MANILA, Philippines - Two weeks into training, Ricky Hatton knows exactly well what he must do with Manny Pacquiao.
“Cut the ring and stay in his face,” the British superstar told fightfan.com, just a couple of days before he comes face to face with Pacquiao for quick promotional gig in Manchester and London to drum up their May 2 fight.
Hatton, the king of the 140-pound division, said all he needs is to “draw Pacquiao into a fight” because it may be his only chance at winning. He can’t afford to let the Filipino icon box and dribble him around the ring.
“Obviously Manny has good footwork and he tries to hurt you with that big left cross so I do have to be careful as I put the pressure on,” Hatton said in a lengthy interview done while Pacquiao was on his way to the UK.
“I plan to use lots of head movement and jabs to work my way in. I want to pick off shots and hopefully when Manny misses I’ll land some big shots. I think Manny is there to be caught quite a few times in fights,” he said.
Hatton said he noticed that Pacquiao commits himself when throwing huge punches, and once he misses, he tends to lose his balance. This will be the opportunity for Hatton to “slip some heavy shots” of his own.
While Pacquiao has been into some great fights against Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz and Oscar dela Hoya last year, no one, except Erik Morales, “has really put the pressure on Manny.”
“I think that’s because he’s so aggressive everyone has backed off. I’ve studied a lot of tapes and I think the last person to put him under pressure effectively was Erik Morales,” said Hatton.
The pride of Manchester said Morales was able to push Pacquiao back, and the result was a 12-round decision in 2005. Pacquiao, of course, came back from that loss to stop the Mexican twice inside 10 rounds.
Hatton said he is “super confident” and that there’s practically no one who can beat him at 140 pounds.
“I also think my speed will surprise him,” said Hatton of Pacquiao, probably the fastest fighter out there today.
Hatton said camp has been moving well, and after a few weeks in the UK, he and his trainers, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Lee Beard, will move to Las Vegas for the big, final push heading into the fight.
“There’s no fear in Ricky Hatton,” was how the reigning IBO light-welterweight champ closed out the interview.