williams by unanimous decision, and takes his WBO title. We start to wonder if Williams was just a bit overrated.

March 15th 2008: Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez II

In a spectacular fight Pacquiao walks away with a Split Decision win (many experts and fans thought it could have gone the other way, I had Pacquiao winning). It gives Pacquiao an edge against his arch nemesis with the win, either way I think most look forward to a third encounter. read more

By Gabriel Montoya

It was two rounds of brutal action and a two round blowout for Filipino sensation Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao as he walked through, around, and all over Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-2 with 32 KOs). It was a crowning achievement for Pacquiao who became the first man to beat Hatton, until tonight the linear 140 lb champion, at that weight. The cherry on top? He did it easier and much quicker than Floyd Mayweather, Jr who has now returned to the game and is hoping to take on tonight’s winner. After seeing this performance, he may think twice about that.

Afterward, a humble Pacquiao would say, “I mean, I am surprised that it was that easy, but the fighter fights hard. He is strong and has a lead hand. Our strategy was one punch: the left hook. Right hook. That was going to be key to this fight. In the first round, I expected my right hook was going to be dangerous for him. He was coming wide open and his hands were down.”

As for the future of the pound for pound king, “I can fight anybody. M promoters will handle that. I am just doing my job and training.”

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach said “Everytime [Hatton] throws that hook and cocks it, he is wide open for a right hook from the southpaw stance. We worked on that in the gym every day and it worked beautifully. The winner of Marquez/Mayweather is a possibility. I think it would be great.” read more

Exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this pre boxing fight, along with in-depth interviews, as these determined warriors, both making their second "24/7" appearance, prepare for the first mega-fight of 2009.

Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao break camp and head to Las Vegas for their final fight week activities as the May 2 Jr. welterweight showdown approaches. The finale comes for the four-episode series "Pacquiao vs Hatton 24/7" (9:30-10:00 p.m.) in anticipation of Saturday's bout.



Pacquiao Hatton 24/7 Episode 4 HBO Part 1 of 2




Pacquiao Hatton 24/7 Episode 4 HBO Part 2 of 2

By Brett Okamoto
‘Pretty Boy’ will return to the ring July 18 against Juan Manuel Marquez

Sixteen months after retiring on the top of the boxing world as the undefeated pound-for-pound champ, the Las Vegas resident announced his return to the ring today at a packed press conference at the Hollywood Theatre inside the MGM Grand, site of tonight’s megafight between Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton.

"I left on top, I came back on top," said an excited Mayweather, who is slated to fight against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 at the MGM Grand.

"Nobody has taken my throne, so how am I not the king if nobody has taken my throne? You've got all these fighters out here who are claiming that they're the best. I'm coming back to fight and reclaim what's mine." read more

By Gareth A. Davies

"Mayweather Promotions is proud to announce the return of Floyd Mayweather after a much needed rest," said Leonard Ellerbe, his adviser. "But he is coming back with a vengeance and clearly Marquez is a significant challenge for his return. It is going to be an extremely competitive and exciting fight."

"Floyd Mayweather is back and Juan Manuel Marquez is ready to fight," added Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. "Mayweather is clearly making a statement by accepting this challenge to fight the dangerous Marquez in his first fight back. Having seen Floyd perform live in his two previous fights, I know a big challenge brings out the best him. Boxing is in for a great night on July 18th." read more

By Nick Groke

The last time Manny Pacquiao fought, the consensus pound-for-pound best boxer in the world punched so hard and so well he knocked Oscar De La Hoya straight into retirement.

The last time Ricky Hatton was on the big stage, his legion of fans chanted his name in adoring shouts, even as he lay flat on his back after a knockout by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Herein is the backdrop for Saturday's junior welterweight world title fight between Pacquiao and Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the most recent entry in the 2009 schedule of megafights.

Pacquiao, a national hero in his home nation, the Philippines, has already won world titles in four weight divisions, starting at 112 pounds. He TKO'd De La Hoya at 147 pounds in December after dominating the fight. If he can beat Hatton at 140 pounds, Pacquiao (48-3-2) will have won world championships in five divisions, an amazing feat.

