If Ricky Hatton were serious about bouncing back from his loss to Manny Pacquiao, he should forget about Freddy Roach and start training with Cachupoy and Don Pepot.



Now I don't know if it's gonna help him beat Pacquiao or Miguel Cotto, but I'm pretty fucking positive he'd be able to kick Joaquin Fajardo's ass.

After the jump, Redford White displaying his knockout skills in the Dyords Javier classic, "A Man Called Tolonges".

The whole world was abuzz after Manny Pacquiao's devastating knockout of Ricky Hatton this weekend, but his true victory might have come hours before. CNN International is reporting that the pay-per-view buyrates for the Pacquiao-Hatton megafight is expected to be between 1.6 to 2 million.

To put the figure in context, here's a chart comparing the performance for this event against some of Pacquiao's past fights and some other megafights:



Basically, it's destined to outperform Pacquiao's fight versus Oscar de la Hoya and Hatton's fight against Floyd Mayweather. De la Hoya-Mayweather set the record for pay-per-view buys at 2.4 million, and when you consider that the economy is in the toilet, the Pacquiao-Hatton fight's performance is almost as impressive as Pacman's left hook. The folks at Bad Left Hook, for example, thought that a number just short of a million would already be very good.

So how did it happen? Pacquiao's stunning victory that retired de la Hoya opened a lot of people's eyes, and apparently, it truly was the passing of the torch. Hatton reeks of charisma and has a huge fanbase. And HBO did a great job with the 24/7 series, focusing the storyline on the compelling tales of the two trainers, so much so that Michael Buffer announced the trainers' names in the pre-fight introductions.

I gotta admit, I like Ricky Hatton. He's got a sense of humor about himself--he once entered the ring in a fat suit as a nod to his detractors who call him Ricky Fatton--and throughout the build-up to his fight against Manny Pacquiao, he carried himself with humility and grace that his hooligan fans never bother to show. He's also smart and articulate, and with his popularity, he has been a good ambassador for boxing all these years.

That said, I felt a little sorry that he got pasted by Manny Pacquiao during their big fight. That was bad enough, but his trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. threw him under the bus right after, in what was the most disgusting display by a cornerman since Bobby Heenan turned on Andre the Giant back in Wrestlemania VI.

Ricky has been one of the truly great champions of the sport in our generation, and to honor him and make him feel better, I'm writing down a list of things in which Hitman still has the advantage over Pacman.

1. Wife or Fiancee

Unfortunately, this category would be a much fairer fight if we counted actresses romantically linked to each boxer (*cougharaminacough*), but I didn't want to get sued for libel this early in the blog's life. So we'll just count the "official" women in the lives of our champions.

In the red corner, Mrs. Jinkee Pacquiao:



In the blue corner, Ms. Jennifer Dooley:



See, Ricky's in good spirits already, so soon after the fight.

Fire Quinito gathers all the essential reading after Manny Pacquiao's sensational second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton, so you can save time to gawk at Hayden Panettiere's sexy geek chic get-up at the Star Trek premiere.



Brian Doogan, The Times UK: "The 30-year-old Filipino, a rare amalgam of brutal power and virtuoso artistry, dominated his bigger opponent with speedier, more precise, explosive punches which reduced the 30-year-old from Manchester to a stumbling, impotent, overwhelmed version of the proud fighter who had marched to the ring with a record of 46 wins, 32 by stoppage, against just one previous defeat. Hatton was twice knocked down in the opening round before Pacquiao put together a savage sequence of punches which further diminished the Mancunian before a bombshell left to the jaw sent him crashing onto his back unconscious. Wisely, American referee Kenny Bayless chose not to complete the count before he waved it over at 2:59 of round two, with Hatton in a frighteningly endangered state."

Doug Fischer, The Ring: "Hatton's got nothing to be ashamed of. He was simply outclassed by the best fighter in the world, as he was when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December of 2007. Only this time Hatton wasn't just fighting the pound-for-pound king, he was trying to duke it out with the Baddest Man on the Planet. And like one of the many victims of the prime Mike Tyson, the last fighter to hold that 'BMOTP' moniker, Hatton was summarily dismissed by the superior fighter."

Kevin Mitchell, The Guardian: "The left hook that ended Ricky Hatton's involvement in big-time boxing last night – and might even have been a more final calling card than that – was as sickening a one-punch knockout as I can remember in more than 30 years of covering boxing. Hatton was not just out before he hit the canvas a second from the scheduled end of round two; the lights went out as soon as Manny Pacquiao's left connected with Hatton's unprotected chin, a target so inviting the Filipino could not miss."

Gabriel Montoya, Max Boxing: "It was pure mayhem in the arena as even press row jumped to their feet at what they were seeing. Hatton rose slower this time and was clearly very hurt but still game as they traded to the bell. In the second, Pacquiao came out aggressive but boxing patient and smart, gauging his foe and poking and prodding to see if a finish was there for the taking. Hatton attempted to bore in close the gap but Pacquiao’s educated feet and sharp jab kept him at bay. Time and again, Pacquiao would catch Hatton coming in wide open and it seemed a matter of time before the end."

Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times: "Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, now the pound-for-pound best corner man in his sport, pretty much called the shot again, just as he had against De La Hoya on Dec. 6. He said Pacquiao would knock Hatton out in the third round. Pacquiao apparently had earlier dinner reservations. 'This fight was no surprise to me,' Roach said. The star trainer always seems to have a secret strategy, and he revealed afterward that, for this one, he had watched hours of film of Hatton -- 'I knew him better than my own fighter,' he said -- and realized that Hatton was wide open for the right hook. 'Hatton pumps his fist before he throws,' Roach said. 'We also knew he'd be looking for the left,' Pacquiao's main weapon."

Tim Starks, The Queensberry Rules: "After this win, Pacquiao is, in my mind, the best fighter in the past 20 years. He's beaten gobs of elite Hall of Fame-bound opponents and top contenders, and he's won a history-making fourth real championship belt in four divisions. He's done more than Roy Jones, Jr. He's done more than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He's done more than Bernard Hopkins. Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Evander Holyfield, you name them. The fighter who was still in his prime in the time period I'm talking about that comes the closest to being as good as Pacquiao, and that's debatable, is Julio Cesar Chavez. I think you have to go back to Sugar Ray Leonard before you really have to put on the brakes."

Manny Pacquiao beat the living daylights out of Redford White Ricky Hatton in the second round of their megafight in what was the worst beatdown of the British since the early days of World War II. Hatton, who had previously lost only once in his career, tried to take the fight to Pacquiao early, but a lightning right hook sent the British bad boy down midway through the first. Another barrage near the ropes late in the round sent Hatton once more to the canvas, and the Pacman finished off the Hitman in the second round with a picture-perfect left hook.

The loss broke the hearts of the thousands of Britons who were at the venue to root for Hatton. The fans, right out of a Guy Ritchie movie (back when he made cool movies, before Madonna cut his balls off), sang loudly and booed the Philippine national anthem. Now it's time for the Hatton fans to change their tune, and I suggest they should start singing with me:

There's only one Ricky Hatton, one Ricky Hatton. Guess what went wrong? Pacman's too strong. Ricky's in a sleepy slumberland.

Pacquiao actually had a more difficult time getting through the interview for CNN's Talk Asia Special on him prior to the fight. After the jump, watch host Anjali Rao batter Pacquiao with questions in English that left the pound-for-pound king just short of a bloody nose: