SHOCK, AWE & HORROR:
THE FINAL CHAPTER
by Doods A. Amora, PEE
THE FINAL CHAPTER
by Doods A. Amora, PEE
From the edges of the earth to the center of the ring, the East collided with the West and three explosions shook the world..!
Two volcanic eruptions in the first; followed by the exclamatory climax in the second round.
Three knockdowns: SHOCK, AWE and HORROR - yes, what else could it be?
The first bomb sent shockwaves. The second delivered a nerve-breaking awe and the last one detonated sheer horror. Shock, Awe & Horror to the 25,000 adoring Hattonites who trooped to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and to the millions around the world watching their TV screens. On the other hand, romping in celebration were deafening roars of pandemic approval on the side of the Pacmanites - me and my cohorts included!
The first knock-down came from a right hook. It looked like a counterpunch but it wasn’t. It was a looping right hand from Pacquiao that landed right on the dot just as Hatton went for a left of his own. Reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, it was more of a shot from Nimo Naranai Do that only the wisdoms of Freddie Roach and Dumineko du Surigao can explicate.
The second knock-down came from Pacman’s patented combinations punctuated by a left straight penultimate finale. As expectators, we had seen it several times in previous Pacman fights. But live at the center of the ring, with so much power, speed and fluidity, there was no way Ricky saw it.
Short, swift and easy. It’s all over in 5 minutes & 59 seconds.
HATTON IN TWO ROUNDS
Yet, the Mancunian pride is a double edged sword. It can drive one to great heights or drive one to the point of near death in the pursuit of victory.
Hatton chose the latter. If this was what death must be like, then so be it. The eyes in his tiger inside were still sharp & piercing – still determined! Ricky hopped into the center of the ring seemingly re-energized as the second round bell rang.
But all of a sudden, Hatton was gone. A final perfect left hook delivered in surgical brutality to the side of the chin sent Hatton seemingly lifted sideward. Unconscious even before hitting the canvas at the closing of the second round, the crystal-eyed and motionless Mancunian Hitman appeared to have dreamt of flashes of morbid hallucinations. And as the bile slowly creeped inside Ricky’s system, the deeper, the more infectious the pain was. Unmoving, eyes open but unseeing, Ricky must have seen himself floating in "Hatton Wonderland".
Indeed, Pacquiao mercilessly ended Hatton’s reign as Ring Magazine’s light welterweight champ. “It was a hard punch,” said Pacquiao. “I didn’t think he would get up.” Truly, Hatton did not get up—yes, for several minutes. Lying in partial life flat on his back, the breathing was painful and hard, his senses out of sync.
Referee Kenny Bayless knew he need not count. He knew it was over way back in the first round. The second round was just bonus.
Before this fight, Hatton came in his prime with a record of 45-1 with 32 KO’s and he had never lost in his 140 pound territory. His only defeat was when he ventured into higher weight division to mix it up with Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course, he lost through a 10-round TKO to the pound-for-pound great PBF, but then the boxing world was so kind to excuse him, much less, history forgetting of this defeat.
Days before the fight, the match promised of an electrifying war between two most exciting warriors of the modern world. Hatton was perceived to have found his match in the equally aggressive & volume punching Pacquiao - the challenger to his lineal IBO and Ring Magazine belts. On the other hand, Hatton wanted so badly Pacman’s title as the World's No. 1 Pound for Pound fighter. Electrifyingly before the fight, he declared to shock the world.
The world was indeed shocked! But to Pacman’s favour. Then I joined with the sea of all fellow Filipinos in the swelling of the national pride as we were all part ingredient of a nation charmed of Pacquiao’s triumphs again and again!
And it was bitter reality as Hatton Promotions CEO Garret Williams in apparent respect to the Pacman, summed it up, “Ricky is desperately sorry to all his fans. Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter, possibly of all time there’s no shame in losing to somebody like that.”
SURPRISE
In the shortness of the fight, there’s not much to say in this article. The fight was self-explanatory as it was not complicated. Simply put, Hatton was no match to the tornado from the East.
But I could not have dreamt of a more spectacular outcome, for I for one was surprised how it came so easily. I expected peaks and valleys as the fight would go on, I mean the excitement, the electricity.
In my last article, I was looking at a knock-out in the later rounds. Ricky Hatton, known for his durability and being much fresher than Oscar Dela Hoya, the Hitman needed to be softened up until the late rounds where the knock-out would be ripe.
But with the Pacman as opponent, the actual fight seemed to expose that Hatton could have been thought of as a bum. Had it not been for his impressive credentials, Hatton would have not belonged to the class of the Pacman. Don't get me wrong. Ricky is one of the greatest fighters in the modern world. But Manny is just much better.
So easy, so swift, so clinical – that’s how dramatically Manny dismantled Hatton.
In retrospect, David Diaz looked good in his ninth round TKO loss to Pacman. Oscar Dela Hoya was much better in his own eight round combat with the Pacman. And Pretty Boy Floyd’s performance over Hatton now appears to be mediocre.
Manny Pacquiao himself admitted he was surprised by the ease of his win over Ricky Hatton. Hatton used to clinch the Pacman two times in every thirty seconds as part of his roughhousing strategy but then, the hittable Hitman from Manchester got hit – 57.5% percent of the time. In fact, he only connected 18 out of his 78 punches. Pacquiao on the other hand, connected 73 out of 127. It means that the Hitman was hittable in a frequency of 12.2 blasts per minute while the eely Pacman absorbs only 3 punches per minute, in a lopsided ratio of 4 hits to 1.
THE COACH ROACH FACTOR
But then before the fight, Freddie Roach said that this epic match has the makings of a brand new offering never before seen by boxing fans. “The match-up is the best kind of fight ever to be made”, Freddie as quoted. Before the match, Freddie Roach, the Coach, predicted a knockout in three, Pacman made it shorter in two, through the so-called "ROACH TRAP", which Freddie himself devised.
“I knew it was over,” said Roach. “Ricky fights the same way over and over. He doesn’t have the ability to adjust. I watched the tapes over and over the last few months. I know him as well as I know my fighters.”
“Every time he throws the left hook and cocks it, he is wide open for the right hook from the southpaw stance,” Roach explained. “We worked on that every day in the gym and it just worked beautifully.”
“Manny is unbelievable, he performed the gameplan flawlessly,” said Roach at the press conference. “I’m the best trainer in the world because I have the best fighter in the world.”
Needless to say, Pacman's victory is sweetest to a coach who himself was involved in a bout with the trainer at the other side of the fence. After all that’s said and done, Freddie Roach, the Hall of Famer, is the best boxing guru the world has ever known.
DOODS A. AMORA
May 4, 2009
Indeed, Pacquiao mercilessly ended Hatton’s reign as Ring Magazine’s light welterweight champ. “It was a hard punch,” said Pacquiao. “I didn’t think he would get up.” Truly, Hatton did not get up—yes, for several minutes. Lying in partial life flat on his back, the breathing was painful and hard, his senses out of sync.
Referee Kenny Bayless knew he need not count. He knew it was over way back in the first round. The second round was just bonus.
Before this fight, Hatton came in his prime with a record of 45-1 with 32 KO’s and he had never lost in his 140 pound territory. His only defeat was when he ventured into higher weight division to mix it up with Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course, he lost through a 10-round TKO to the pound-for-pound great PBF, but then the boxing world was so kind to excuse him, much less, history forgetting of this defeat.
Days before the fight, the match promised of an electrifying war between two most exciting warriors of the modern world. Hatton was perceived to have found his match in the equally aggressive & volume punching Pacquiao - the challenger to his lineal IBO and Ring Magazine belts. On the other hand, Hatton wanted so badly Pacman’s title as the World's No. 1 Pound for Pound fighter. Electrifyingly before the fight, he declared to shock the world.
The world was indeed shocked! But to Pacman’s favour. Then I joined with the sea of all fellow Filipinos in the swelling of the national pride as we were all part ingredient of a nation charmed of Pacquiao’s triumphs again and again!
And it was bitter reality as Hatton Promotions CEO Garret Williams in apparent respect to the Pacman, summed it up, “Ricky is desperately sorry to all his fans. Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter, possibly of all time there’s no shame in losing to somebody like that.”
SURPRISE
In the shortness of the fight, there’s not much to say in this article. The fight was self-explanatory as it was not complicated. Simply put, Hatton was no match to the tornado from the East.
But I could not have dreamt of a more spectacular outcome, for I for one was surprised how it came so easily. I expected peaks and valleys as the fight would go on, I mean the excitement, the electricity.
In my last article, I was looking at a knock-out in the later rounds. Ricky Hatton, known for his durability and being much fresher than Oscar Dela Hoya, the Hitman needed to be softened up until the late rounds where the knock-out would be ripe.
But with the Pacman as opponent, the actual fight seemed to expose that Hatton could have been thought of as a bum. Had it not been for his impressive credentials, Hatton would have not belonged to the class of the Pacman. Don't get me wrong. Ricky is one of the greatest fighters in the modern world. But Manny is just much better.
So easy, so swift, so clinical – that’s how dramatically Manny dismantled Hatton.
In retrospect, David Diaz looked good in his ninth round TKO loss to Pacman. Oscar Dela Hoya was much better in his own eight round combat with the Pacman. And Pretty Boy Floyd’s performance over Hatton now appears to be mediocre.
Manny Pacquiao himself admitted he was surprised by the ease of his win over Ricky Hatton. Hatton used to clinch the Pacman two times in every thirty seconds as part of his roughhousing strategy but then, the hittable Hitman from Manchester got hit – 57.5% percent of the time. In fact, he only connected 18 out of his 78 punches. Pacquiao on the other hand, connected 73 out of 127. It means that the Hitman was hittable in a frequency of 12.2 blasts per minute while the eely Pacman absorbs only 3 punches per minute, in a lopsided ratio of 4 hits to 1.
THE COACH ROACH FACTOR
But then before the fight, Freddie Roach said that this epic match has the makings of a brand new offering never before seen by boxing fans. “The match-up is the best kind of fight ever to be made”, Freddie as quoted. Before the match, Freddie Roach, the Coach, predicted a knockout in three, Pacman made it shorter in two, through the so-called "ROACH TRAP", which Freddie himself devised.
“I knew it was over,” said Roach. “Ricky fights the same way over and over. He doesn’t have the ability to adjust. I watched the tapes over and over the last few months. I know him as well as I know my fighters.”
“Every time he throws the left hook and cocks it, he is wide open for the right hook from the southpaw stance,” Roach explained. “We worked on that every day in the gym and it just worked beautifully.”
“Manny is unbelievable, he performed the gameplan flawlessly,” said Roach at the press conference. “I’m the best trainer in the world because I have the best fighter in the world.”
Needless to say, Pacman's victory is sweetest to a coach who himself was involved in a bout with the trainer at the other side of the fence. After all that’s said and done, Freddie Roach, the Hall of Famer, is the best boxing guru the world has ever known.
DOODS A. AMORA
May 4, 2009
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