Despite Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s unanimous decision win over Manny Pacquiao in 2015, many are still not convinced of the unbeaten American’s superiority over the iconic Filipino slugger.
Those who come to the eight-division world champ’s defense usually argue that Pacquiao was already past his prime when the mega-fight happened. Plus, he had a shoulder injury back then.
With that, the topic of who’s better between Mayweather and Pacquiao remains hot to this day.
One of the best guys to answer that is Ricky Hatton, as he fought and got KO’d by the two boxing superstars.
In a recent episode of Up Front with Simon Jordan, The Hitman tackled the boxing equivalent of the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate.
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“People ask me a lot who’s the best, Pacquiao or Mayweather? I say Mayweather all day, to be honest with you,” Hatton said with confidence.
His response may come as a surprise, considering how Pacquiao finished him off in just two rounds.
Mayweather, on the other hand, needed nine and a half rounds before getting rid of the pressure fighter from Manchester.
Before he gave his answer, Hatton expressed how genuinely impressed he was with Mayweather’s skills.
“After the Mayweather fight, I sat on the changing room on my own, and I thought he was f*cking good,” the two-division titleholder recalled.
“Even when I got one (punch) through, he would (slip it) with half a shoulder, half a block, or half an elbow,” he added while mimicking Money's moves.
Hatton also praised Floyd’s controlled aggression.
“The fact that he knew when to absorb my pressure and then knew when to put his foot on the gas, I mean, yeah, he was very good.”
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It’s easy to get where Hatton's coming from. But still, his knockout loss to Pacquiao must count for something. It was just so brutal, that you’re forced to have a face-melting look no matter how many times you've watched it already.
(PM)