PACQUIAO VS. HATTON: Mark Wahlberg picks Pacquiao over Hatton

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04/01/2009 | 05:31 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThisMANILA, Philippines – Hollywood celebrity Mark Wahlberg believes Ricky Hatton is in for a tough match when he battles Filipino prized fighter Manny Pacquiao on May 2 (May 3 in Manila).

“You saw what (Pacquiao) did to (Oscar) De La Hoya, he’s going to do the same to (Ricky) Hatton," Wahlberg said in a video interview posted at Los Angeles Times.com.

Wahlberg credits Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer and coach, as the one who helped turn the Filipino boxing icon into the fighter that he is today.

“Freddie is the best and Manny realizes that. Manny listens to Freddie and does exactly what Freddie tells him to do," said Wahlberg, who is a close friend of Roach.

Wahlberg said that fights like this, Paquiao-Hatton, is great for boxing. “It’s pretty big. It’s great for the sport. Boxing is in a bit of trouble but fights like this obviously help the sport."

Wahlberg joined fellow actor Mickey Rourke and hundreds of fight fans in a Hollywood-inspired red carpet promotional event for the Pacquiao-Hatton May 2 fight last Monday at the Roosevelt Hotel.

Wahlberg said he would be at ring side to witness the Pacquiao-Hatton May 2 bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The hype being drummed up prior to the fight shows that the Pacquiao-Hatton bout won’t last for 12 rounds since both boxers are known sluggers. Hatton usually attacks and bullies his opponents while Pacquiao is best known for unleashing a barrage of precise blows.

Last December, Wahlberg also dropped by at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles to watch Pacquiao train for his fight against De La Hoya. read more