Pre-fight Hype
Pacquiao and Hatton toured the United Kingdom for the promotion of their fight; while in the UK, Hatton beat Pacquiao in a game of darts. Hatton presented Pacquiao a Manchester City F.C. shirt after the game.
Martin Nievera was chosen to sing the Lupang Hinirang, the Philippine national anthem, for Pacquiao's battle against Hatton. He was the first ever male singer to sing the anthem at Pacquiao's bout. Also, WWE star Batista led Pacquiao to the ring. Sir Tom Jones sang "God Save the Queen" while American-raised Filipino-Mexican Jasmine Villegas sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."
As support for the fight, HBO aired "Pacquiao/Hatton: 24/7" for two weeks prior to the fight on television and on the internet; it aired in the Philippines on GMA the night before the fight on 2 May.
On 22 April, Hatton labelled Pacquiao as a one-dimensional fighter: "Manny fights the same way all the time. He's effective at what he does but he's not a versatile fighter". Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach shot back at Hatton saying his "Hitman" tag is accurate "because on May 2, Hatton is going to get hit, man, and a lot!" Roach also predicted that the fight wouldn't last for more than three rounds. Pacquiao also took a break from training at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles to throw a ceremonial first pitch at the San Francisco Giants-San Diego Padres Major League Baseball game at the AT&T Park in San Francisco as part of the annual Filipino Heritage Night.
At the 30 April press conference, the last before the fight, Hatton admitted that he was the underdog for the fight, but insisted he could still cause an upset. "I can understand I am the underdog but it doesn't scare me", adding that "He is the best pound for pound fighter but this is my weight division". He continued, "This fat, beer-drinking Englishman is going to shock the world again". Pacquiao was picked by Las Vegas bookmakers as the favorite prior to the fight.
Hatton expected, (and got) 25,000 British fans to come and support him. This fight was Hatton's fifth in Las Vegas in less than 2½ years, and the MGM Grand Garden Arena sold out.
Prior to the bout, it was reported that Hatton's camp was in "turmoil", with Roach's source saying that "that Hatton was miserable with Mayweather and was unhappy that Mayweather had arrived late for several workouts." Mayweather had addressed his issues with Hatton, his co-trainer Lee Beard, but wouldn't disclose the issues. Hatton has earlier said that he is happy with Mayweather, with whom he replaced his long-time trainer Billy Graham.
Some have embraced the fact that Hatton and Pacquiao did not engage in any kind of rampant antagonism during the pre-fight hype, as is most characterized by Floyd Mayweather, Jr.; examples being his bouts against Oscar De La Hoya, where he mocked and abused his opponent in front of him, and Hatton, where some physical jostling was not unheard of. While both did try and downsize the other, there was a friendly and cordial atmosphere to the fighters' meetings, especially in Manchester.
Read more about this topic: Ricky Hatton Vs. Manny Pacquiao
Famous quotes containing the word hype:
“Fashion is primitive in its insistence on exhibitionism, which withers in isolation. The catwalk fashion show with its incandescent hype is its apotheosis. A ritualized gathering of connoiseurs and the spoilt at a spotlit parade of snazzy pulchritude, it is an industrialized version of the pagan festivals of renewal. At the end of each seasonal display, a priesthood is enjoined to carry news of the omens to the masses.”
—Stephen Bayley (b. 1951)