Having had shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, retired British boxer Ricky Hatton shared his predictions on the epic boxing match between the two welterweights that everyone wants to see. Hatton also shared some tips on how Pacquiao can win against Mayweather.
“Not like Manny Pacquiao needs some advice, with Freddie Roach in his corner but if I was in Pacquiao’s corner, you know I’d tell him to do the exact same tactics he did against Oscar De La Hoya,” Hatton said in an interview with Kugan Cassius of IFL TV. “In-out, in-out, fast, speed, movement.”
Pacquiao fought De La Hoya in 2008. Pacquiao dominated the entire fight and didn’t let De La Hoya to snatch an easy victory over the Filipino as most critics predicted. Pacquiao was then an underdog against De La Hoya, who was a 3:1 favourite to win against the Filipino. In the end, De La Hoya was forced to retire after eight lopsided rounds.
The Filipino will reprise the role of the underdog when he steps on the ring with Mayweather on May 2. According to Hatton, he sees Floyd Mayweather Jr. winning but also said that Manny Pacquiao has chance to hand the undefeated American boxer his first loss.
Even though he is betting on Mayweather to win the fight, Hatton thinks that Pacquiao’s speed could spell danger for the American. Hatton believes that Mayweather’s traditional fight style - the shoulder roll and staying low, will not work against quick fighters so Pacquiao should attack that particular weak spot on Mayweather’s part.
Hatton said that a fighter like Pacquiao, who has speed and movement, gives him an edge to beat Mayweather. Looking back at Mayweather’s recent fights, Hatton reckons that the American has lost his force a bit. He said that Mayweather’s invincible armour is gone, which gives not only Pacquiao but also other fighters the confidence that they definitely stand a chance against him.
Hatton fought Mayweather and Pacquiao during his boxing career. He suffered losses from both fights. He was knocked out by Mayweather in the 10th round in 2007. Hatton was also knocked out by Pacquiao in the second round on 2009.
Hatton officially retired from boxing in 2012 following his defeat from Vyacheslav Senchenko. Since then, the former world champion has shifted his focus on his boxing promotions company, Hatton Promotions.
