PACQUIAO: Among World's Elite Athlete

source:Yahoo Sports (by:Langskie)

Boxing is known as the sweet science for a reason, and its technical workings have perhaps been more closely dissected and studied than those of any other sport.

Some believe this ceaseless search for the slightest and most intricate of advantages imposes a limit as to how much one performer can be better than his peers.

Manny Pacquiao’s latest demolition job may have started to smash through that mind-set with the same sort of force he used on Ricky Hatton’s face and body on Saturday night.

Rarely has a boxer raised the bar of his profession so quickly and emphatically as the Filipino superstar is doing as he marches through a series of weight divisions.

Worryingly, for those with future designs on facing him, there is no ceiling in sight.

The Filipino superstar’s progress since his last defeat, to Erik Morales in 2005, has not purely been built with his physical gifts or inscrutable technique.

His poor upbringing in the Philippines may have limited his formal education, but trainer Freddie Roach believes Pacquiao is a boxing genius.

And, crucially, he has not just the mentality of a fighter, but the sporting intellect reserved for sports’ all-time greats.

Pacquiao probably hasn’t heard of Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French philosopher. But one of Pascal’s most famous phrases – “man’s greatness lies in his power of thought” – applies to him.

Pacquiao is not simply chasing recognition or success; his ultimate target is fulfillment.

Deep within the closeted mind of this introverted yet phenomenal athlete is the seed of thought that his upper limits are still some way from being tapped.

“I know I can improve my skills as a boxer,” Pacquiao said in an interview with Filipino television. “I am very pleased to have beaten Ricky Hatton but I think I can still get better. How much better, I don’t know.”

No one knows the full capabilities of the 30-year-old’s dancer feet and surgical fists.

However, fueled by the fulsome belief of Roach, the sense is that the end is not yet close.

The crushing flurry that struck out Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and sent the Englishman to a local hospital didn’t feel anything like a crowning achievement, more a stepping stone to future glories.

For the sport of boxing, the timing could not have been better. With Floyd Mayweather Jr. returning from his brief retirement, there are now two bona fide superstars of generational aptitude.

Pacquiao, though, is an athlete of the purest variety, for whom the essence of his profession is the essence of himself.

If the public began to tire of hyperbole and marketing shtick, it never sickens of witnessing greatness in full flow, and that is what Pacquiao is providing.

His understated personality is a wonderful antidote to the bling culture inherent in many professional sports and his methodology carries a powerful message.

“Every pro athlete should take what Manny does to heart,” said his promoter, Bob Arum. “This young man realized he didn’t know everything and that to be more successful he could still learn.

“He learns every fight, every training session, and gets better and better. The way he lives his life and the way he performs is an example to anyone.”

Pacquiao’s achievements speak for themselves and the way he sent Hatton crashing to the canvas for the final time was the most resounding of finishes.

It has been a long time since a boxer would have been mentioned in a mythical “pound-for-pound” list of the world’s finest athletes.

Yet while Pacquiao does not have the personality of a Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt or Rafael Nadal, his level of achievement must be considered on par.

“Manny Pacquiao is the best man out there in boxing,” said the New York Giants’ Super Bowl-winning running back Brandon Jacobs, an impressed spectator on Saturday. “I can’t think of a single athlete there who would not give him their total respect.

“Power comes in many forms, especially in my sport, but when you see it coming from a man who weighs 140 pounds it is an incredible thing to behold.

“This guy is an artist at what he does. He is the best pound-for-pound boxer and his ability transcends across all sports.

“He has to be one of the best athletes in the world.”

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Sellout if Manny Fights Cotto
by:langskie

Record: 48-3-2 (37KO's) IBO Ring Jr. Welterweight Champ	Record: 31-1-0 (27 KO's) WBA Welterweight Champ

MANILA, Philippines - Top Rank chairman Bob Arum recently said if Manny Pacquiao takes on Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it will be a sure box office hit and estimated at least 80,000 pay-per-view buys from Puerto Rico to deliver incremental income of $4 million.

Cotto, however, must turn back Joshua Clottey in the first defense of his WBO welterweight title on June 13 to arrange the appointment with Pacquiao. It will be Cotto’s sixth appearance at the Garden where he has beaten Muhammad Abdullaev, Paul Malignaggi, Zab Judah, Sugar Shane Mosley and Michael Jennings.

A New York City folk hero, Cotto brought in 17,135 fans to the Garden when he decisioned Mosley two years ago. The fight generated over 400,000 pay-per-view subscriptions.

