By Rick Reeno

Tomorrow night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, we get treated to the first superfight of 2009. Manny Pacquiao challenges the junior welterweight reign of Ricky Hatton. Filipino and British fans are storming the Vegas strip by the thousands. Since the recent retirement of Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao and Hatton have emerged as two of the biggest ticket sellers in the sport. The fight is very important for a number of reasons. The biggest is the globalization of boxing. If the HBO pay-per-view numbers come back with a significant number, it proves that a major fight in America does not require an American-based fighter to be involved.

The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions.

Robert Morales - This is not going to be an easy fight for Manny Pacquiao. Ricky Hatton is going to do everything he can to avoid another one-sided loss in a Las Vegas super fight, and he will be better because of Floyd Mayweather Sr. But Pacquiao is a special fighter and with his improved boxing skills, I expect him to win this fight by unanimous decision.

Jake Donovan - Expect the fight to be close within each round, yet with the majority of the rounds going to Pacquiao. Hatton will give him hell early, but fatigue will be his greatest enemy, with the tireless Pacquiao coming on in the later rounds to pour it on and eventually close the show. Pacquiao by late rounds stoppage.

Cliff Rold - Pacquiao by Decision: Win or lose this weekend, it’s easy to state before this fight even happens that Manny Pacquiao is already one of boxing’s all-time greats. He’s done things no fighter before him had ever done in becoming the first man to officially win the World title at Flyweight and then Featherweight, adding Jr. Lightweight honors for good measure last year against real fire.

However, it is a mistake to merely read the resume and think Hatton will not be in this fight. Considering the history of men coming up this far in weight, and remembering weight divisions exist for a reason, it’s pretty wild Hatton is an underdog. He has never lost at 140 lbs. while taking on many of the best in the division. And forget the scales; Hatton is the bigger and stronger man. He’s going to hit Pacquiao, and hit him harder than perhaps anyone else ever has particularly to the body. Hatton could very well be ahead through four or five rounds win or lose. If he is, Hatton winning this fight, even by stoppage late, would not shock.

The problem could be what Manny will throw back in volume as the seconds tick by. After round six against Mayweather, Floyd turned his offense up and it was game over. Pacquiao, as he showed against Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, has a way of upping the ante with sheer numbers of shots. Again, those were smaller men then Hatton and Hatton is likely to absorb better but ultimately only to stay erect by the end. In a fight of this magnitude, between a fighter proven already as great and a fighter yet perceived as only ‘very good’ (which is no sin), great has to get the edge.

Pacquiao by narrow decision in a crowd pleaser.

TK Stewart - I rank Manny Pacquiao as the best pound-for-pound boxer on planet earth. Make no mistake, Ricky Hatton is an excellent fighter, but Pacquiao, in my view, is on another level. Hatton's strength and determination will make the fight challenging for Pacquiao. But the bottom line is that Manny is quicker, faster, and no matter how Hatton decides to attack (boxing or mauling) Manny will have an answer for him. Ricky has had problems with southpaws (see Luis Collazo) his chin is not the best (see Collazo, Mayweather, Jr., Juan Lazcano) and he can be dazzled by speed (see Mayweather, Jr.). I see the fight being close early and Hatton may even win a few rounds. But around the mid-point I think Manny will begin to pull away and he will punish Hatton. I see Manny winning by stoppage somewhere around the 10th.

Michael Swann - Speed kills and pound for pound champ Manny Pacquiao seems to have more of it than ever. Ricky Hatton may be stronger but you have to wonder what good is that if Manny zips in and out all night piling up the damage. Further, how long will it be before Hatton's self inflicted abuse of his body begins to manifest itself in his ring performance? Pacquiao by TKO in 10 rounds.

Lyle Fitzsimmons - I'll admit, last time around I thought Freddie Roach was nuts. So, in keeping with the "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" chestnut, I'm pretty much buying whatever he's selling this time. Make no mistake, I'm no Kool-Aid drinking fan of Pacquiao by any stretch... but to these eyes he's simply too quick and too skilled for a gutty but limited Hatton to handle. I think Manny busts him up and wins by stoppage, let's say in Round 7.

Keith Idec - Pacquiao by 10th-round TKO. Unless Hatton is allowed to make this the extremely physical fight that would favor him, Pacquiao should stop him late. Pacquiao's hand speed, activity and constant movement should prevent Hatton from getting into any sort of rhythm, though Hatton is bigger and perhaps stronger at this weight, and a brutal body puncher.

Bob Canobbio/CompuBox - Manny Pacquiao by 10th round TKO. PacMan is no longer a one-handed figher. He's peaking under the tutelage of Freddie Roach. Hatton's chin was dented by Pretty Boy and he was rattled by Juan Lazcano, who hadn't fought in 15 months. Competitive fight through six rounds.