England's Hatton (43-1), though, brings an impressive record, having lost only to Mayweather in late 2007.

"People say (I'm) overhyped, overprotected, a fat, beer-drinking Englishman," Hatton said this week. "Well, I'm going to shock the world again." read more

By Bernard Fernandez
PHILADELPHIA — There likely won’t be anyone chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” in America’s living rooms or in the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas during Saturday night’s pay-per-view matchup of junior welterweights Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.

Welcome to professional boxing’s new global reality, in which these United States are becoming a nice place for the sport’s bigger names to visit, but less frequently is their country of origin.

Nonetheless, the arena will be filled to capacity and, if projections are met, this 12-round pairing of Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs), a Filipino, and Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), an Englishman, will hit the one million-buy mark in the United States. That surely would qualify as a grand slam in a post-Oscar De La Hoya landscape in which the international economy is something less than robust.

De La Hoya’s recent retirement as an active boxer was not unexpected, given the diminishing returns of his career in recent years. But even in decline he was truly the “Golden Boy,” with his every PPV appearance a veritable license to print money. De La Hoya’s May 5, 2007, bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which Mayweather won by split decision, is No. 1 all-time with 2.4 million buys.

“He was the ATM of boxing,” boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar said of De La Hoya, noting that the East Los Angeles native’s likely final bout, an eight-round beatdown by Pacquiao on Dec. 6, did a very healthy 1.25 million buys even though the now-36-year-old Oscar had lost three of his previous six fights.

Hatton probably is best known on these shores for his only defeat, by 10th-round technical knockout to Mayweather on Dec. 8, 2007, but he is, like Pacquiao, an action fighter who delivers lots of bang for the buck, or the pound sterling. Few British fighters ever have been as popular in the UK as is Hatton, and his willingness to cross the pond signals his eagerness to expand his base. read more

By Gareth A Davies

When Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao went head to head on Wednesday there was little to suggest that the two box-office stars have anything but a deep mutual respect for each other ahead of Saturday’s light-welterweight super-fight.

But the smiles will be replaced by grimaces come the first bell. “Manny goes for the knockout, I go for the knockout,” Hatton said, before turning on those who believe that the Mancunian cannot win against the Filipino who is regarded as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. “They said I was an over-hyped, over-protected, beer-drinking Englishman, but I’m here to shock the world again.”

Pacquiao’s response? “I never hate my opponent, and I have no fear in this fight. We will be firm friends after the fight, and I’d like a rematch at darts, too.”
read more

by Scoop Malinowski

“But I always thought that somebody with fast hands - that throws punches in bunches and throws them in flurries - might not land on Floyd - because he locks up so well - he has the ability to leave Floyd there.”

One of the most astute analysts in the sport of boxing today is former Junior Welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi. He knows the sport inside and out, having won a world title with his excellent pugilistic skills and intelligence, despite lacking much power in either fist. It’s always a thought-provoking pleasure listening to Paulie Malignaggi break down a fight. And to hear him discuss Mayweather-Marquez-Pacquiao is no exception.

“Marquez is going to try to make the fight and come forward,” says the Magic Man from Brooklyn. “Floyd Mayweather can do both. Sometimes he stays in the pocket and makes the fight. Sometimes he goes in there and starts boxing. It (Mayweather vs. Marquez) can be a boxing fans fight - or it can turn out to be a one-sided whitewash for Floyd Mayweather. But it can definitely have spurts of action.”

Regarding Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, Malignaggi is still somewhat on the fence. “I want to see how Floyd looks against Marquez before I make a decision on that. Right now, if I had to call it, I think it’s a tough style match-up for Floyd Mayweather. I’m not saying he loses the fight, I think until Floyd Mayweather loses a fight, he has the right to be called ‘the favorite.’ Every time he steps in the ring, I think you have to make Floyd the favorite. If I had to make the call right now, the way I see Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather, it’s a very tough fight. That’s a tougher fight than the Marquez fight - not to say that Marquez is a bad fighter. But styles make fights. Pacquiao presents the abilities to give Floyd problems. We’ll see. We’ll see. I’m not saying he beats him. Like I said, I want to see how Floyd looks against Marquez before I make up my mind.”

Asked if Marquez can be a good fight - or is just a handpicked business fight for Floyd, Malignaggi responds, “It could be a good fight, any time two guys get in the ring and are at this high of a level, it has potential to always be a good fight. Stylistically it has potential to be an explosive fight. But I think this is also a business fight. Floyd Mayweather is coming back. He needs a big name but also a warm-up at the same time.”

“If Floyd has problems with Marquez, I don’t see how much further he’s gonna move along. In my eyes, Marquez shouldn’t be competitive with Floyd Mayweather, just on skills alone. Then you add the fact that he’s a bit bigger than him just adds to the negativity on Marquez’s side. It’s not to say Marquez is a bad fighter, it’s just goes to show how good Floyd is and how much bigger Floyd is. But that’s why they fight the fights. We can prognosticate all we want. Those guys are gonna get in there. It can be a fans fight. But at the same time it has been a business-wise pick.”

You get the sense Malignaggi believes Pacquiao will be a much more stressful test for Floyd. Asked why he thinks the mighty Filippino can pose problems for Floyd, Malignaggi reveals some very interesting insights. “Ever since I watch Floyd Mayweather he gives you a defense where he locks up. And a lot of the time obviously it works for Floyd. Floyd is very hard to hit, regardless of the fact. But I always thought that somebody with fast hands - that throws punches in bunches and throws them in flurries - might not land on Floyd - because he locks up so well - he has the ability to leave Floyd there.”

Malignaggi’s analysis starts to fascinate. “And what I mean by that is, move your hands, step out, you leave him there. Throw punches, step out. Before you know it, Floyd, if he’s giving you all this, he never gets the chance to get back off. Because you’re in and out. And that costs you rounds. Through the course of Mayweather’s career, he’s always been faster than most of his opponents. But the fast guys that he did fight did show glimpses of it. Oscar showed glimpses of that. Zab Judah showed glimpses of that - that you can do that to Floyd. The problem is you very rarely will hit him clean. So I think these guys get frustrated and get away from that. But in the meantime, what they don’t realize is that they’re probably winning rounds because Floyd is not getting off. Pacquiao doesn’t have to change anything about himself. He fights that way naturally.”

“So I can see that being a problem for Floyd, especially as he gets older. So how will Floyd counteract that? [He might price himself out of ever having to fight Pacquiao, or blame Bob Arum, that's how he might counteract Pacquiao. Sorry, I couldn't resist.] Floyd is always good at pulling the trigger on time. When you want to get off, he pot shots you. Pacquiao wants to get off, he might run into a shot. Before you know it, Pacquiao can’t get off any more. He’s gun shy because he’s running into shots.”

“Floyd has the ability to pull the trigger on time. That kind of fight, at his age, after two years off, he beats Manny Pacquiao. But the reason I see it as a threat is because, being able to pull the trigger in that split-second time is the first thing you lose as you get older. That’s why that fight is a threat, in my eyes. Because Marquez doesn’t have that kind of speed and the ability to put together punches in bunches at that rate of speed. He puts punches in bunches - but not fast enough to bother Floyd. Pacquiao puts punches together in bunches at a speed high enough to bother Floyd. That’s why I see the risk in the fight.”

Malignaggi then credited Mayweather’s improvisational skills, which, as everyone knows, are exceptional. “There’s another thing you have to keep in mind about Floyd Mayweather, he always makes the right decisions as to how to adjust to you. When Mayweather has had problems in fights - and most of the time he doesn’t have problems with his opponents - he always makes an adjustment necessary to swing the fight back in his favor. That’s the extra intangible you have to keep in mind. That there might be an adjustment that he makes that I’m not putting out there. That’s why he’s Floyd Mayweather and I’m Paulie Malignaggi. You have to keep that intangible in mind. Whenever things aren’t going his way, there’s an adjustment he always makes. And that could be a little wrinkle in that fight. It’s a very interesting fight, I think it’s more interesting than this fight (with Marquez).”