Pacquiao has never fought in the so-called Mecca of Boxing where his brother Bobby has performed twice, stopping Kevin Kelley in 2006 and losing to Humberto Soto in 2007.

The late Flash Elorde saw action twice at the Garden, beating Puerto Rican Frankie Narvaez via a hotly-disputed split decision that triggered a riot in the stands in 1965 and bowing to Carlos Ortiz on a 14th round knockout in 1966.

Rabid Puerto Rican fans are expected to come out in droves to support the Caguas-born Cotto against Pacquiao, conjuring images of the wild crowd frenzy during the Elorde-Narvaez bout.

If Pacquiao and Cotto fight, a bone of contention would be the weight limit.

“It’s really up to Manny at what weight he’d like to fight Cotto, if at all,” said Pacquiao’s boxing adviser Michael Koncz. “We are told Cotto is agreeable to fight at a catchweight limit of 144. Manny might want to bring it down to 142. Manny’s comfortable where he is right now, fighting as a lightwelterweight. Why should he agree to what Cotto wants? If Cotto wants to fight Manny, it should be at Manny’s terms. This fight would mean more to Cotto than to Manny. If a limit of 142 is agreed, let Cotto struggle to make weight, not Manny.”

The lightwelterweight limit is 140 pounds and the welterweight is 147. Theoretically, Cotto could stake his welterweight crown even if there is an agreed weight limit of 142 or 144 because either would be within the division range of 141 to 147. The fight would be significant for Pacquiao with the world welterweight title at stake because if he wins, the Filipino icon will become the only fighter ever to capture seven championships in different divisions.

During a recent visit to Manila, Arum said a Pacquiao-Cotto fight at the Garden would be a sellout. It would also be easy to arrange since both Pacquiao and Cotto are promoted by Top Rank. The bout may be scheduled in the last quarter of the year.

Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach will be at ringside to witness Cotto’s defense against Clottey. The night before, Pacquiao will receive the Edward J. Neil Fighter of the Year award and Roach the Eddie Futch-Johnny Condon Trainer of the Year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America during the 84th testimonial dinner at the Capitale on Bowery Street in New York City.

In the undercard of the Cotto-Clottey mainer, Filipino Rodel Mayol will challenge undefeated WBO lightflyweight champion Ivan (Iron Boy) Calderon of Puerto Rico.

Cotto, 28, is a switch-hitting boxer-puncher whose most potent weapon is the left hook to the body. He recently fired his trainer Evangelista Cotto, an uncle, for personal reasons and elevated nutritionist Joe Santiago to the position.

Cotto has been decked thrice in his career, once by Ricardo Torres whom he eventually knocked out in 2005 and twice by Antonio Margarito to whom he lost by an 11th round stoppage last year.

In 2000, Cotto represented Puerto Rico at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and lost a 17-7 decision to Abdullaev in his first bout in the lightwelterweight division. Five years later, Cotto avenged the setback by halting Abdullaev in the ninth round to retain his WBO lightwelterweight crown.

Last February, Cotto knocked out Jennings to capture the vacant WBO welterweight title. The win raised his record to 33-1, with 27 KOs. He had previously won the WBO lightwelterweight (six defenses) and WBA welterweight (five defenses) crowns.

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Manny to tip off at 147? By Joaquin Henson/Langskie Updated May 07, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – From a scrawny rookie who turned pro weighing 106 pounds in 1995, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has evolved into one of the world’s all-time greats with six titles in different divisions.

Four other fighters in history are in the same category – James Toney, Oscar de la Hoya, Hector Camacho and Tommy Hearns. But Pacquiao is in the record books as the only fighter to claim “linear” world championships in four divisions – flyweight, featherweight, superfeatherweight and lightwelterweight. No other fighter has achieved the record of gaining universal recognition in four weight classes.

Being a “linear” champion means a lot more than winning a so-called “alphabet soup” title. The WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO install different world champions in 17 categories and rarely, agree on an undisputed titleholder. Beyond the “alphabet soup” kings, a consensus “global” or “linear” champion is recognized by objective boxing experts for his dominance.

Then, there is the pound-for-pound title, bestowed by the prestigious Ring Magazine which is known as the “Bible of Boxing.” Pacquiao is now the world’s No. 1 fighter, pound-for-pound, succeeding Floyd Mayweather Jr. upon his retirement.

When Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton last weekend, he became the “linear” 140-pound champion because the Hitman from Manchester was previously recognized as the best among the different lightwelterweight titlists.

For the record, Pacquiao has now captured six world crowns – the WBC flyweight (112 pounds), IBF superbantamweight (122), “linear” featherweight (126), superfeatherweight (130), lightweight (135) and lightwelterweight (140).

Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Alejandro Ariza said recently the fighter will likely tip off at 147 pounds, the welterweight limit.

“Against Hatton, Freddie (Roach) wanted me to bulk up Manny, make him bigger without compromising his speed,” said Ariza. “How far can Manny go? Possibly, up to 147. We worked hard in the gym to get Manny to where he was for Hatton but it was really all Manny’s doing. He did it all. Manny’s an amazing athlete.”

Ariza, who is from Bogota, Colombia, migrated to the US when he was 13 and attended San Diego State where he played baseball until a shoulder injury ended his varsity career. He took up kinesiology – the science of human movement, biochemistry and nutrition with a specialization in sports at the Health Science College of Medicine in Syracuse, New York.

Ariza, 34, was hired by Roach to join the Wild Card Gym last year and took over from Justin Fortune. He was initially assigned to work with Pacquiao’s brother Bobby and another Filipino fighter Diosdado Gabi. Ariza used to work with the late world champion Diego Corrales. He has also trained Erik Morales, Angel Manfredy and UFC fighter Andrei Arlovsky. Ariza introduced a scientific approach called “high intensity intervolt training” in tuning up Pacquiao’s body. The approach zeroes in on fast-twitch muscle fibers and develops explosive movements.

Ariza said Pacquiao was in excellent shape for Hatton. “There were no late morning sessions and I absolutely think he trained harder in this camp,” noted Ariza, quoted by writer Steve Kim. “He completed everything as far as the conditioning, plyometrics, he’s picked up with the speed training earlier than we did last time. I think those new things with the De la Hoya fight, you second-guessed them. But I think he felt more confident. He knew how his body was going to feel after so he put in 100 percent. I’ve never seen Manny so confident and he’s on a whole different level now. I think he got used to fighting bigger guys and stronger guys that now when he faces a guy just a weight class higher than him or the same weight class, he just dominates.”

Roach said Pacquiao’s evolution has been incredible.

“I never thought this would ever happen,” said Roach, quoted by writer Dan Rafael. “He’s just been getting bigger and stronger. He’s a lot happier when he’s not making weight. He’s healthier, he gets to eat what he wants and I feel when I have a happy fighter who’s not struggling to make weight, it’s a good thing. And his powers come up with him. Manny’s a machine. He is the hardest worker I’ve ever seen in my life and that’s why he’s the best fighter in the world today.”

Even Hatton was amazed at Pacquiao’s ascension.

“It’s a phenomenal achievement what Manny’s done,” said Hatton. “He turned pro at 106. So that’s incredible, a man fighting at the weight he’s fighting at now. I think it’s a lot easier to move up through the weights the lighter weight you are because obviously, the weights are a lot closer together. From where Manny started off when he won his first world title (at 112) to when he won his last (135), you would have to say it’s more impressive. It’s absolutely such a massive achievement.”

By clinching his sixth world title, Pacquiao moved out of the list of five-time champions including Sugar Ray Leonard, Lester Ellis, Roberto Duran and Mayweather. If Pacquiao faces WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto next and wrests the crown, he’ll become the only fighter ever to win titles in seven divisions, cementing his place in boxing history as one of the sport’s all-time immortals.

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May 2, 2009 - by Chuck Johnson | Edited by: Langskie

A sellout crowd of 16,262 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and an HBO Pay-Per-View audience saw Pacquiao's latest ring masterpiece, even though it was over almost from the start.

From their first exchange of punches, Pacquiao hit Hatton with right hands at will to score two knockdowns in the first round. It was a wonder that Hatton got up and survived that round. Barely.

But after the second round started with more of the same lopsided punishment, Pacquiao struck with lightning speed to finish off his prey. His crushing left hook found its mark on Hatton's jaw, sending the British fighter to the canvas sprawled on his back in a state of unconsciousness. The official stoppage came at 2:59 of the second round as referee Kenny Bayless didn't even bother to finish the 10-count.

In the end, Pacquiao was too quick, too skilled and totally too much for Hatton.

