Hatton-Pacquiao looks all set

Come May 2nd, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton will face Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in an all out Welterweight clash of the titans. And we will be treated to a spectacle of boxing history as worlds collide, Manny bearing the weight of Phillipines on his back and Ricky carrying the pride of England.

Lets look at the statistics here, both pugulist are at their prime(early 30's) with decent records, Pacquiao 45-3-2, 35KO's and Hatton 43-1, 31KO's. Both have punching power, footwork, speed and stamina. Pacquiao reigned as king as Featherweight and Flyweight whilst Hatton remained dominant at his natural weight of 140 pounds.

Now the reason Pacquiao is the reigning Pound for Pound is because he has not only beaten boxers at different weight classes but decimated most in devastating fashion. That's not to take away anything from Hatton as he wins mostly by knockouts and likes to wear his opponent down from the start. His only loss came by way of a superior Mayweather Jr. and it was a knockout.

So who's going to win?

Whether it is Hatton or Pacquiao's hand who is raised, it will be a hell of a match from start to finish. But for the record I'm rooting for Pacquiao.

The key factor in this fight will be SPEED, period. You take all other aspects, power, endurance, chin, technical ability, footwork, heart and you get a pretty even contest, but the main difference here is speed. Which Pacquiao possess's in abundance.

Hatton is a quick fighter, no doubt, but he was in a world of trouble fighting Mayweather Jr, because of his quick jabs and straights. That's something he couldn't deal with.

Now if Pacquiao can do this effectively and avoid taking too much punishment from Hatton's powerful hooks and bodyshots then this one's in the Pacman's bag. He showed how quick he was against De La Hoya, but Hatton will be a different challenge.

But I see this one going down to the wire, and Pacquiao is one that goes down fighting, Hatton will too because he wants to prove he is the best in his division. It's going to be very interesting, but my money and support is on Pacman.

My Prediction: Pacquiao wins via decision after 12 rounds

Oscar De La Hoya called his match against Pacquiao "The Dream Match." Well he was wrong.

THIS is the Dream Match, HATTON VS PACQUIAO!

The Bareboxer