Lem Satterfield - My pick is Ricky Hatton, surprisingly, by decision. I don't think that he can win by knockout, but I do believe that he can carry the fight to Pacquiao if permitted by the official, and grind out a decision if his face holds up to the cuts that are likely to be inflicted.

Patrick Kehoe - As the rounds get heated and the contesting of the big moments arrives, all of those jars with the lads down at the corner pub in Manchester will come back to haunt dear old Ricky Hatton. Inbetween fights, Sir Ricky looks more like a Keebler Elf after a three week bender and buffet rampage than the man who would be king.



What should define the fight are the quick feet of Pacquiao, allowing him to get in and out and sometime around most of Ricky's darting, short limbed one-two's. Devoid of offensive variety, once Hatton's consistency is neutralized, Hatton's in tough. The loveable Brit may be spot on in reminding us he's faced down the power of Kostya Tszyu; then again, he's never looked as good, as complete a fighter, since, not really. And the guess here is Pacquiao's sheer engery igniting his evolving big fight skills set will be too much for Sir Ricky, perhaps before the sounding of round 12. Pacquiao TKO11 Hatton

Ryan Songalia - I'm going to go with Pacquiao on this, probably by a knockout after the eighth round. Hatton is tough but he's too readily available for an accurate puncher like Pacquiao. All I've heard since the Malignaggi fight was how Hatton has improved since working with Mayweather Sr. My question is, how can you tell? He had a guy in front of him looking to survive from the third round on who wasn't an offensive threat to begin with.

If Pacquiao can keep his back to the middle of the ring and stay off the ropes, the fight is his to lose. The size advantage of Hatton will make the early rounds tense but once Hatton slows down in the middle rounds and becomes more stationary as he's been known to do, Pacquiao's speed will take over and dominate.

Ronnie Nathanielsz - This is without a doubt one of the toughest fights for Manny, way above the challenges he faced from David Diaz and Oscar De La Hoya and although all the reports out of the Wild Card Gym indicate he is in great shape, so is Hatton as evidenced by his much better condition going into training camp.

Pacquiao will have to fight sensibly to win and not fall into the trap of trying to brawl or slug it out with Hatton. He will have to capitalize on his speed, throw rapid combinations, move out quickly and prevent Hatton from out-muscling him, pushing him into the ropes and catching him with body shots.

He needs to also be alert to Hatton’s tactic of holding with one hand and hitting with the other, particularly the uppercut and whirling him around and catching him with a body shot .

Manny is smart, will go at Hatton at angles, nail him with his left straight and use the right hook to advantage and with his courage and will-to-win Manny should prevail. But it is likely to be much harder than some people think.

James Blears - During the last couple of years each and every time that I've predicted that an opponent is going to defeat Manny Pacquiao, he's confounded it, so is it time to change tack?

Ricky Hatton is a very different prospect to a weight drained Oscar. He's ready, primed and bursting with power at his undefeated wegiht category, for the biggest fight of his career. However, Manny's blinding speed will be the key in this fight. He won't give Ricky time to land those clouting body shots, and he'll do real damage to Ricky's palid complexion. Floyd Sr may have been able to introduce some improvements and refinements, but Ricky essentially remains the same fighter, and subjected to this sort of pressure, he'll revert to comfort zone fighting, which just won't work against Manny. Ricky will make a helluva fight of it while it lasts, because his sheer courage and fighting spirit has never been in doubt, but I think it'll be stopped around the ninth with a brave Ricky being buffeted, busted up and savagely overwhelmed.

Troy Ondrizek - I hate to ever bet against Pacquiao unless he is fighting Juan Manuel marquez, but I'm reluctantly going with Hatton on this one. I will change my mind a hundred times before this fight happens, but I'm sticking with Hatton. I believe that Floyd Mayweather Sr. has really advanced Ricky in terms of skill and career longevity. A dedication to the jab accompanied by angles and much better timing will offset Manny's speed and diminish his power. Hatton by unanimous decision.

Larry Tornambe - I just can't see Hatton dealing with the speed of Pacquiao. Manny has the speed and power to keep Hatton off his chest and win by late round stoppage.

Michael Campbell - Hatton by late stoppage. If Roach and Pacquiao think they can KO Hatton and choose to stand and trade, they will present a very hittable target for the Hitman, who's punches I believe will have the larger accumulation, especially the body shots, resulting in a possible late round TKO. If Pacquiao goes back to a side to side moving target, I think Hatton chases, misses, and gets frustrated resulting in a Pacman decision. But I think Roach is naive about Hatton's punch and too in love with his fighter and they will trade with the bigger man and get stopped. Either way, it will be an exciting fight and a good day for boxing worldwide.

