Manny Pacquiao handed a former world champion his second-ever loss with one of the most devastating knockouts of his career.
“PacMan” is one of the best fighters in his weight class in history, which includes a lot of fighters.
Manny Pacquiao is an eight-weight champion, picking up 12 world titles in his incredible two-decade career in the ring.
As Pacquiao prepares to win his 13th title in his comeback fight with Maro Barrios, he will have his most epic knockout win in his mind as he readies for that showdown.
- READ MORE – Manny Pacquiao struggled in an upset loss in last fight, four years before surprising comeback
Manny Pacquiao knocked Ricky Hatton out cold on his feet in the second round of their fight
The superfight between Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton was one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2009.
Pacquiao was coming off a dominant win over Oscar De La Hoya, while Hatton was undefeated at 140 lbs, with his only defeat being a Welterweight title loss against all-time great Floyd Mayweather.
Hatton was seen as the best Welterweight in the world, and his IBO and The Ring titles proved it. This view wouldn’t last long after he stepped into the ring with “PacMan”.
Their classic bout occurred on May 2, 2009, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, but the iconic venue was deprived of a 12-round classic by two rounds of magic by the Filipino genius.
A frantic Pacquiao danced around the round, testing Hatton’s endurance while laying in some of his patented combinations that landed well.
“The Hitman” took the fight to Pacquiao in the first round, but couldn’t avoid taking some big hits and getting knocked down twice by the eight-weight champion in the first round.
The fight continued in the same way in the second round as Pacquiao’s combination was too much for Hatton to deal with.
A huge left hand put Hatton out cold, knocking him out cleanly as he lay unconscious in the ring while the referee rang the bell and called for the medical team to check on the defeated former champion.
Hatton was clearly out cold before he hit the ground, and the referee didn’t even need to count before awarding Pacquiao one of the most spectacular knockouts of his career.
Hatton admitted he was a “shell of himself” after the loss, showing the impact such a brutal knockdown had on the former champion.
Ricky Hatton was shocked at Manny Pacquiao’s return to boxing
16 years after being knocked unconscious by his thunderous left hand, Hatton is shocked that Pacquiao is back in the ring to fight for a world title.
He spoke with TalkSPORT about the fight, questioning how he got the title fight and whether he truly deserved it after four years out of the ring.
“I say this with love, how has Manny got his world title shot?” Hatton commented.
“He’s gotten that on his previous successes, hasn’t he? Being retired for so many years and going straight into a world title shot, how is that possible?”