LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao admitted his hand was still feeling a little bruised two hours after a booming left hook knocked out Britain's Ricky Hatton in the second round of their eagerly awaited showdown on Saturday.

The Filipino challenger claimed the IBO light-welterweight title after sending Hatton sprawling to the canvas twice in the opening round before knocking him out cold with one second remaining in the next.

"I believe it was a very hard punch," Pacquiao told reporters after improving his career record to 49-3-2 with 37 knockouts. "My hand still hurts."

Hatton's assistant trainer Lee Beard said: "There was nothing Ricky could do. He got caught with a few good shots, he got back up and then obviously he got caught with that one big shot at the end."

Although Pacquiao was widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Hatton was believed to hold a size advantage at his natural weight of 140 pounds in a division where he had never previously lost.

However, Pacquiao always believed he would prove to be the stronger man.

"Before the fight, a lot of people think Ricky Hatton's bigger than me but I didn't put that in my mind," said the 30-year-old, who weighed only 106 pounds on his professional debut.

"I still believe that my body's bigger than Ricky. But with respect, he's still a good fighter."

Explosive power

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum applauded the Filipino's performance as "astounding" after his man had competed for only the third time above the super featherweight division.

"This kid improves with every single fight," Arum said. "He's doing things he wasn't doing two or three years ago.

"His defence is now tremendous. His reflexes are tremendous. I have never seen any fighter combine the speed and the explosive power that he does."

"I told Ricky Hatton not to be discouraged," Arum added. "There are plenty of people out there for him to fight. Nobody in the world can beat this little Filipino."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach agreed.

"Manny's unbelievable," he said. "He makes me look good. He's the best fighter in the world. He's in his prime right now. He's on top of his game. Anyone in the world, he can beat."

Asked about the possibility of a clash with American Floyd Mayweather Jr, who announced earlier on Saturday he would return from retirement to fight Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, Roach sounded doubtful.

He suggested instead future matchups with WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley and WBO holder Miguel Cotto.

Reuters

(China Daily 05/04/2009 page11)