APPARENTLY "PAC MAN" IS THE MAN
By Ron Brashear Photo: Chris Farina (Click on picture
for larger view)
Inside Boxing Writer/Columnist
Las Vegas, Nevada – (IB) – May 2, 2009 – Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (49-3, 37 KOs)
further illustrated why it is he, without a doubt, who is the current
Pound-For-Pound king of the ring! Pacquiao literally destroyed Ricky “The Hitman”
Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) and KO’ed him with a left hook to the jaw
at
2:59 seconds of the 2nd round that required NO counting…It was over! Hatton was
laid out on the canvass with his mind totally disconnected from body and in
la-la land in regards to his quest of becoming the new Pound-for-Pound king of
boxing.
Prior to even getting half-way through round #1, Hatton was tagged by a Pacquiao
right hook to the jaw that sent him to the canvass face first. While Hatton was
able to make it back to his feet, it was only moments later that he was back on
the canvass again and was barely able to survive the round as it came to a
close.
Coming into this fight, I was of the opinion that the jury was still out on the
“Pac Man” and perhaps the De La Hoya defeat had more to do with what Oscar
didn’t do vs. what Pacquiao did do. After witnessing what just happened in this
Hatton fight, I stand corrected and apparently, “Pacman” is the man!
So I give major props for Manny Pacquiao and team Pacquiao for an awesome
performance and dominating an opponent that most thought, at a minimum, would be
a very competitive fight. It was a true BEATDOWN and has left no doubt about how
real is Manny Pacquiao.
It will be very intriguing to see what is next for Pacquiao. After hearing about
Floyd Mayweather Jr’s return, one can only hope that a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather
fight will materialize. Given the choice of opponent that Mayweather has chosen
to make his return against, it surely isn’t an automatic victory by any means.
After all, Juan Manuel Marquez has clearly demonstrated that he is on the level
with Pacquiao himself and many observers could make a case that his is as
dangerous, if not more dangerous, than Pacquiao himself.
In the end, all of this is great for boxing because the fighters and the
promoters have come to the realization that if our sport is going to survive and
excel into the future, the best must be willing to take on the best!
You have just gone InsideBoxing.com
Ron Brashear can be contacted at brashear@insideboxing.com, ron@youthofhonor.org
