by James Slater – Today, on Setanta Sports, footage was shown from today’s official UK press conference to announce the May 2nd Ricky Hatton Vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. During the short clip, Hatton, the perceived underdog in the eyes of many, spoke about the fight and what he feels his chances of winning are.
Yet to begin training for the on, off, back on again clash, the 30-year-old looked somewhat hefty – as is often the case with Ricky between fights. Speaking with utmost assurance, “The Hitman” sounded as confident and as focused as can be, however..
“I’m full to the brim with confidence of winning this fight” Hatton said. “With perseverance, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. I always did say from day one – I know a lot of people probably thought I wouldn’t become a world champion [but] I’ve won two world titles at different weights – and the only thing left for me to achieve in my career is to try and become the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
“I feel very, very grateful that I’ve got the opportunity to do it now. I thank my team for all the hard work they’ve put in in making this fight happen. I believe I’m gonna win, and I promise you I won’t let you down. This time I’m gonna do it.”
As expected from the classy and respectful Hatton, there was no bad-mouthing of “Pac-Man.” This is just not Hatton’s style – even though Pacquiao has been quoted as saying something that could have perhaps been taken as a jibe – what with Manny’s Hatton is “one dimensional” comment.
Make no mistake, there will be no repeat of the fun and games we had in the run up to Hatton against Floyd Mayweather Junior in this fight, where “Money” was in Hatton’s face and throwing insults at every given opportunity. But will the end result of the fight turn out to be one of a similar nature to that of the December 2007 welterweight showdown – with Hatton being beaten?
One big difference in the May 2nd fight is the fact that Hatton will be waging war in his natural weight class, as opposed to doing so in one seven pounds north of it. This will likely prove to be a major factor in the super-fight’s outcome. Both men are the best at 140-pounds, both are extremely confident of achieving victory, and both men are pretty much in their prime.
Pacquiao has enjoyed a ride atop boxing’s best pound-for-pound list – will Hatton have his turn in the summer?