"I didn't think it would be so easy, but I worked hard since the beginning of March in training camp,'' said Pacquiao. "He was open for the right hook. I knew he'd be looking for the left. This was nothing personal. I was just doing my job. This was as big for me as the (Oscar) De La Hoya victory."

Pacquiao, who stopped De La Hoya on his stool in December, joined the now retired Golden Boy as the only fighters in history to win world titles in six different weight classes. In claiming Hatton's junior welterweight crown, Pacquiao also strengthened his ranking as the sport's No. 1 pound-for-pound champion.

Hatton was unavailable for comment immediately after the fitght, but Gareth Williams, CEO of Hatton Promotions, spoke on his fighter's behalf.

"Ricky's desperately sorry to all of his fans,'' Williams said. "He got caught with a good shot. We want to congratulate Manny Pacquiao for a great fight. He demonstrated why he's the best pound for pound in the world. There;'s no shame in losing to a fighter like that."

It was the first time Hatton (45-2) has lost at 140 pounds. His other defeat came at 147, also by KO, at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. An unbeaten five-time world c hampion, Mayweather was recognized as the No. 1 pound for pound champion when he "retired" after the victory against Hatton in December, 2007. On Saturday, Mayweather announced that he's coming back to claim his pound for pound title with a July 18 bout against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) , in demolishing Hatton, looked clearly capable of waging the pound-for-pound debate.

On the undercard, Humberto Soto defended his WBC super featherweight title in emphatic fashion by stopping Benoit Gaudet at 2:25 of the ninth round. Soto, from Los Mochis, Mexico, knocked down his Quebec, Canada opponent twice in the ninth round before referee Jay Nady halted the bout. Soto (48-7-2, 31 KOs) also scored a knockdown in the first round but needed to fight off the effects of Gaudet's inadvertent low blow in the seventh to claim the victory. Gaudet dropped to 20-2 with seven KOs.

In another fight, Brooklyn's Daniel Jacobs won a unanimous decision against Chicago's Michael Walker in an eight-round middleweight bout. Jacobs kicked off the televised portion of the show as the replacement for top prospect James Kirkland, who was recently jailed on weapons charges. Jacobs, who fought just eight days earlier, showed why he's also considered one of the middleweight division's hottest prospects, running his record to 16-0 with 15 KOs. He averaged 39 jabs per round, connecting on 225 of 767 total punches. Walker fell to 19-2-2 with 12 KOs.

LAS VEGAS -- First Oscar De La Hoya, now Ricky Hatton. The way Manny Pacquiao is handing out beatings, maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr. should have stayed retired.

Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best pound-for-pound boxer Saturday night with a spectacular performance that ended with Hatton sprawled helplessly on the canvas after a devastating left hand to the head late in the second round.

Coming off a dominating win over De La Hoya, Pacquiao was even better against Hatton, knocking him down two times in the first round before finally stopping him with a vicious left hand that dropped Hatton for good in the 140-pound title bout.

Referee Kenny Bayless took one look at Hatton and declared the fight over at 2:59 of the second round.

"I didn't have to count," Bayless said.

Hatton laid on the canvas for several minutes while doctors tended to him before finally leaving the ring with a wry smile on his face. He was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary brain scan.

Pacquiao was always supposed to be quicker than Hatton, but he was also a lot stronger -- and a lot more accurate. He landed 73 of his 127 punches in the fight in a display that had to catch the attention of Mayweather, who earlier in the day said he would return to the ring for a July 18 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Hatton, meanwhile, connected on only 18 of 78 punches, according to ringside stats.

"I'm surprised the fight was so easy," Pacquiao said. "He was wide open for the right hook. I knew he would be looking for my left."

Pacquiao had the perfect game plan for Hatton, evading his bullying rushes and then picking him apart with counter punches. The performance was even more stunning because Hatton had lost only once and has been a world-class fighter for years.

"Are you happy?" Pacquiao asked promoter Bob Arum in the ring afterward.

"You're going to be the greatest fighter who ever lived," Arum replied.

That would take some doing, but on this night Pacquiao staked a claim to greatness that few would have thought possible before he scored his big upset over De La Hoya last December.

Pacaquiao needed less than half a round to figure out the onrushing Hatton, hitting him with a flurry of punches midway through the first round before putting him down for the first time with a right hook to the head. Hatton got up at the count of eight but Pacquiao landed another flurry and dropped him again just before the end of the round.

