Manny Pacquiao has handed defeats to many top fighters over the course of his impressive career.
Looking to defy the odds and become a world champion in 2025, Pacquiao’s proposed title fight with Mario Barrios has been subject to mixed opinions.
Understood to be competing on July 19, 2025, Pacquiao’s shot at the WBC World Welterweight title comes almost four years after his last career outing.
However, should Pacquiao be able to roll back the years, he could have a great night in the ring. ‘Pac-Man’ will aim to recreate a special night on his return, similar to the outing he had against Ricky Hatton in 2009.
Speaking ahead of the reported return of Pacquiao, Hatton recalled the night he faced one of the greatest lightweights of all time.
Ricky Hatton recalls the night he fought Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao had just beaten Oscar De La Hoya when he set his sights on Hatton in May 2009. The pair would be at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as Hatton had a 45-1 record.
However, Hatton would suffer just the second defeat of his career. As Pacquiao scored a brutal knockout over Hatton, it was the penultimate fight of ‘The Hitman’s’ boxing journey.
In an interview with TalkSport, Hatton looked back on his meeting with Pacquiao in Las Vegas. ‘The Hitman’ described the stoppage as ‘one of the most brutal knockouts in boxing history’.
“I was a little bit past my sell-by date,” Hatton added. “I wasn’t a master of defence like Floyd Mayweather.”
“In between fights, I’d be up and down in weight… I wasn’t looking after my body like a fighter probably should’ve done. By the time I got in the ring with Manny Pacquiao, I was a shell of myself.”
However, despite the nature of the finish, Hatton said that Mayweather is the stronger fighter between ‘Money’ and Pacquiao.
- READ MORE: Ricky Hatton returned to boxing at 44 years of age to fight Mexican legend in 2022 exhibition bout
Ricky Hatton on Manny Pacquiao’s return to boxing
Like many others, Hatton was seemingly not delighted by the news of Pacquiao’s return to boxing. Speaking to TalkSport, Hatton compared the situation to a 58-year-old Mike Tyson fighting Jake Paul.
“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?”
Hatton also mentioned that he would have liked to have seen Pacquiao compete in ‘warm-up fights’ before challenging for a world title.