As I write this piece, there’s considerable lull in the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. I’m expecting this but I don’t think it would be this quiet during the official weigh-in, much more during the fight.
The animosity between the trainers of these fighters has come to a point where they are raring to get a piece of each other. We’ll never know what will happen if Freddie and Floyd are within inches of each other.
Let’s see what will happen.
Sunday, however, won’t be a quite day. The Pacman and the Hitman will be trading explosive punches on top of the ring. There will be a lot of noise as well among the fans of the two boxers although methinks Pinoys will outnumber Brits in Las Vegas.
My take is that whoever could execute his fight plan effective, with precision, will win the fight via knockout. There is no way this fight will go the distance.
In the early rounds, Hatton will try to box Manny. I don’t know how long he could box because Manny has the better skills. I believe what Freddie Roach said that Hatton would be back to his old ways - bulldoze his way forward - after he has been peppered by Manny’s punches.
Hatton will also try to corner Manny and pummel him with punches. If I were Hatton, I’ll go for the chin because that seems to be the weakness in Manny’s armor. Manny has been staggered before after getting shots to the chin. The trademark Hatton left hook may do it.
I also expect Hatton to fight dirty. He will push, he will grab, he will head butt; hopefully, he won’t bite.
Cornering Manny wouldn’t be easy, however. Manny has learned to avoid the corners in his last two fights with bigger boxers. Moreover, I’m sure he has prepared something to counter that trademark Hatton left hook.
Manny himself said that he would sneak in and out or out and in to fight the British fighter. I think Manny will fight in the middle of the ring where he will have space to use his speed to operate. If Manny could do this, he could frustrate Hatton to walk into a punch!
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Today, we’ll be painting the gutters along Colon Street, again from that marker in Parian to the Tres de Abril bridge.
We’ll be doing more projects along Colon Street. Yesterday, the office of the Vice Mayor sent a copy of an MOA that will deputize The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints particularly the Cebu Philippines Central Stake to adopt all historical monuments along Colon Street. That simply means will take care of the markers – clean them and make them look like markers again.
I just hope it won’t rain today because in the past few days it has been raining in the early morning. I wouldn’t mind getting soaked while doing a service project. I’ll probably love it when doused by the summer rain. I couldn’t even remember the last time I frolicked in the rain, would be cool to experience that again!
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