Hatton attempted to carry the fight to Pacquiao in the second round but was mostly ineffective as Pacquiao sized him up for a big punch. It finally came at the end of the round when he landed a left cross that flattened the English fighter.

"It was a hard loss but I'm OK," Hatton said. "I really didn't see the punch coming but it was a great shot. I know I'll be OK."

Pacquiao was a 2-1 favorite, but few thought Hatton would go easily. His only loss came when he was stopped in the 10th round by Mayweather Jr., and he built a career and a reputation as a tough and aggressive fighter who wore his opponents down.

But he stood no chance against Pacquiao, whose punches came straight down the middle and landed with increasing frequency as the fight went on.

"I was just doing my job," said Pacquiao, who is a national hero in the Philippines and is fast becoming a hero among boxing fans. "I always try to do my best in the ring."

Pacquiao's best on this night quickly quieted a boisterous crowd of 16,262 at the MGM Grand arena, many of them who came over from England to sing and chant Hatton's praises. They didn't even get a chance to warm up, though, before Hatton was on the canvas for the first time of the night.

"The fight was no surprise to me," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said. "We know he always pumps his hands before he throws a punch. He's a sucker for the right hook."

On the same day Mayweather announced his return to the ring, Pacquiao stole the undefeated former champion's thunder with a performance that was so lopsided it looked like a sparring session. Even more impressive, it came in only his third fight over 130 pounds.

Pacquiao weighed 138 pounds for the fight to 140 for Hatton, and was fighting a bigger man for the second time in a row. But nothing seems to bother the boxer who is so popular at home that there is talk of him running for president some day.

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) earned $12 million for the fight, while Hatton (45-2) was paid $8 million.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

The Immortals:

Hatton Pacquiao

LOS ANGELES –The fight game and the film industry have been intertwined since the days of silent pictures and bare-knuckle bouts and the parallels just won’t go away.

Tinseltown and boxing have both warded off threats of technology and modernity to remain a part of the contemporary entertainment scene and have shown that the public never loses it penchant for the glitzy and the dramatic. It was appropriate, then, that the scene-setting publicity tour for the best fight boxing has to offer just now should make a pit-stop in the surreal surrounds of Hollywood Boulevard. Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton are simple men of simple taste, but when they are thrown together in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2, an explosive cocktail should result.

Hatton used to work in his father’s flooring business, but he had never been down a red carpet prior to Monday’s media circus at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Pacquiao too, for all his celebrity status and political ambition in the Philippines, had yet to sample the ultimate underfoot recognition of star power. Yet spotlight sits easily with these two men charged with giving the fistic profession its defining image of 2009, even if they handle it in alternate ways. Featuring two of the most popular fighters in history, the Battle of East and West was always going to sell tickets and generate pay-per-views sales, even in these fiscally stretched times.

However, there is a sense that boxing is looking for more from this encounter between a pound-for-pound titan and a divisional king. Action, explosiveness and drama are as desired as they are likely.

Hatton, by his own admission, was somewhat overwhelmed the last time he fought a pound-for-pound No.1. The occasion, the opponent and the outpouring of British travelling support all sat heavy on his shoulders when he clashed with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Dec. 8, 2007. This time Hatton seems more comfortable in his own skin and situation and is buoyed by the belief that even at 30 his technical skills are significantly improving. If Hatton is a work in progress, then the architect is the father of the only man to have bested him – the outrageous and often indecipherable Floyd Mayweather Sr. – provides an unlikely contrast to the boy from the back streets of Manchester.

While Team Hatton needs no reminding of the silky Pacquiao skills that have invigorated boxing, both Mayweather Sr. and his charge are adamant that recent events have delivered a skewed perception of favoritism for this fight. Pacquiao’s pummeling of worn legend Oscar de la Hoya in December elevated the Filipino into the ranks of the immortal. Hatton believes far too much stock has been placed in that one performance on the night when de la Hoya resembled a sorry shadow of his hall of fame best.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself and check,” said Hatton. “Did he beat Oscar or did he beat Godzilla? I can’t believe how everyone has reacted to this. Of course Manny is a brilliant fighter but Oscar was a long way from his best and it amazes me that more people haven’t seen that.” Pacquiao is an enigma in the fighting world, selling himself purely on the back of his boxing brilliance rather than verbal dexterity. He laughed off the poetic jabs from the rap-minded Mayweather Sr., an on-stage ditty that proclaimed a resounding Hatton victory was inevitable.

