By Leslie Wilson Jr, Sports Editor
Published: May 03, 2009, 07:57
Dubai: The Philippines' Manny Pacquiao showed why he is rated the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by knocking down Britain's Ricky Hatton three times to win their much anticipated junior lightweight showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday.
In a fight that was seen as a matchup of two great fighters looking to cement their place in boxing history as the best pound-for-pound stars, Pacquiao totally outclassed his rival in 359 explosive seconds.
Hatton felt the full force of Pacquiao's speed and power as he suffered what was only the second defeat in his career and first at 140-pounds.
The Englishman's only loss came in 2007 when he moved up to welterweight and was stopped in the 10th round by US star Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Filipino was in great form right from the first bell at the MGM Grand Arena; landing a high percentage of his power-packed combinations to get Hatton in all sorts of trouble.
Pacquiao sent the Englishman crashing to the canvas twice in an action-packed first round and then knocked the lights out of Hatton with a devastating right cross to the head with seconds remaining in round two.
Ringside doctors rushed to the aid of Hatton, who lay motionless on the canvas, However, he eventually recovered and was able to leave the ring unaided before being taken to hospital for a routine post-fight test.
"I am surprised this fight was so easy," said Pacquiao. "I did work hard in my training camp and it paid off. This is as big a victory for me as when I beat Oscar De La Hoya."
Pacquiao's trainer Freddy Roach, who had predicted a quick knockout by his fighter, said, "This is no shock at all. Hatton pumps his hands before he throws a punch, and it makes him a sucker for the right hook. Manny is a monster, he is the best fighter ever. There is no surprise here."
Both fighters are 30-years-old and were trying to cement their spot in ring history in the junior welterweight division, but it was Pacquiao who totally dominated his opponent from the first bell.
Hatton had no answer to the left-right combinations that the Filipino icon threw at him and twice hit the deck in one of the most explosive opening rounds of a boxing match.
Pacquiao then finished the fight with a thundering right to the jaw that floored the Briton.
"That was the best knockout punch I've ever seen," Pacquiao trainer, Roach, said. "It was the perfect shot. That rarely happens."
According to computer statistics, Pacquiao landed 73 of 127 punches in just under six minutes, including 34 of 53 power punches in the second round, while Hatton connected on only 18 of 78.
Pacquiao matched the all-time record by becoming a champion in his sixth different weight class by lifting Hatton's International Boxing Organisation junior welterweight world title after dispatching now-retired six-division champion Oscar de la Hoya.
Pacquiao will reportedly take home $12 million from the bout while Hatton was set for an $8 million-payday. Pay-per-view income alone for the megafight is believed to have crossed $40 million.
For Pacquiao, the future looks bright with a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr already being talked about.
Hatton's trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. did not attend the postfight news conference, leaving co-trainer, Lee Beard, to do the talking.
"We knew about Manny's speed and that it could play a factor in the fight," Beard said. "What you saw was two rounds of action and Ricky got caught."
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