I had a this prediction a year ago and I think it was a good one. I was right when I said Pacquio will win by KO but was wrong in the number of rounds. Although it was not a perfect prediction, at least it was still in the winning side. I am reposting this article as my kick-off in this website. Please read on and enjoy.


Pacquiao-Hatton Fight Prediction:


*Pacquiao will KO Hatton in round 8*


Haha. Why?


I considered these 3 factors.


1. Style


The biggest factor in this fight is style. Who can execute his style come fight night will emerge victorious.


The fact is, Hatton can never outbox Pacquiao. So if the fight will be a boxing match, definitely Pacquiao will win. He has already fought some of the greatest technically-gifted fighters of his generation (Barrera, Morales, Marquez and Dela Hoya) and won against them. Hatton is not in the same league with Pacquiao in terms of boxing skills and techniques. Boxing with Manny Pacquiao will be a huge mistake for the Brit.


If the fight will be a brawl, I think Hatton has a slight edge. He has the style to counter the go-forward style of Manny Pacquiao and would not give any space for Pacquiao's assaults. Dirty tactics will also help him. But, as we all have witnessed the evolution of the pound-for-pound king, Pacquiao can now fight going backwards. He just did that in fighting Oscar and David Diaz. I believe he can also do it to Ricky Hatton. So if the fight will be a brawl, it's going to be at least be a 50-50 fight or a slight edge in favor of Ricky at the most.


2. Speed


Pacquiao has the advantage in speed - hand speed and foot speed. We can all see that easily in their sparring and training videos at Youtube. These are very important in executing their game plan. The Hitman can't hit what's not there and so Manny has to go in and out to dodge Ricky's punches. Manny's advantage in footspeed is very critical in the fight.


In terms of hand speed, it's still Pacquiao all day. I see Ricky Hatton eating a lot of combinations but counters with a risky left hook. Hatton is a slugger, so no matter how many combinations he will eat, he will still try to land that one big shot.




Speed is in Manny's favor all night, all day. everyday.


3. Power/Strength


I give this to Ricky Hatton. He is the natural big man. But, I think he's having a hard time making the 140 lbs limit. This will surely backfire to his body. Also, Hatton does not have that one punch KO skill. He wears down his opponents through body shots,phone booth assaults and grappling/wrestling unlike Manny, who has that left straight that puts opponents down. Although it is just a knock down, it stings opponents heart, injecting some dose of fear in their blood. Still, I give this to Ricky Hatton with Pacquiao trailing close.


Overall, I see a close fight in the first 3 rounds with Hatton trying to overwhelm Pacquiao with his power. He will caught Manny several times but Manny will give a lot of combinations that will hurt him. I also see a huge hook that Manny will throw to the stalking Hatton that would make his ass kiss the canvas. He already did that to the stalking Morales and De la Hoya although the latter did not go down. Come middle rounds, Ricky will slow down because of the punishment he is having. Manny will have a hard time putting Hatton down because of his lightweight-ish power until round 8.