If any boxer should carry a burden it is Pacquiao, with the dreams of a nation for which sporting success at this elite level is unheard of resting with him. He keeps much to himself, whether through barrier of language or reservation of personality, and we will likely never know what is going on within that remarkable boxing brain. Pacquiao is as poor a public speaker as he is magnificent a boxer, and his series of utterances in Hollywood seemed to center mainly on matters of the Almighty and concern for the wellbeing of the undercard.

“We don’t know who will win on May 2,” said Pacquiao. “Only God knows that. He is the only one who knows. He is only one who will know. And he is the only one who does know.”

Got that?

Fortunately for Team Pacquiao, words will count for nothing in Las Vegas. For all Mayweather’s high-jinks, which include pretending to run off with a trophy for the ‘world’s best trainer’ that will be awarded to either him or Freddie Roach after the fight, this is serious business. Two men seek a Hollywood ending of their own on May 2; and confirmation they are the king of the A-listers.

Hatton Binalaan ni Roach Updated March 31, 2009 12:00 AM

Aloguinsan, Philippines - Binalaan na si Ricky Hatton na maaaring mapatay siya sa kanyang pakikipaglaban kontra kay Manny Pacquiao.

Nakatakdang magharap ang dalawa sa May 2 sa Las Vegas.

Binalaan ni Freddie Roach, trainer ng Pinoy, si Hatton “If you try to box Manny, you’ll get killed”.

“I’ve told Manny that if it goes past three rounds, I’d be mad at him” wika pa ni Roach.

Si Roach ang mortal na kaaway ng trainer ni Hatton na si Floyd Mayweather Sr. at sinabi ng una na mahihirapan na ang huli na maisalba ang Manchester idol sa kabiguan.

Pinalitan ni Mayweather Sr. si Billy Graham noong nakaraang taon ngunit sinabi ni Roach na gagawin niya ang lahat upang higit na mas magaling na boxer si Pacquiao ‘di tulad ni Mayweather na maraming binago kay Hatton.

“I’ve been with Manny eight years and I have never tried to change him, just improve on what we do,” aniya.

“Ricky and Floyd have totally different styles. The best way for Ricky to fight is like he does.”

Samantala, lumipad na patungong Las Vegas si Hatton upang doon ipagpatuloy ang kanyang training.

Sinabi ni Hatton sa Sky Sports na nasa porma na siya at mauuna na siya sa Las Vegas bago ang kanyang showdown kay Pacquiao.

“It’s the best shape I’ve ever been in this far out,” wika ni Hatton sa Sky Sports News. “I’ve still got five weeks to go and at a push I could be ready in a couple of weeks, so I have to be careful not to overdo it now.”

Sa kaugnay na balita, inilahad ni Pacquiao ang kanyang bagong proyekto ang song recording ng kanyang single na pinamagatang “Lahing Pinoy”.

Ang naturang awitin na patutugtugin bilang kanyang ‘entrance song’ sa nalalapit niyang laban kay Hatton.

Sa iba pang balita, kasama si Pacquiao sa listahan ng TIME 100 most influential personalities

Kasama niya sa listahan sina US president Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, George W. Bush, Hilary Clinton, sports personalities swimmer Michael Phelps at basketball superstar Kobe Bryant at ilang pang kilalang personalidad sa iba’t ibang larangan.

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LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE - BATTLE OF THE TRAINERS!

Hundreds of fans and media attend the exclusive red carpet Hollywood premiere on Hollywood Boulevard at the Roosevelt Hotel for the upcoming "The Battle of East and West" World Jr. Welterweight championship fight featuring four-time world champion and pound for pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao,General Santos,Philippines and Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton,Manchester,England on Saturday,May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,Nevada.

March 31, 2009 - Langskie KD-BOYZ

When Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Ricky "Hitman" Hatton meet in "The Battle of East and West," more than just Hatton's IBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight championship belts will be at stake. The ante will also include Pacquiao's coveted title as boxing's No. 1 pound for pound fighter. Simultaneously the stakes will be just as high for their respective trainers Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr., acknowledged as the two best trainers in the game today.

The promotion commissioned a specially designed four-tier trophy, measuring over five feet in height, with the inscription "No. 1 Pound for Pound Best Trainer in the World," to be presented to the trainer of the winning fighter. The trophy was unveiled to the trainers and international media covering this evening's red carpet Hollywood premiere news conference for "The Battle of East and West," at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., which hosted the very first Academy Awards eighty years ago.

