They go for Manny

By Gerry Ramos

LAS VEGAS – Two boxers who in one way or the other share an affiliation with Ricky Hatton see him losing his fight against Manny Pacquiao this weekend.


Olympic silver medalist Amir Khan is leaning on a Pacquiao victory while former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins believes the Filpino ring icon as the better boxer between the two.

“Manny is looking very good, looking very strong. I think Manny can do it,” said the 23-year old Khan, a compatriot of Hatton who also hails from Manchester, England.

Hopkins belongs to the same Golden Boy stable like Hatton. While he stressed that there could not be much of a difference in speed, he said the difference is that “Pacquiao is a sharpshooter.”

The 43-year old ageless warrior for Philadelphia admitted Hatton being a brave fighter, but added that “sometimes, he’s too brave for his own comfort.”

Khan admitted being a friend of Hatton, but just couldn’t deny the reality.

“I maybe from England but Manny is a great fighter, the best pound-for-pound fighter. He is what he is. He’s gonna go in there and do what he does best. His speed is too quick. He’ll catch Ricky Hatton with a punch that he wouldn’t see,” he said.

In contrast, Hopkins doesn’t see the fight ending in a knockout.

“It has a good, great chance to go 12 rounds,” he said, defying the general notion that it would be a short night. “I see a distant fight, but not a close one. Whoever wins this fight, wins by unanimous decision.”