04.04.09 - by James Slater - Last night, the SKY Sports cameras rolled some exclusive footage of the recent Hollywood press conference attended by Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton and the trainer of each man, in Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Senior. Both fighters looked to be in lean and mean condition as they smiled for the cameras and the fans, answering the same questions they will be asked what will surely seem like a million times come the day of the May fight.
Freddie Roach, though, had something interesting to say when he was once again asked how he saw the fight going on May 2nd. In the past Freddie has said he doesn't expect the fight to in any way go the distance, and in last night's footage he was more specific; saying the fight will be all over with after three ultra-exciting rounds. Roach said he thinks the fight will be like the April 15th masterpiece in short and sweet violence - the classic eight minute war between middleweights Marvellous Marvin Hagler and Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns. If he's right, we fans are in for a real fight to savour!
Naturally, Roach feels it will be his fighter playing the role of the victorious Hagler, and he is sure it will today's "Hitman" who plays the valiant but ultimately outgunned part Hearns played almost twenty four years ago. When he was told by SKY what Roach had to say while predicting the light-welterweight showdown's outcome, Hatton, with a grin, replied that Roach has, "Got the round right." Does Hatton himself expect a short and extremely violent fight?
Hagler-Hearns remains so special to fight fans because it was not only a great fight, but because it is so rare to see top class boxers - men who had so much at stake in their meeting - throwing caution utterly to the wind and going bang at one another at a hundred, devil-may-care, miles an hour. Such a thing, as the brave but ultimately KO'd Hearns found out, is a very risky thing to do. But will either Hatton or "Pac-Man" go into the ring in Las Vegas in less than a month's time willing to adopt such crowd-pleasing but potentially lethal tactics?
Once again, if they do, we fans are in for something very special. Both fighters have a good attacking style and both men can hit hard, either to the body or to the head. As such, Roach may not be far wrong when he says we will see a Hagler-Hearns type affair in May. If Manny and Ricky decide to go for it and meet in the centre of the ring with no thoughts or desires at all about taking a backwards step, the explosion will be heard around the boxing world!
This fight doesn't and never did need selling, but Freddie Roach has surely ensured a few more thousand ticket sales by daring to predict a fight so exciting it will go right alongside one of the very best in boxing history.
Source: http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=19310&more=1
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