Istilo ni Hatton hindi kakayanin ni Pacquiao

Hindi kakayanin ni Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao ang istilo ni world light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton.

Ito ang pananaw ni Brendon Smith, ang tumatayong trainer ni Australian world lightweight contender Michael Katsidis, kaugnay sa magiging labanan ng parehong 30-anyos na si Pacquiao at Hatton.

“I think Ricky will be so powerful in close that Pacquiao will not be able to do a lot of the things he showed against Oscar,” ani Smith. “Kostya Tszyu was a great, great champion like Manny, and Ricky broke him down with strength and constant pressure. I see Manny suffer a similar loss.”

Sa hindi pagkakalayo ng kanilang height at reach advantages, ang pagiging agresibo nina Pacquiao at Hatton ang sinasabi ni Smith na magpapaigting sa laban.

“He is a walk-up fighter who will trade punches with Hatton,” ani Smith kay Pacquiao. “When Ricky suffered his only loss it was to a very scientific boxer in Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Pacquiao is not that sort of boxer.” 

Isang 10th-round TKO ang iniskor ni Mayweather kay Hatton sa kanilang World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight championship fight noong Disyembre 8 ng 2007. 

Tuluyan namang kinilala si Pacquiao bilang ‘best pound-for-pound boxer’ nang talunin ang 35-anyos na si Oscar Dela Hoya via eight-round TKO sa kanilang non-title welterweight fight noong Disyembre 7.

Ayon kay Smith, hindi dapat sukatin ang kakayahan ni Pacquiao sa kanyang panalo kay Dela Hoya, nanggaling sa light middleweight division.

“Dont judge the outcome on Manny’s win over Oscar Dela Hoya. Full credit Manny for the win, he’s a great but that was a long way short of Oscar’s best,” ani Smith. “On that effort, Michael (Katsidis) would have stopped Oscar as well. Against a fit and motivated Ricky Hatton who has not had to boil down weight like Oscar, I think we will see a very different fight.” (Russell Cadayona)