Indeed a clash between power and speed will again determine who will emerge as winner in the upcoming superfight between Fililipno boxer Manny "the PacMan" Pacquiao and England's Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton on May 2, 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
The forthcoming fight between popular boxers Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Ricky Hatton of England will be another show of power, speed, and heart.
Freddie Roach, now the world’s most popular trainer and owner of the famous Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California is so confident that his ward will finish Hatton in the later rounds. Asked why he thinks Manny will beat Hatton, Roach said ‘speed kills’, referring to Pacquiao’s trade mark fighting style.
Speed is indeed a potent weapon of Pacquiao and from all indications, Roach is determined to fine tune Pacquiao’s natural speedy boxing style. As a season boxing coach and trainer, Roach is expected to supplement Pacquiao’s hand and foot works with other techniques that will further enhance his speed power.
‘Speed kills’ as Roach appropriately coined for Pacquiao’s speedy fighting style, could be Roach major training direction that is specifically aimed at neutralizing Hatton’s bullfight boxing style. This simply means that changes and improvements on Pacquiao’s natural skills will be concentrated on the effective usage of his speed particularly his hands and footwork.
In all probability, Hatton will ONLY capitalize on his punching power and will surely put to test his original fighting style with Pacquiao to see if it works. Hatton, the powerful and rugged brawler from Manchester will definitely be in great condition as he will fight in his comfortable weight range. He has been most effective in the 140 pound limit where he remained unbeaten and Pacquiao has never fought in the 140 pounds level. But he does not have the skill of Manny Pacquiao and if he is not careful with his defenses he will definitely hit the canvas and Pacquiao will finish him with his rapid and powerful punches.