“And like I said, it’s not to say Marquez is not good enough. But I think styles make fights. In a lot of ways that style of a fight presents a more competitive fight to Floyd Mayweather than does Marquez, strictly on the speed alone.”

Malignaggi again began to lean towards slightly towards Pacquiao. “A guy that wants to pot shot can’t pot shot you if they come in too fast. Floyd has made a career of always beating these Mexican guys. He will always beat these Mexican fighters. They’re a little slow, they give you daylight in between their punches. Floyd’s counterpunching skills and pot shots is gonna be able to slip punches in between those punches.”

“But somebody that comes so fast, not showing daylight between their punches. Guys like Judah did, guys like De La Hoya did early in the fight. You can’t put pot shots between those combinations. They’re coming too fast. Before you know it, you’re only on defense. When you want to get back on offense, the guy is leaving you there. You do that enough times in every round, what happens? You lose the round. I’m not saying they’re gonna stop him because Floyd is hard to hit. But you put yourself in a hole round-wise.”

Paulie Malignaggi’s intriguing analysis illustrates how a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather clash of styles would be an absolutely fantastic pugilistic showdown of two highly technical and successful champions matching wits against each other. For that reason, you have to wonder and maybe suspect that this dangerously risky super-fight might get ducked and dodged, like Lewis-Bowe, Cotto-Mayweather among others. read more

By Jun Medina

Intense training

Pacquiao, PacMan to his legions of fans worldwide, said he is excited about fighting a Briton for the first time and is pushing himself to the limit in training because he knows Hatton is doing the same thing.

“I want to be ready for everything Hatton brings to the ring,” said Pacquiao who spars 12 rounds with three or four different people as his team pushed his training a notch higher.

“I’m in great shape, my body is ready for whatever tempo the fight takes to,” Pacquiao said, hinting he is ready counter Hatton’s aggressiveness and to fight fire with fire.

He said he can’t underestimate Hatton, who he described as a “great and tough fighter.”

Pacquiao said he is comfortable at 140 lbs, adding he does not consider the weight issue to be at his disadvantage, because did not have any problem fighting De la Hoya at welterweight. read more

By Simon Lewis, PA Sport

Manny Pacquiao believes his speed in the ring will be too much for Ricky Hatton when they clash in Las Vegas on May 2.

Hatton defends his IBO and Ring Magazine light-welterweight titles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena next Saturday night against the man from the Philippines widely acknowledged to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) is unbeaten at 140 pounds and in the build-up to this fight has championed his superior size and strength over Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs), for whom victory would bring a world title in a sixth different weight division.

Yet having watched Hatton's fights on video every night for the past month, Pacquiao believes his quick hands and equally agile mind will more than outweigh the Englishman's perceived advantages.

"I don't care if he's bigger or stronger," he said. "Boxing is more than that. It's also mental and about the quickness of your mind and quickness of your body. That's very important.

"Speed is very important."

Pacquiao also pinpointed what he thought was Hatton's greatest threat but was not prepared to reveal how he was going to deal with it.

"Ricky Hatton is a kind of different fighter to what I have been fighting before.

"He's a good and strong fighter

"I know he has a very strong left hand and I have to take care of that and focus on that.

"I've studied a lot of techniques for him. I don't want to tell anyone what. I want to keep it a surprise, what we have been doing in training."

Pacquiao's training camp has altered significantly for this fight with former heavyweight world champion and fellow southpaw Michael Moorer joining long-time trainer Freddie Roach as an assistant at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

"It's good to have Michael Moorer in our camp because he was a big southpaw when he was fighting before and I believe he is helping me a lot for this fight." read more