Hatton/Pacquaio signed for may 2 in Las Vegas

The on again/off again mega fight between Ricky Hatton and “pound for pound” champ Manny Pacquaio is finally a done deal.  Of course it was *supposed* to have been a “done deal” a month ago were it not for a last minute bid for a bigger cut of the purse by Pacquaio.  After a missed deadline, the fight was reported to be “DOA” but as so often occurs in the fight game all it took was a little money thrown in the right direction to make it happen.

The fight will take place on May 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.  It’ll be shown on PPV in the US, but still up in the air is whether it’ll be produced and distributed by HBO or by rival Showtime.  Golden Boy Promotions, who represents Hatton, has a long standing relationship with HBO while Pacquaio’s representative Bob Arum seems to favor Showtime.  In any case, after what has already been settled to make this fight a reality don’t expect much rancor over which broadcast outlet is charged with its production and distribution.

While representatives for both fighters endured some anxious moments after a deadline to finalize a deal passed, in the end the resolutions seems really simple—on paper at least:  Manny Pacquaio will receive 52% of the purse, while Ricky Hatton will take home 48%.  While boxing insiders are anxiously awaiting next weekend’s super flyweight war between Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce in Southern California as a potential “fight of the year”, for the more mainstream fans there’s no question that Pacquaio/Hatton will be the biggest fight of the year so far.

Pacquaio will be fighting in his fourth different weight class in his past four fights, but in his comments to the media “PacMan” sounded nonplussed about the drop to 140:

"I always like new challenges, which is the reason I am anxious to fight Ricky Hatton.  My trainer Freddie Roach will put together a new game plan, which will be much different than the one we used against Oscar [De La Hoya]. There are concerns because Hatton is a very strong puncher so I must deal with that in the ring. I promise I will be completely prepared and will do my best for all of my fans in the Philippines."

Hatton is also excited about the high profile challenge:

"I'm really excited to get back in the ring in Vegas after beating Malignaggi in November.  I am confident that I am the fighter to take down the pound-for-pound champion and I believe I will be victorious on May 2."

In any case, it should be a great atmospheres come fight night—Pacquaio enjoys rock-star like fame in his native Philippines, while Hatton has attracted a huge throng of English fans for his fight in Las Vegas.  The party atmosphere they create, complete with large amounts of beer and soccer style songs and cheers should make for a lively weekend before, during and after the actual bout.