by Troen Gonzales, Boxingbulletin.net

It is said that if you repeat an unproven assertion, a murky half-truth, or even an untrue statement at a certain number of times (probably between counts of 20 to 30), that claim, however false, becomes a fact in the minds of men.

Opinion polls and online surveys may have had a similar kind of effect on boxing fans, regular and hardcore alike. It’s not worth mentioning that I stand guilty too. Nowadays, when you land on a Pacquiao-Hatton Web page or on bread-and-butter boxing news sites, any number of them will not fail to sport a widget of some kind to gauge who among the polled favored either warrior. By and large, the Pacman comes out sitting on the higher end of the virtual seesaw.

It’s not difficult to see why Manny is cast in a favorable light over Ricky. Having demolished current Mexican legends Barrera, Marquez, Diaz, Morales, and the boxing icon Oscar de la Hoya, the Philippine national fist has earned the right to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Not to mention the title of “Mexicutioner”.

Not only that, Pacquiao possesses a highly desirable fighting skill set (courtesy of Freddie Roach), a phenomenal punching power to back it up, nimble footwork to carry him through , and a lightning hand speed to die for.

Power, agility, speed. Plus a trail of strewn, knocked-out Mexicans. No wonder Pacman, in this match-up, is catapulted to be the huge overdog (if there’s such a term).

It’s terribly hard to extract hype from boxing. Hype is one of the pugilistic sport’s inexplicable innate natures, like what omniscience is to God, or what braggadocio dancing antics is to Naseem Hamed.

But with all the hype and the hypnotizing effect of opinion polls, it’s easy to overlook the Manchester native’s potency as a fighter.

Just last weekend, HBO released the first of its series aimed to showcase both the boxer’s personal lives, the relational dynamics with the closely-connected, and the delicate issues that have haunted or inspired them. One of the highlights of the first episode (aside from Hatton showing off his plump British-behind indiscriminately) was Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s assessment of Ricky when they first trained together.

Ricky’s Cons

No doubt, the Hitman is aggressive, said daddy Mayweather. Too aggressive for his taste, actually. According to the defensive specialist, Hatton was “overly aggressive” for him and “didn’t even know how to hit the pads”. It’s an expected appraisal of someone who uses brute strength predominantly to bulldoze opponents, like what he did with Kostya Tszyu and most of his challengers. After Hatton tried that stuff with his trainer’s son — “Pretty Boy” Mayweather Jr. — and lost, and after a less-than-stellar performance against Juan Lazcano, the Mancunian realized he had had enough of his previous trainer’s strength building routines.

Hatton opted for a fresh approach through Mayweather Sr. It was a welcome change for him, as the trainer-come-poet’s most profound advice to him was, “strength don’t mean nothin’ if you can’t find nothin’ to hit”.

Aside from Hatton’s propensity to hit like a truck and leave his bases wide open, the outspoken Mayweather may have to contend with Ricky’s all out, booze-consuming lifestyle, which nearly cost him the fight over Lazcano. Hatton’s alcohol binges in-between fights, some say, have negatively affected his stamina during matches.

The irony is funny however. Mayweather Sr. has been reported eating out at a popular fast food chain in Las Vegas, apparently having contracted a petty habit of Hatton to indulge on fast food. “Three weeks with me and he’s on the KFC,” remarked Hatton. “I see that as a personal victory.” Earlier, the two met halfway on the fast food eating issue.

Ricky’s Improvements

Now, as he gears up for his fight against the current pound-for-pound king, Ricky Hatton trains with an intensity and fervor unlike any of his previous campaigns.

The desired changes in fighting details have come quick according to the duo. In Episode 1 of HBO’s pre-fight series, Hatton looked alarmingly fast when he sparred with Mayweather.

“It has been miles better this time with Floyd,” said the Manchester brawler. “I’m faster now than how I was at the end of the last training camp.”

In the show, Mayweather disclosed that his training approach with Ricky circled on a basic principle: hit, and not get hit. In addition, the defensive trainer is concentrating more on the Hitman’s “speed and sharpness”.

“It was a case of, after seven weeks in training camp, ‘bang, look at me, a new fighter,’ ” Hatton declared. Some pundits have asserted that Hatton may very well be past his prime. Hatton stated that his current training under Mayweather Sr. “showed [he] wasn’t past it.”

Don’t lose your sights fight fans. Hopefully the polls haven’t gotten the best of us. Hatton remains a menace to be reckoned with.