Pacquiao takes out 'Hitman' Hatton in the second round

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton with a left hook in the second round of their bout to grab the IBO light welterweight title at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). In the very first round Pacquiao sent the Brit down twice with stinging hooks, first with a right and then with a left. The victory makes Pacquiao a six-time world champ in five weight divisions and keeps him as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Before the fight, sports analysts Ed Picson and Ed Tolentino were one in saying that the Battle of the East and West would be a brutal fight, but Pacquiao’s speed might once again lead him to victory and cement his reputation as the world’s pound-for-pound king of boxing. 'So easy' Referee Kenny Bayless took one look at Hatton and declared the fight over at 2:59 of the round. "I didn't have to count," Bayless told the Associated Press. Pacquiao 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. "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." 'Sucker for the right hook' Pacquiao was a favorite to win, but few thought Hatton would go easily. His only previous loss came when he was stopped in the 10th round by Floyd 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. "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." Star-studded Martin Nievera, wearing a T-shirt designed by the late rapper Francis Magalona, broke tradition by being the first male to sing the Philippine National Anthem in a Pacquiao bout. He was followed by pop icon Sir Tom Jones, who sang "God Save the Queen," the British National Anthem, and Fil-Am Jasmine Villegas, who sang the "Star-Spangled Banner," the US National Anthem. The bout was witnessed by a star-studded audience that included Oscar de la Hoya, Jack Nicholson, Sugar Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, rapper Jay-Z, and Mariah Carey. On the undercard, Mexico's Humberto Soto knocked Benoit Gaudet of Canada down early in the ninth round and then stopped him with a flurry of punches to retain his WBC super featherweight title. It was the second defense of the title for Soto, who improved to 48-7-2 with 31 knockouts, while Gaudet fell to 20-2 after his first attempt at a major belt. - GMANews.TV with a report from AP