Bridesmaid Marquez may get Hatton leftovers as Pacquiao fights Mayweather

By Michael Marley

To some fight fans, the May 2 Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao fight result is like the title of an old R.E.M. album, “Automatic for the People.”

The People, in this case, are the worldwide legion of Pacfanatics, including those millions of Overseas Foreign Workers who spend 11 months year away from their beloved homeland earning a living as best they can. I woke up to the reality of the OFW’s two years ago when I got a friendly phone call on Christmas morning from a Pacmaniac living in United Arab Emirates (UAE, not to be confused with the WBO, WBC, WBA or the IBF).

Whether they admit or not, the majority of Pacquiao supporters think their Idol will slap the plucky Brit from pillar to post. Comments by another idol, Coach Freddie Roach, likening the bout to Hearns vs. Hagler just feed into this line of thought.

I must plead guilty here as well since, to use Mickey Duff's favorite expression, "I must be honest with you."

On paper, I can't see how the limited Hatton can outbox or outbrawl Megamannymonster. But, hey, they're figting on canvas and not on paper.

We can wish that MP-Hatton could be as awesome as Marveloso and the Hitman were that night at Caesars Palace. I was privileged to have a ringside perch at this classic and I just can’t see the comparison to Ricky and Manny.

Hearns nearly knocked lefty Hagler in a vicious first round but, and this was never offered as an excuse, Thomas badly hurt his right hand, his power paw, as they wqent hammer and tong.

Hagler bounced back to stop Hearns in the third round as he fight ferociously upon realizing he had suffered a cut.

That’s one of the all-time classic fights so it’s unrealistic to hold Pacman and Hatton to such a lofty standard.

With what I would estimate north of 90 percent of Pacfans expecting their man to thrash Hatton, attention naturally turns to what comes next.

Enter, stage left, the mercuriual Money May, Floyd Mayweather the ring emperor who will return to push this inauthentic king, Pacman, off his Pound For Pound throne.

That’s a C.R.E.A.M fight meaning Cash Rules Everything Around Me.

It will happen because it is the mother lode of makeable super fights.

But I take the future fight less traveled road. I was wondering the other day what Pac nemesis (or is it vice versa?) and Mexican ringmaster Juan Manuel Marquez will do next. He just can’t sit and wait on a third fight with Manny forever.

I was chatting about same with Joan Guzman manager Jose Nunez and his reasoning led me to this ultimate conclusion.

Juan Ma isn’t going to fight KO King Edwin Valero (25-0, batting average 1,000) anytime soon.

Valero promoter Bob Arum knows that and he knows why. As he’s said, for all his fistic fury, Valero remains a figure known only to the thimble full of hardcore fight nuts.

So what does JMM do? He’ll do what’s best financially for himself and what’s best for promoter Golden Boy.

Marquez will travel to Manchester, maybe at year’s end or maybe early in 2010, to fight hometown hero Hatton.

Hatton will make some kind of showing against Manny, maybe even lasting 12 rounds, but he will lose.

Not a single Hattonite will desert Ricky. Neither will British TV.

There’s gold there amongst the Mancunians. Where Marco Antonio Barrera just went, Marquez will travel.

Due to his well-documented lifestyle, Hatton’s shelf life cannot be extended long.

The Goldens will look to milk him after the Pacquiao bout. After three or four months on holiday, Hatton will be ready to go to the post once again.

Marquez beats Hatton maybe more easily than Manny does.

But take heart, Pacmaniacs.

Win or lose against Mayweather, the Pacman-Marquez Chapter 3 will be written in 2010 also.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/