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Saturday, March 14, 2009

What Hatton Must Do To Survive A Pacquiao Onslaught

Ricky Hatton ‘s upcoming match with Filipino whirlwind puncher and #1 Pound-For-Pound fighter Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will surely be a fight to watch out for. Both men bring all their wares in the squared circle and love to go toe to toe. However, many feel that Pacquiao will win easily, writer included.

While there is no doubt that Hatton is the stronger of the two, Pacquiao’s hand speed, quick body and head reflexes, and considerable punching power from both hands will definitely surface from start to finish, even if the bout goes the distance.

With everyone already eyeing a Pacquiao victory, there is still a small window of opportunity for Britain’s Hitman and the best fighter at the 140-pound division.

Sheer aggressiveness will be the key for Hitman and he must press Pacquiao early on. He must use his strength and size advantage and pound Pacquiao from the opening bell. I see Hitman’s chance to score a win is to hurt Pacquiao within the first four rounds. By hurt, I mean explosive power punches to the head and body.

By really hurting Pacquiao, the Hitman will diminish Pacquiao's speed. Hatton must neutralize the speed advantage of Pacquiao early on.

I believe the first four rounds are crucial to a Hatton win. Should Pacquiao survive and remain fresh at the fifth, Hatton is in big trouble.

But doing the most damage within the first four rounds is very difficult, considering Pacquiao is one of the most agile fighters of the sport. It’s typically hard to hit someone whose head is not always on the same spot and whose movements include quick sidestepping.

How Hatton does that, well, falls into the hands of legendary coach Floyd Mayweather, Sr.

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