Though "The Battle of East and West" isn't scheduled to take place until May 2, the war of the words between the two trainers began in earnest the minute the fight was announced.

"They've got Roach in the Hall of Fame. He should be in the Hall of Shame," said Mayweather. "Let's tell the truth like it is, you see Freddie Roach training and you see me training, it's night and day. Don't even compare. Don't even come close. Freddie Roach is a joke. And that's why I say his name is "Freddie the Joke Coach Roach," as far as I'm concerned."

Roach, recently named 2008 Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America for an unprecedented third time has his own take on Mayweather.

"Floyd can read some good poems that's all he's good at that I know of. What has Floyd Senior achieved? His son's a natural-born fighter. His brother Roger trained him anyway. Floyd never trained his son for a world title fight. He tells me he's the greatest but what has he done? He trained Oscar De La Hoya after Oscar has already won four world titles. Floyd is a legend in his own mind."

L&C^TM Photography 

LANGSKIES Top 10 Pound for Pound Boxers

1. Manny Pacquiao
Points: 230 (23 of 23 first-place votes)
Record: 48-3-2 (37 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing: TKO8 over Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6
Previous ranking: 1
Up next: May 2 in Las Vegas vs. No. 10 Ricky Hatton for super lightweight title
Analysis: Win will give him a world title in sixth weight class (112, 122, 126, 130, 135)

2. Juan Manuel Marquez
Points: 206
Record: 50-4-1 (36 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBO, Ring lightweight champion
Last outing: TKO9 over Juan Diaz on Feb. 28
Previous ranking: 2
Up next: TBA
Analysis: Has called out Floyd Mayweather Jr.

3. Bernard Hopkins
Points: 171
Record: 49-5 (32 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing: W12 over Kelly Pavlik on Oct. 18
Previous ranking: 4
Up next: TBA
Analysis: Interested in cruiserweight bout vs. Tomasz Adamek

4. Shane Mosley
Points: 124
Record: 46-5 (39 KOs)
Title: WBA welterweight champion
Last outing: TKO9 over Antonio Margarito on Jan. 24
Previous ranking: 5
Up next: TBA
Analysis: Still a dangerous combination of speed and power

5. Paul Williams
Points: 110
Record: 36-1 (27 KOs)
Title: Interim WBO junior middleweight champion
Last outing: TKO8 over Verno Phillips on Nov. 29
Previous ranking: 7
Up next: April 11 in Las Vegas vs. Winky Wright
Analysis: Has the range of a heavyweight, quickness of a welterweight

6. Miguel Cotto
Points: 106
Record: 33-1 (27 KOs)
Title: WBO welterweight champion
Last outing: TKO5 over Michael Jennings on Feb. 21
Previous ranking: 8
Up next: Likely June 13 in New York against Joshua Clottey
Analysis: Still much to prove since Jennings provided so little opposition

7. Ivan Calderon
Points: 86
Record: 32-0 (6 KOs)
Title: WBO light flyweight champion
Last outing: TD7 over Hugo Cazares on Aug. 30
Previous ranking: 9
Up next: May 23 in Puerto Rico vs. Cesar Canchila
Analysis: Quickest fighter in lower weights

8. Vic Darchinyan
Points: 74
Record: 32-1-1 (26 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBC, IBF super flyweight champion
Last outing: TKO11 over Jorge Arce on Feb. 7
Previous ranking: 10
Up next: TBA
Analysis: Powerful southpaw hoping to hold titles in three weight classes in 2009

9. Chad Dawson
Points: 53
Record: 27-0 (17 KOs)
Title: IBF light heavyweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Antonio Tarver on Oct. 11
Previous ranking: NR
Up next: May 9 in Las Vegas against Tarver
Analysis: Forced to accept rematch because of clause in contract

10. Ricky Hatton
Points: 18
Record: 45-1 (32 KOs)
Title: Ring super lightweight champion
Last outing: TKO11 over Paulie Malignaggi on Nov. 22
Previous ranking: NR
Up next: May 2 in Las Vegas vs. No. 1 Manny Pacquiao
Analysis: Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. says Hatton far more skilled than he thought

Others receiving votes: Kelly Pavlik 16, Arthur Abraham 16, Chris John 15, Juan Manuel Lopez 14, Mikkel Kessler 11, Fernando Montiel 4, Celestino Caballero 3, David Haye 1, Wladimir Klitschko 1.