Alphonso Costello - This is a tough fight to call. Ricky Hatton is an elite junior welterweight and his undefeated record as a 140-pounder is impressive. On the other hand, Manny Pacquiao is a well built terminator. Beginning his career as a 106-pound upstart, Pacquaio has been able to carry his speed AND power all the way up to the welterweight level which is an unprecedented feat. However, his last two victories over Oscar De La Hoya and David Diaz cannot be taken at face value. De La Hoya was a shot fighter and Diaz is a C-level talent. Nevertheless, the courage and blood running through Pacquiao's veins will carry him to victory. Pacquiao stops Hatton in the 11th round.

Michael Doss - I am going out a limb and picking Hatton by knockout. Manny hasn't faced a bodypuncher like Hatton and honestly Pacquaio's win over Oscar, to me, was not real proof that he can fight true bigger guys. Oscar did nothing and Hatton can and will pull the trigger. Hatton KO in seven.

Ernest Gabion - Manny Pacquiao by TKO in eight. The speed will get to Hatton more than the strength of Hatton will get to Manny.

Mark Vester - Ricky Hatton by a close unanimous decision.

Don Colgan - Pacquiao by a 7th round TKO with four knockdowns. Two in the 4th, one in the 6th and one in the 7th. Hatton battered, brutally outpunched and the referee has to intervene with 19 seconds left in the 7th round. Hatton's last big time fight against a world class contender.

Jose Aguirre - Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton using his speed, ring generalship and the straight left hand.

Paul Gallegos - Speed has proven to be the downfall of many men. Floyd is faster than Manny and Floyd beat Ricky with speed. Manny is faster than Ricky. Manny should win via eight round TKO. Speed kills.

John Hively - This is a tough fight to call. Manny Pacquiao looked great destroying Oscar De La Hoya, but did Oscar just look bad trying to make too much weight go away before the fight? I don't know. Manny has the better all around skills, but Ricky under Floyd Sr. is closing the gap. I'll say Pacquiao, or maybe Ricky. I really haven't made up my mind. Okay, so I won't cop out, I think Hatton will be too big for Manny and will win, but I could say Manny is too speedy for Ricky and therefore PacMan will be victorious. At this moment, I'll go with Ricky since I think Oscar was a shot fighter when Manny pummeled him.



Rey Danseco - Manny Pacquiao is brutal and he will be unforgiving on fight night. Pacman is too strong and too fast. He will dismantle Ricky within eight.

Francisco Guzman - I smell an upset. Manny Pacquiao's destruction of Oscar De La Hoya in Dec of 08 has made him like a modern day Henry Armstrong. A fighter who started his career at 106lbs, now fighting at 147lb (welterweight). Coming into the new year the pound for pound king has made him larger than life. Now when the fight was first made against the "Hitman" Ricky Hatton, I thought Manny is going to hand him his second loss of his career. As time went on some factors came into play.

Ricky has never been beaten at junior welterweight. His only loss to Floyd Mayweather and his controversial win against Louie Collazo, a fight that some thought he lost, both came at welterweight. Ricky who has nearly fought his whole career at a 140 lbs might be physically the stronger fighter. Since getting rid of his long time trainer Billy Graham and hiring Foyd Mayweather Sr, Hatton has shown some improvement. In His fight against Paulie Malignaggi, a fight where most thought he would be outboxed. Hatton continually beat Malignaggi to the punch, in a one sided bout which caused Buddy McGirt to stop the fight in the 11th round. Now Manny's last true test came at 130, a very close desputed decision in his rematch to Juan Manuel Marquez. Paquiao may be quicker than Hatton but I believe his size and strength will neutralize Manny's speed. I like Pacquiao but I think that Ricky's style is probably going to frustrate him. Ricky Hatton with a split decision win.

Rick Reeno - The fight will be a lot closer than many people think. Pacquiao's close points win over Juan Manuel Marquez continues to float in my head. I thought Marquez won that fight and I thought Marquez hurt him a few times. Hatton is a lot stronger than Marquez. I also can't forget Hatton's win over Juan Lazcano. I thought Lazcano buzzed him at least twice. Pacquiao is stronger than Lazano. Manny beat a dead man when he fought Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton beat a man with little resistance when he stopped Paulie Malignaggi. I don't know how Manny's chin will react to a Hatton punch. De La Hoya never caught Manny with any punch worth mentioning. Hatton promised to work the body. In doing that he exposes his chin. In the end I favor Manny's speed and defense over Ricky's power and size. A close decision win for Pacquiao.