Pacquiao vs. Hatton: Who’s gonna win this fight?

By: Maugan P. Mosaid, Ph.D.

Among modern day boxing bouts, the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, I think, is one of the most difficult to predict. Reason: both fighters are equally good, they are both brawlers in the ring, they have big guns to unleash on fight night (May 2 - Saturday; May 3 - Sunday in Manila) and both are knockout artists. In this fight, it is not enough that we use only the “tale of the tapes” so-to-speak, to predict the outcome of the fight.

Before we come to the “tale of the tape”, let us examine more closely the two fighters.

A hero in his native Philippines, the 30-year-old Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) is regarded by most boxing observers as the sport's pound-for-pound king. Demonstrating knockout power in five weight classes, his recent victory over his boxing idol, ring legend Oscar de la Hoya, was cause for national celebration. Amid growing worldwide popularity, he returns to the 140-pound division to take on the hard-hitting Hatton.

On the other hand, Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), who hails from the streets of Manchester, England, has a tenacious fighting style and a heavy puncher too. The 30-year-old suffered his only professional loss in December 2007 when he battled now Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a welterweight. Now back in the junior welterweight ranks, he wants to prove himself the most formidable fighter in that division.

Both fighters (Pacquiao and Hatton) brought to shameful defeat the "Goden Boy" Oscar dela Hoya. Hatton defeated Dela Hoya about two years ago when he was presumably still in the prime of his boxing career. Pacquiao defeated Dela Hoya more than five months ago and Ricky Hatton says that that win was a fluke as Dela Hoya was already diminishingly slow. Assuming that Dela Hoya had in fact been diminished in his usual fighting prowess a little bit but he still showed potentially deadly punches especially if given an opponent a little less than Manny Pacquiao’s caliber. It just happened that Manny Pacquiao was too much for him that he looked like he was no longer the usual ‘golden boy’ that he used to be.

Both fighters are thirty years old, though Hatton is slightly over an inch taller than Pacquiao. But observers say that Pacquiao uses his speed better when faced with opponents who are a bit taller than him. With respect to knockouts, Pacquiao had 75% of his fights in knockouts while Hatton had 71% batting average but Pacquiao lost thrice and Hatton suffered only one defeat in his boxing career.

But more than anything else, Pacquiao’s big heart is his most potent weapon. As he says, his hand will do more of the talking than his mouth when he faces Ricky Hatton on their fight night.

Hatton could be heavier on fight night, but weight advantage is one thing and hitting is another. On fight night Dela Hoya was four kilograms heavier than Pacquiao but we never saw that advantage in Dela Hoya. Hatton, is of course, a little bit different than Dela Hoya which Manny acknowledged himself. That is why he says that speed and skill are his best weapons against Hatton.

This is the only Pacquiao fight, to me, that is truly unpredictable. We can only be very sure about one thing and that this is going to be a very explosive fight from beginning to end with both fighters out to prove something. The win for any of them is a win like no other.

And so given all of the above, what do I have in my score card before the fight? Well, I think (and my fearless forecast, so-to-speak), the fight shall last until the 12th full round with both men battered but still standing up to the last round. Being, I guess, a closely contested fight, the winner shall be declared by a split decision. In such case, nobody is real winner and loser. That will be good for both of them in their boxing career and the re-match shall then be more exciting than this first one.

First Couple to be?

Yes. It seems that is where this romantic episode leads to.

Two of the country’s most eligible bachelors, Sen. Mar Roxas and TV anchor Korina Sanchez admitted on national television (at the noontime show “Wowowee”) that they are engaged and are very much in love with each other. And how could that be better said and proven when the man asked, “Honey, will you marry me?” And the woman replied, “ I am yours yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Roxas popped up the classic love question while they were together on a secluded beach resort in Bacolod sometime in the first week of this month (April 2009) and Sanchez said she could not say no to the man of her dreams and her “prince charming.” She did not expect the marriage proposal, though, to come that soon, but she never doubted the sincerity of her man.

During the show, Roxas stopped short of declaring his presidential bid for 2010, but vowed to fight poverty and provide opportunity for all should he become the country's 15th chief executive on June 30, 2010.

At one point, Revillame asked Roxas to comment on insinuations that Sanchez would be the one running the country if he ran and won the presidency. “I love Korina. I really, really love her. She’s irreplaceable, but I will be the one making decisions. My dream is just like your dream, our dream -- that we can have a country that will provide equal opportunity to ordinary Filipinos. Equality for all,” said Roxas.

As to when the couple will be tying the knot, there was no mention about it, but there are speculations that it will be held in October of this year. Was it designed to be barely a month before the filing of candidacy to give a big bang for a Roxas presidential campaign? Maybe yes, but whatever that is, I just love talking about people who sincerely love and value each other for life.

I join Willie Revillame in saying “Mabuhay” to the first couple-to-be.

A Striking Similarity

Look more closely at Ms. Mary Jean Lacaba at left, the latest kidnap victim of the dreaded Abu Sayyaf, and Ms. Judy Lardizabal at right, the latest lady topnotcher of the Philippine Bar Exam. Now, you will confirm with me the striking similarity between the two faces both exuding calmness, inner confidence, and above all, COURAGE, i.e. the Filipina of today.

Both had been peppered with the anxiety of waiting - one from 75 days of captivity and the other from 175 days of suspended animation since taking the bar exam in September 2008.

Ms. Lacaba told us all the hardships that they went through in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf such as suffering from diarrhea for lack of potable water, poor food ration, constantly moving from one place to another even in the middle of the night to elude pursuing government troops, hogtied sometimes, and worst of all - the threat of being beheaded anytime. That was simply horrible, but what raw courage was there that we saw from the two other kidnap victims and Ms. Lacaba.

Ms. Lardizabal, on the other hand, told us about the anxiety of waiting for the result of the bar exam. But that was not simple case of waiting for a result. Consider the pressure that she went through becasue her classmates and professors did not just expect her to pass but to top the bar exam. There were earlier indications when she used to top her class examinations by getting perfect or almost perfect scores in all of her exams since her third year at the San Sebastian College of Law. For simple Judy, she was just praying to pass the bar exam. Then, the result came and she even refused to watch TV or read the news for fear that she might have failed and frustrated a lot of people. But alas, her classmates' and professors' expectations came. She did not only pass the bar exam but came out to the top among more than 6,000 examinees from more than 100 law schools in the country.

The nature of pain and anxiety experienced by both women may not be the same but they give us some clear lessons and insights: 1) the Filipina has gone far way ahead outside of just being the mother at home (both have families of their own, by the way); 2) it showed that the empowered Filipina can rise to our expectations and prove their worth when given equal opportunity with their male counterparts; 3) Prayer and unwavering faith in God spell the difference.

Mary Jean and Judy: your stories may be retold several times and regardless of how they will be portrayed in the angle and preferrence of the writer, they will serve to inspire us no end. I know you will reach far greater heights of achievement, and maybe fame too, but I still wish you good luck, God bless you.