Photo by Chris Farina – Top Rank- During a blistering two-day U.K. media tour, superstars Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Ricky “Hitman” Hatton set the tone for their world junior welterweight “The Battle of East and West” championship set for Saturday, May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View. The fighters started in Hatton’s hometown of Manchester and finished yesterday in London. They were joined by their respective trainers Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather, Sr, as well as US-based promoters Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. Below is a sampling of quotes from the tour.
MANNY PACQUIAO – Note: This was a first time visit for Pacquiao to the U.K. and he was quite excited to be visiting the country. Thinking he was coming into the opponent’s territory, Pacquiao was very surprised to see his Filipino people every place he went during his stay.. Inasmuch as the Manchester press conference was open to the public, literally thousands of Filipinos came early to wait for their native son, who is easily the most popular figure in his country today. They gave Hatton’s hometown fans a run for their money and Pacquiao was overwhelmed by the support. The same phenomenon occurred in London, when Pacquiao attended Sunday Mass at Westminister Cathedral, a community event the same day, and a visit to the Philippines Embassy immediately following the press conference.
Here are his comments about the fight and his visit.
“This is my first time in England. I am very surprised and overwhelmed by the turnout of all of the Filipino people. I would like to thank everyone for turning out.
“I am amazed by the support I have been shown. I did not expect it in Manchester because this is Ricky’s home town, where I know he is loved. I appreciate my supporters coming to see me.
“I was surprised to see so many of my people in Manchester. I think Ricky Hatton was surprised to see them too. Although it is Hatton’s place, I think Manchester is now ‘Mannychester!’
“The fight will be a great challenge because Ricky is a great fighter. It will be a once in a lifetime fight, the kind you only see once in boxing history.
“This is a smart match. For Ricky and me because of our styles. He is smart and strong too.
“I know what Ricky’s weaknesses are and I have begun to train for them. His strength is his left uppercut, but I can handle that, too.
“Hatton hits very hard, has a strong left hand and a good uppercut too. I must and will train very hard.
“My trainer Freddie Roach is my best friend.
“I feel strong at 140, 145, 147. The weight is fine for me.
“Hatton is bigger than I am but this isn’t about big. It’s about punching hard and being effective.
“There is a respect for Hatton and his team but in the ring it is all different. There are no timeouts.
“Like all of my fights, I dedicate this fight to my country. I remember as a little boy. I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that and it inspires me to fight hard, stay strong and remember all of the people of my country trying to achieve better for themselves.
“My first fight gave me one dollar (50 pesos). I gave the dollar to my mother.”
RICKY HATTON
“I appreciate Manny traveling all of this way to come to England and especially Manchester to help promote this fight. He’s a great fighter and I am looking forward to the challenge. I am unbeaten at 140 pounds, and believe I am unbeatable at this weight. This is a fight between two nice men, but there is nothing nice about either me or Manny when we get inside the ring. I am fighting for the pound-for-pound title and this is what I want more than anything. The last time I had a chance to fight for pound-for-pound title, I did okay. I came in second.
“But fighting before was at 147 pounds and I don’t think I am big enough at that weight. Now I have a chance to fight at 140 pounds and that is my weight.
“This reminds me a bit of when I fought Kostya Tsyzu. No one gave me a chance against him and that seems like a long time ago. I truly believe I am a much better fighter now too.
“When I fought Tsyzu, I bulldozed him into submission. I think you could see from my last fight, with Floyd Mayweather, Sr. and a new team around me, that my style is different and better. I think I proved in my last fight that I have a much better jab, a stronger punch and speed too.
“Both of us don’t go backwards and I think that is the key to the fight. Whoever ends up going backwards is going to lose.
“‘We both have very exciting and aggressive styles and this fight is going to be tremendous.
“I noticed in some of Manny’s recent fights, his opponents were a bit worried about his aggression. That is not going to happen with me. I won’t be bothered by his aggression and feel ready to take it on.
“The last time someone wasn’t worried about his aggressive style and fought him back was Erik Morales. And Manny lost that fight
“I’m in fantastic condition already. That just shows how much I’m up for this fight.
“Manny shuffles in and out and tries to bring you onto the punch. I have good footwork and I think I can bring him on to my shots.
“Sometimes he comes in square and goes for broke which leaves him open to be hit. If he leaves himself open there is no reason why I shouldn’t be confident.
“Manny has been floored by body shots and might be vulnerable there. Two of the big keys will be my size and strength.
“He did beat Oscar who is bigger than me, but he had nothing that night. If I had boxed Oscar then I would have beat him even quicker.
“We both have great fans and we will be fighting our hearts out for them that night. I want to do the U.K. proud and come home victorious.”
Pacquiao vs. Hatton “The Battle of East and West,” presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, in association with MP Promotions and Hatton Promotions is a 12-round bout for Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine World Junior Welterweight titles. The fight is also sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. Remaining tickets, priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300 and $150, can be purchased through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available online at www.mgmgrand.com.
The Pacquiao vs. Hatton pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.
