You've gotta feel for Ricky Hatton. He's a proud dude and a whole lot of people flew all the way from Manchester to Las Vegas, and brought their trumpets and drums to cheer him on. He has to feel like he let them down. Seeing the shot of his distraught fiancee while he was still lying motionless on the mat was heart-wrenching.
You knew someone had to lose this fight, but I don't think anyone aside from Freddie Roach thought it was going to end in a brutal knockout before the first three rounds were over:
"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."
Hatton had a great run, but when he was matched up truly elite competiton, he got exposed. If it makes you feel any better, Ricky, Will is still going to buy your t-shirt.
Like Mike Tyson said in his documentary, "You should fear the happy fighter". Pacquiao walked down to the ring smiling ear to ear, extending glove bumps to whoever had their fists out. Boxing is a violent sport, but it's not inherently mean-spirited. Roach and Pacquiao go about things the right way, and you can see it in their results. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. beats Juan Manuel Marquez like he should on July 18th, it will set up a perfect Good vs. Evil storyline. Braggadocio, Materialism and Superficiality vs. Humility, Piousness and Virtue. Stay tuned.