Boxing Updates: Latest Boxing Event

The pair face of each other in Las Vegas on May 2nd with the winner of their battle crowned boxing’s pound-for-pound king.

Pacquiao’s mouthy coach Freddie Rouch warned ‘The Hitman’;”If you try to box Manny,you’ll get killeed.
mouthy told manny that if it goes past three rounds, I’d be mad at him.

Roach is a sworm enemy of Hatton’s trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr and claims his fellow American is too late to save the Manchester idol from defeat.

Last year Billy Graham has been replaced by Mayweather Snr,but Roach said:”He’s going to try and make him a better boxer, but obviously it is too late to change him at this stage of his career.

Roach said that I’ve been with Manny eaight years and I have never tried to change him, just improve on what we do.

“Ricky and Floyd have totally different styles. The best way for Ricky to fight is like he does.”

The duo have been fierce rivals ever since Mayweather Snr replaced Roach as the trainer of Oscar de la Hoya.

Mayweather Snr dubbed his enemy ‘Joke Coach’ Roach, who even boasts that Pacquiao’s chief sparring partner, Jorge Linares, is better than Hatton.

“We figure that if Manny can look sharp against a fighter like Linares, he can look sharp against anyone.

“Good work is good work. I don’t care what style it is. Linares makes Manny think and not many fighters can do that.

“Ricky’s very basic. Linares is a thinker and it raises Pacquiao’s game.”

Roach clearly hopes to unhinge Hatton, who jetted off to Las Vegas yesterday to prepare for his IBO and Ring Magazine light-welterweight title defence.

He has also demanded that Joe Cortez, the referee Hatton was critical of when he suffered his only loss in 46 fights to Floyd Mayweather Jnr in December 2007, is in charge of the Pacquiao fight.

Hatton has ignored gobby Roach and flew off to the Nevada desert after promoting his welterweight brother Matthew’s sixth-round stoppage of Ted Bami in Altrincham on Saturday night.

Matthew will box on his brother’s undercard alongside British Olympian Joe Murray, who won his professional debut on the same bill, outpointing Sid Razak in a six-round featherweight bout.

Hatton said: “It was an exceptional performance from Joe. He won every round and nearly got him in the end.”

Bookmark:

STATS

Welterweight
43-1 | 31 KOs

Nickname
The Hitman

Hometown
Manchester, England

Date of Birth
October 6, 1978

Height
5’6″

At the age of 28, Ricky is a nine-year pro. The two-time IBF Jr. Welterweight world champion, and former WBA super lightweight and welterweight world champion, he has beaten defending world champions in four of his last five fights.

In his most recent fight in June, 2007, he defended the IBO Jr. Welterweight World title with a devastating 4-round stoppage against former Lightweight World Champion Jose Luis Castillo.

On January 1, Ricky was recognized by the Queen of England in the annual New Year’s honors list, and received the title MBE (Member of the British Empire). The ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace, and he will now be known as Ricky Hatton, MBE.

Ricky had a breakout year in 2005 – his accomplishments stood heads and shoulders above those of every other fighter in the world, and he was voted “Fighter of the Year’ by The Boxing Writers Association of America, and The Ring.

From TheRing-online.com, December 21, 2005: The Ring is pleased to announce that it has selected Ricky Hatton as 2005′s Fighter of the Year. Hatton is the first-ever British boxer to receive the award since its inception in 1928.

Hatton earned top honors by stopping long-reigning junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu at the end of the 11th round on June 4 in Manchester, England. In his second bout of the year on November 26, Hatton knocked out WBA Junior welterweight titleholder Carlos Maussa in the ninth round in Sheffield, England.

“Not only did Hatton take the title away from one of the greatest 140-pounders of all-time and make his first defense against a highly rated challenger, he did it in the sort of entertaining and definitive manner that attracts fans and fills venues,” said The Ring’s Editor-in-Chief Nigel Collins Hatton joins a long list of famous fighters to win The Ring’s Fighter of the Year award, starting with then- heavyweight champion Gene Tunney, Other past recipients include Muhammad Au (’63, ’72, ’74, ’75, ’78), Joe Louis (’36, ’38, ’39, ’41), Rocky Marciano (’52, ’54, ’55), Ray Robinson (’42, ’51), and Mike Tyson (’86, ’88).

Ricky has been the biggest draw in Great Britain for several years, with a huge, fanatical following in his hometown of Manchester.

Regarding his nickname, Ricky said, “I’ve always been a fan of Tommy Hearns, and everybody associates that that’s where I got it from, but everybody’s a Tommy Hearns fan. I got the nickname the first day I walked in the gym. I was 10 years old and put a pair of gloves on and started walloping the bag, and my amateur coach said, ‘Look at him, look how evil he is. He’s a little Hitman.’”

Bookmark: