Pacquiao sees very tough fight ahead

Manny Pacquiao has admitted that facing “bull strong” Ricky Hatton will be a tough ride.

That is why he said that he can’t afford to underestimate Manchester’s favorite son when they both enter the ring on May 2.

“Mabigat ito, dahil si Ricky Hatton suntok ng suntok na boksingero at sugod ng sugod. Malakas din at hindi natin pwedeng i-underestimate,” he said during the press launch of their “Battle of East versus West”.

Thongs of fight fans attended the press launch which marked the first time Pacquiao and Hatton faced each other since their fight contract was finalized.

Before leaving for England over the weekend, Pacquiao said that there will be a slight change in terms of strategy when facing the likes of Hatton.

“Pag-aaralan kong mabuti ang style ni Hatton. Pag-aaralan kong mabuti kung anong mga strategy ang mga gagawin,” said Pacquiao.

‘I know Pacquiao’s weakness’
Hatton, for his part, said the Filipino boxer is bound to absorb a lot of punishment when they tangle at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

He cited that Pacquiao’s weakness is that he couldn’t absorb body punches very well.

“Manny gets hurt with body shots, I seen him get shaken a few times. And I'm a bit a handful on you all the time,” said Hatton. “Manny's gonna absorb a lot more punishes in this fight.”

The British brawler added that come fight night, fans will see a different Hatton as opposed to the “one dimensional” fighter they used to see.

“You're gonna see a fighter with great defense, usually jabs, lots of head movements, lots of footwork and follow up,” he said.

Roach vs Mayweather Sr.
As both fighters started discussing their possible strategies, trainers Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach made no effort to hide their hatred for each other as they began trading barbs during the match’s initial presser.

According to a report posted on www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk, Mayweather Sr. grabbed the mike during the press conference and said: “If anybody thinks Freddie ‘the Joke’ Roach can out-train me, they have to be sick.”

Roach, however, shot back: “It’s a shame Floyd senior isn’t in the Hall of Fame.”

Mayweather Sr. later turned his warning to Pacquiao as he dished out a rhymed prediction predicting Hatton would dethrone Pacquiao: “When he beat the world legend Oscar de la Hoya, he was over the hill, now it’s time for you to swallow the same old pill.

“When it comes Manny, then you had better be ready, because I don’t want you to blame it on Freddie.”