Sunday, May 03, 2009

Pacman Destroys Ricky Hatton




Boxing is one of those sports that leaves its' true fans awed and horrified at the same time. This was another one of those occasions, while you appreciate the skill and the bravery shown in the ring, you're also mortified after seeing the fighters take such savage beatings, and all you can say is for God's sake someone stop the fight. Shocked and awed; those are the only words that I can come up with to describe what I saw last night, as Manny Pacquiao absolutely obliterated Manchester's Great, Ricky the Hitman Hatton. Thousands of wildly chanting english fans who came all the way from the pubs of Manchester to cheer for their hero, were silenced almost as the fight began. The way each fighter entered the ring, foreshadowed what was to come. Ricky came in serious, tense, and rearing to throw leather. Manny Pacquiao entered the ring with his entourage that included Wrestling Superstar Batista, Pacman's face was lit up ear to ear with a huge relaxed grin that hid the ferocity within. Manny seemed like a schoolboy who already had all the answers to a final exam.

Ricky Hatton came out fired up, throwing jabs and digging punches from the clinch. Pacqauiao started out slowly, boxing and evading while sniping a rapier like jab of his own. The thousands of Mancunians in attendance drowned out their Filipino counter parts as Hatton seemed to push Manny into the ropes. Their joy was short lived; as Pacquiao snapped out lightning fast punches that seemed to shock Hatton. Oscar De La Hoya had told Hatton before the fight, that Pacquiao does not hit that hard, (probably the stupidest piece of advise ever given. A clearly fazed Hatton, got caught with a wicked right hook with a minute left in the first round, as he fell face first unto the canvas. The brave English brawler, got to his feet and fought back, only to be caught in an avalanche of punches coming from every direction. Hatton tried desperately to get away, but was knocked to the canvas again by a powerful straight left that actually came through his upraised glove. The bell ending the round, saved Hatton.

Floyd Mayweather Sr, Hatton's idiotic trainer blabbered incomprehensibly in his corner. Floyd Sr, for all his smarts, talks like an urban kid stricken with down syndrome, to which Hatton only nodded his head. I don't think he understood a single word he was saying at that point. Hatton came out for the second round, in much better shaped than I thought, and weathered Manny Pacquiao's whirlwind assault even getting in a shot or two to stave off the inevitable. Still, brave Ricky was rocked several times and the end seemed apparent. When it looked like Hatton would escape the second round by a hairsbreadth, Manny drew Ricky in with a feint right jab before unloading what only be described as a Left Cross from Hell. The monstrous blow, hammered into Hatton's chin snapping his locked neck to the left before whiplashing back to the right. The english warrior was out cold before he even hit the canvas. He did not even have enough consciousness to brace his fall to the canvas.

Frighteningly, Hatton lay unconscious for several minutes on the canvas, his eyes were glazed and his breathing was shallow. In the front rows, Hatton's beautiful fiance was mortified and shaking as tears ran down her face. HBO were being assholes as they panned to where she sat as Hatton was knocked cold.