by Troen Gonzales, Boxingbulletin.net

The proverbial London bridge fell down on Saturday as the current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao put Ricky Hatton, the junior welterweight champion, out of commission with a devastating left hook that sent the Brit packing, and perhaps; possibly into retirement.

The knockout punch, a solid, overwhelming left hook flush to the Hitman’s chin, was delivered beautifully by the now-legendary Filipino fighter in the final seconds of Round 2. Call it picture-perfect punch, a painting, a portrait, a priceless film-reel moment, but it’s doubtful many adjectives will fail to describe that historic moment when an Eastern bomb rocked a Western iron-clad chin out cold.

Pacquiao’s handling of Hatton was complete and utter domination. Earlier in round one, Manny sent Ricky to the floor twice, punishing him for coming too close to him and trying to stand toe-to-toe with the pound for pound king. Loud-mouthed Floyd Mayweather Snr., Hatton’s trainer, had told him not to engage Pacman on the inside, but to box him intelligently. Yet, as Freddie Roach so accurately argued: box as he must; once Pacquiao does the aggravation, the Hitman will revert to the old “glorified club fighter” who mauls and brawls for a living; who is wide open to the Pacman’s arsenal of punches.

Or as Cus D’amato had it: square pegs do not die round.

Round 1 – Signs of Trouble

That fight night and the millions of fans glued to the bout absolutely found that argument true.

From the onset of the fight, Hatton tried to test the waters by staying true to Mayweather Senior’s gameplan. Pacquiao was slow at first but was just getting warmed up as well. When the Filipino phenom infused pressure by sending a barrage of combos, Hatton seemed to let his heart rule over his head, trying to bridge the distance by lunging himself to Pacquiao and hugging him for dear life.

Well-connected body shots didn’t seem to faze Pacquiao, who, in several times, glided away with little trouble from Hatton’s street fighting predilections. The General Santos native wisely covered his face with his forearms during the cuddling sessions, and if Hatton still wanted to stay intimate with accompanying body shots, referee Kenny Bayless untangled them up, wanting none of those.

Pacquiao sets up a left for Hatton.

All those months of technical training in the Las Vegas outskirts was thrown out the window like a bag of bricks as Hatton reverted back to his true form.

The Hitman got his first taste of the Rockstar logo below as he ate a short but thundering right hook from Pacquiao, just as he was cocking up with his left hook. He got up to his knees just before Bayless’ count ended. For a moment there, Hatton was in a brief reflective mood and probably wondered what the heck he had gotten himself into.

Many of Pacman’s opponents have regretted the hour when they stepped into the twilight zone of Pacmania.

Thereafter, the Filipino’s fury was unleashed before the helpless Hatton, whose face was now reddened by the continuous battering. Ropes to post. Post to center. A thrashing treatment did Hatton receive.

At the end of the tirade Pacquiao managed to send the Mancunian down with an oppressive left straight. Flicking his head like he was saying “tsk”, the gallant Brit beat the count once again but was timely saved by the bell from another occasion of chastisement.

Round 2 – The Concluding Stroke

Ricky seemed to be in his senses once again as he engaged Pacquiao on the outside. The two had rather heated exchanges, but again, Bayless warns Ricky about excessive holding. Manny desperately tries to get out of the body locks and sends a powerful message of his own, including a flurry of vicious left straights and swift hooks from unconventional angles.

With the old Ricky Hatton out, the Hitman didn’t stand a chance against Pacman’s blistering combos.

Manny Pacquiao finally buries all doubts about his lethality by knocking Hatton’s lights out before the round’s end. The spitfire of the Orient, sensing that Hatton already had an eye for his right hook, contributed to the Hitman’s possible retirement by feinting a right jab in front of Hatton’s face but following it up with a huge left hook, planting it square on his right chin. For a split second there, the bomb disfigured Hatton’s face and immediately shut him down, making him thud to the canvas violently to a prone position.

2:59 in Round 2 to be exact.

For Bayless, there was no need to count him out. He dismisses the fight as soon as he sees Ricky’s eyes lost in another world called Disbelief.

Hatton’s sprawled out, prone arrangement was his worst position of his career inside the ring. For many boxing pundits, it signaled the end of his once glorious career that destroyed the likes of Kostya Tszyu and Paulie Malignaggi.

Ricky’s career however, was farthest from the nearest throng’s minds as they saw concern for the Brit’s health. For many Filipinos, Hatton looked like a total mess; a fish out of water gasping for air. Ring physicians ardently checked him out. Fiancee Jennifer Dooley let out a heartbreaking scream. Hatton’s mom dared not to look. And the millions of Brits inside the MGM Grand, who were really better off as soccer fans, were upstaged by their Filipino counterparts, realizing that their own boxing son had finally hit a solid wall.

The Aftermath

Hatton spent the next several minutes on canvas hell while Pacquiao was up on limelight heaven.

Ring doctors were finally relieved that Hatton had the strength to walk away from the ring, albeit, in limping mode.

Mayweather Sr. was nowhere to be seen with the Hatton camp. Instead, Joy spent time signing autographs for the recognition he barely deserves. The rift in the camp beforehand became totally apparent as he pins the loss straight on Hatton, who he claims disobeyed his ring instructions to box and not engage; to fight with his head, not with a foolhardy heart.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao, ever his humble self, was surprised that it was all so easy.

Unsurprising words from someone who eats sparring partners for breakfast.

Nonetheless, his humility still shines through as he credits Hatton for being very strong and possessing significant lead punching.

Freddie Roach, in the post-fight conference, concedes being the best trainer only because of the Philippine’s National Fist.

And Bob Arum, with a smile of a Cheshire Cat, spouts off a load of seeming hyperboles of how Manny is one of the all-time greats.

Many a fighter would go gaga and bloat their heads over his declarations, but Pacquiao handles it quite well by not flinching and simply sipping from a bottle of mineral water.

Pacman rides on to victory.

Certainly, Manny Pacquiao has erased all the doubting Thomases of the boxing world concerning his right as the pound-for-pound sovereign. Many fans expected Manny to win, but not at such a terrifying quickness and intensity. Against Ricky Hatton, all reservations about his elite skill — his vaunted power, lightning speed, ever-increasing skill set, and ever-improving defense — are conclusively laid to rest. No respectable boxing pundit from here on would dare try to belittle Pacquiao.

Not only that. Manny’s greatness also comes from the same humility, magnanimity, and spirituality, which are too astonishing to even think that they exist at his level of international and historical greatness. Muhammad Ali could’ve learned a thing or two from him if they were contemporaries.

With his victory last Saturday, Pacquiao may claim all the right to rise above the pound-for-pound mantle to be in one of the pantheon of history’s greatest boxers.