'Titanic' Hatton seals doom by ramming 'iceberg' Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Like the supposedly unsinkable Titanic that rammed itself against a rock-hard iceberg, Ricky Hatton virtually sealed his own doom when he slugged it out with Filipino dynamo Manny Pacquiao. Thus said fight scribe Recah Trinidad, an observation echoed by other sports analysts who saw how Pacquiao tore the supposedly "more powerful" Hatton in half like the large, ill-fated liner from the UK. "Hatton is like the captain of the Titanic who rammed his ship to hit the iceberg directly," Trinidad said in an interview with radio dzBB on Monday. Trinidad was referring to Hatton’s tactic of charging at Pacquiao from the opening bell on, while leaving himself wide open for the lightning-fast bombs of the reigning pound-for-pound king. This wrong approach led to Hatton’s worst beating in his 12-year career, highlighted by two knockdowns in the first round and a stunning left hook to the jaw on the second that sent the 30-year-old Hitman flat on his back and possibly to retirement. Experts said the defensively inadequate Hatton should not have gone toe-to-toe with Pacquiao and instead fight a tactical bout just like Juan Manuel Marquez, whom Pacman failed to knock down in two fights. “Ang masama nito, nagpakilala na agad si Hatton. Pasok siya nang pasok, eh puwede ka bang pumasok eh wala ka namang panangga? Para ka na ring tumalon sa swimming pool na walang tubig," Trinidad said. [The bad thing was that Hatton showed his fighting style early on. He engaged without cover, like jumping in a swimming pool without water.] Another analyst, Ed Tolentino, said Hatton abandoned the strategy that he and celebrated trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. meticulously practiced, choosing to play “macho" against the number one fighter in the world. “Pinilit ni Ricky Hatton ang sitwasyon, he helped seal his fate. Unang round pa lang pinasok na niya si Manny and that’s a boo-boo. You do not engage Manny in a shootout, magba-backfire iyan dahil sa bilis ni Manny," Tolentino said in a separate interview on radio dzSR. [Hatton forced the situation, he helped seal his fate. He engaged Pacquiao early in the first round and that's a boo-boo. You do not engage Manny in a shootout, that will backfire because of Manny's speed.] For Tolentino, Hatton should have stopped his ploy right after going down twice in the first round. “Dapat nag-pacing muna siya dahil di pa siya masyado naka-recover as first round knock down, but he played macho and still engaged Pacquiao. Wala iyong pinangako niya na he would fight with controlled aggression, tinodo niya. Yung right hooks ni Pacquiao lutong-luto sa panga niya," he noted. [He should have taken pace because he had not yet recovered from his first round knock down, but he played macho and still engaged Pacquiao. He did not fulfill his promise that he would fight with controlled aggression, he went to the fullest. Pacquiao's right hooks landed on Hatton's jaw.] Hatton’s assistant trainer, Lee Beard, admitted in a Sky Sports interview that Hatton got "over excited" and opted to engage Pacquiao in a brawl – and got caught. Pacquiao, now the new International Boxing Organization's 140-pound king, is sure to draw the biggest names in boxing for his next fight possibly in October or November. Among the possible Pacquiao opponents are Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane Mosley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. As for Hatton, the future looks dim with some even urging him to hang his gloves. The Mancunian fighter, who saluted his tormentor as a “terrific fighter," is still in the process of weighing things. –GMANews.TV