January 2008 Philippine Boxing Updates

Pacman vs. Hitman

These past few weeks, there has been a lot of buzz about a possible super fight between Pinoy boxing star, Manny Pacquiao and British boxing star, Ricky Hatton.

Since Ricky Hatton is about the same height as Manny and has a two inch reach disadvantage, some people have argued that it would be a good match up. In terms of weight, Pacquaio had weighed in at around 140 lbs. at fight time, which is around Hatton's usual weight.

This is not a good match up in my opinion because even if both fighters are of the same height, I don't think that they are of the same size and weight. Hatton would be the natural bigger man and has a big advantage in size. Pacman weighed at about 140 at the night of some of his fights but I think Hatton for his part weighed over 150 lbs in most of his fights. hatton has also been known to balloon in weight before fight training.

Furthermore, Hatton has been fighting at 140 lbs and more for most his career and is used to taking shots from fighters in this weight class. On the other hand, Manny has fought from 106 lbs to 130 lbs, and fighting at 140 lbs would diminish his speed. Let's face it, Manny's speed is a huge factor in his success as a boxer.

Of course, this fight can bring a lot of money to both fighters because of their huge fan base and it is an exciting match up as both fighters love to mix it up. However, Pacquiao faces big disadvantages against Hatton so I don't think that this fight would happen. On the other hand, if Manny wins convincingly against Marquez, then anything can happen.


Gerry, Boom Boom and AJ

Gerry Penalosa is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin on March 2 at the Araneta Coliseum. About seven years ago, Gerry knocked Sor Vorapin out in six rounds in a minor title defense. However, Sor Vorapin has stayed active since then and has manged to win the WBO bantamweight title. he lost the title to Jhonny Gonzalez who in turn lost it to Gerry last year.

Pinoy boxing prospects Banal and Bautista have been scheduled to fight in the undercard of this boxing event. Banal has kept his winning streak alive while Bautista is on the comeback trail after suffering his first lost. I hope our fighters can come up with victories this March and continue the success Philippine boxing has experienced last year.

Pretty Boy KO's the Hitman

This weekend, "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather scored an impressive win over previously undefeated British boxing star, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton.

Mayweather's KO win was a surprise as most boxing fans did not expect Mayweather to go toe to toe with Hatton. Floyd utilized slick movement, quickness and hand speed to earn convincing decisions over his previous opponents. I personally felt that it would be unwise for him to engage Ricky Hatton in close quarters. However, Floyd's talent and underrated toughness allowed him to overcome Hatton's attack en route to scoring a knock out.

This win solidifies Mayweather's standing as the top Pound for Pound fighter in the world. This puts him well ahead of Manny Pacquiao who is considered by many to be the second man in the P4P list. The Pinoy boxing star can still catch up with Pretty Boy if he pulls off an impressive performance against Juan Manuel Marquez next year. However, winning against Marquez will be a difficult challenge for the Philippine boxing icon.

The next question would be what's next for Mayweather. A possible bout against Miguel Cotto is a boxing fan's dream. However, that is up to Mayweather who might just make good on his decison to retire from boxing. He is 30 years old which is not too old for his weight class and he is obviously at the top of his game. I hope that he will fight Cotto next year in another mega fight.