Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Manny Pacquiao, as always, refuses to be drawn into a war of words with Ricky Hatton.

The Filipino ring superstar would rather let his fighting do the talking when he faces Hatton for the British icon’s IBO light welterweight title on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Let’s just see what happens in the ring,” said Pacquiao, when asked by Filipino sportswriters for comment on Hatton’s boast on Thursday in Manchester, England, that he’s unbeatable at 140 lb.

“He can say what he wants, I’ll just give it my best,” said the Filipino, who is coming off an eight-round demolition of Oscar De La Hoya.

Admitting that Hatton will be a tougher foe, Pacquiao bared Friday night that he’ll be leaving on Feb. 24 for the United States to begin training at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Pacquiao added he’ll attend the christening of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth, on Feb. 22 in Gen. Santos City before beginning his preparations for the megabuck bout that will include a promotional tour of key cities in Britain and the United States.

Hatton, whose only loss was dealt by Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 147 lb in May, 2007, intends to begin training two weeks earlier after taking his family to a Caribbean cruise.

According to Hatton, he won’t let his countrymen down a second time by beating Pacquiao and claiming the Filipino’s world’s best pound-for-pound fighter label.

By Abac Cordero

Shane Mosley. Antonio Margarito. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“They all have chances of facing me. Anything is possible,” said Manny Pacquiao of these three great boxers who may be next in line for the Filipino pound-for-pound champion.

Pacquiao is set to face Ricky Hatton on May 2 in Las Vegas. He’s not actually looking past the British light-welterweight champion, but couldn’t avoid questions on his next fights.

“Hatton is a big challenge for me because he’s also a good boxer,” Pacquiao told sportswriters Friday evening at the Manila’s Harbour View.

“And I don’t consider Hatton as a stepping stone to anyone. But he’s a big challenge for me. We fight the same way that’s why I have to be ready. I have to train as hard or even harder than for Oscar dela Hoya,” he said.

Pacquiao is set to leave for Los Angeles on Feb. 24, then will proceed to England for a couple of days of press tours with Hatton. Also on tap are visits to a few major cities in the United States.

Pacquiao will receive a coveted award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association on Feb. 20 and two days after he will throw a big baptismal party for their baby girl, Queen Elizabeth.

Training starts at the Wild Card Gym under Freddie Roach on March 1.

Pacquiao was at his usual self when he faced the scribes – cool, calm and soft-spoken. He refused to be carried into a word war with Hatton’s trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.

The flamboyant trainer predicted that Hatton should beat Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Arena, and carry the pound-for-pound title back to England. He said Pacquiao could be out in the first round if he comes in.

“I’m not even mad at him. He’s also a good trainer and I respect him for being the father of Floyd (Jr.) and as a trainer,” he said.

Pacquiao was asked who’s the better trainer – Roach or Mayweather.

“Of course Freddie is the better trainer. Can I say otherwise? He has proven a lot by helping me win four titles in different weight classes starting from the flyweight division,” he said.

London, England (CNN) -- Ricky Hatton is confident he can beat Manny Pacquiao, the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, after their on-off bout was finally confirmed for May 2 at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas -- following weeks of wrangling over the distribution of the purse.

Hatton is confident he can beat Manny Pacquiao in their Las Vegas showdown on May 2.

Briton Hatton, currently the world's top light-welterweight, will face pound-for-pound king Pacquiao a year-and-a-half after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr at the same venue.

"I am brimming full of confidence that I am going to win," the 30-year-old Hatton told a news conference. "I have always said at 10 stone I don't think anyone will beat me and I firmly believe that.

"I have challenged the best pound-for-pound fighter once in Floyd Mayweather -- obviously I came second -- but I am going to get another chance the fight the best pound-for-pound fighter."

Hatton's lawyer Gareth Williams said they had never deviated from the 50-50 split on the prize money agreed in the original deal.

"The reality was the actual negotiations were relatively straight forward," he said. "But at this time last week the fight was not going to take place.

"We never wavered from what was agreed. We didn't want to take anything away from Manny but we also recognized what Ricky brings to the table and as far as we are concerned Ricky is an equal contributor to this fight."

Hatton spoke of his relief that the fight was going ahead. "It has been a very difficult few weeks. We had agreed the deal so two weeks ago I was delighted," he said.

"I was devastated when I thought it was not going to be on and I told Gareth I didn't want to go back into training not knowing."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: CNN