Please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.toprank.com or www.rickyhitmanhatton.com for upcoming announcements.
Pacquiao vs. Hatton – “The Battle of East and West”
Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank – The anticipation is growing and the stage is now set for two of boxing’s biggest stars, Ring Magazine’s number one ranked pound for pound fighter MANNY “Pac Man” PACQUIAO and IBO and Ring Magazine World Junior Welterweight Champion RICKY “The Hitman” HATTON to meet in “The Battle of East and West,” Saturday, May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
These two boxing artists, who will rumble for Hatton’s World Junior Welterweight Championships, will have a 20 x 20 foot canvas to paint a black and blue masterpiece that the world is anxiously waiting to see. Pacquiao and Hatton boast a combined record of 93-4-2 (68 KOs), a winning percentage of 94% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73%. The bout will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.
Pacquiao vs. Hatton “The Battle of East and West,” presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Hatton Promotions is a 12-round bout for Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine World Junior Welterweight title. The fight is also sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. Tickets, priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300 and $150, can be purchased through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available online at www.mgmgrand.com.
“When Manny Pacquiao goes into the ring he fights for his country, the Philippines, and millions of Filipinos worldwide,” said Bob Arum, Chairman, Top Rank, Inc. “He is a tremendous athlete and unlike any other champion we have ever promoted. When Manny walks to the ring he carries the weight of his country on his shoulders and he fights with all of his heart, every second of every round.”
“We are very excited that this fight has been made, as it is the fight fans wanted and the one I look forward to seeing myself,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “This fight has all the makings of a “Fight of the Year” candidate and I think Hatton will dethrone Pacquiao and become boxing’s pound-for-pound king.”
“MGM Grand is thrilled to be hosting what we anticipate will be one of the biggest fights of 2009,” said Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE. “As we continue our tradition of hosting the top names in sports and entertainment, this spectacular boxing match will not only be a battle between two great champions but will offer an electric and international atmosphere for the fans.”
“Pacquiao-Hatton features two of the sport’s biggest and most exciting stars — the Pacman against the Hitman — in a battle to determine who is The Man,” said Mark Taffet, HBO Senior Vice President of Sports Operations & Pay-Per-View.
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) secured his claim as the 2008 Fighter of the Year, a year reminiscent of what Hall of Fame fighter Henry Armstrong did in 1937-1938, winning three fights in three different weight divisions, two of which were world titles. Armstrong is the only man to hold three world championships simultaneously, capturing world titles at featherweight, welterweight and lightweight (in that order) during a nine-month span between November 1937 and August 1938. Pacquiao, officially proclaimed a National Treasure by the Philippines, captured the WBC World Super Featherweight title last March by defeating Juan Manuel Marquez and the WBC World Lightweight title in June by knocking out defending champion David Diaz. He completed his personal trifecta by stopping Oscar de la Hoya in a welterweight battle on December 6. Pacquiao’s last two victories were in his debut fight in each weight division with the latter fight being two full divisions above his previous fight. Pacquiao, 30, has won 24 of his last 25 bouts, blitzing through boxing’s best fighters since 2003 including Erik Morales (TKO 10, KO 3,), Marco Antonio Barrera (TKO 11, W 12), Marquez (D 12, W 12,), Diaz (TKO 9) and De La Hoya (KO 8). Pacquiao was previously named the 2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine.
“I always like new challenges and this is why I am anxious to fight Ricky Hatton,” said Pacquiao. “My trainer Freddie Roach will put together a new game plan which will be much different than the one we used against Oscar (de la Hoya). Hatton is a very strong puncher so I must deal with that in the ring. I promise I will be completely prepared and will do my best for all of my fans in the Philippines and around the world.”
The storied career of Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), an international superstar hailing from Manchester, England, began in 1997 and for the last 12 years he has been thrilling fight fans around the world with his aggressive style in the ring and down to earth attitude outside of the ring. Owner of victories over world champions Kostya Tszyu, Vince Phillips, Paulie Malignaggi, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Urango and Carlos Maussa, Hatton is a two division world champion. He fell short of the pound-for-pound best fighter title and world welterweight championships in his 2007 super-fight against Floyd Mayweather. However, the 30-year-old bounced back impressively at his natural weight of 140 pounds last May when he scored a near shutout 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano. His most recent fight was a scintillating shutout performance against world champion Malignaggi last November, ending with an 11th round TKO for “The Hitman.” Hatton was honored as the 2005 Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
“I’m really excited to get back in the ring in Vegas after knocking out Malignaggi in November,” said Hatton. “I am confident that I am the fighter to take down the pound-for-pound champion and I believe I will be victorious on May 2nd.”
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar De La Hoya vs. Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Sting, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena is also home to the annual FOX Billboard Music Awards, the annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit and the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMA). For room packages and availability at MGM Grand, call (800) 929-1111 or (702) 891-7777 or log onto the World Wide Web at www.mgmgrand.com.
The Pacquiao vs. Hatton pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.