Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton formally agreed to fight for Hatton's IBO junior welterweight belt on May 2, ending several weeks of negotiating and posturing on Wednesday. Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs), generally considered the world's top pound-for-pound fighter, will go after Hatton's 140-pound (63½-kilogram) title at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Pacquiao nearly scuttled the bout several times in recent weeks while demanding a bigger share of the lucrative purse, even forcing Golden Boy Promotions to cancel a media tour planned for this week. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum finally persuaded Pacquiao to sign the necessary contracts after reaching a reworked deal with Hatton's representatives this week. The Philippines' most famous man is at the top of his talents after brutalizing Oscar De La Hoya in their fight on Dec. 6, forcing the Golden Boy to quit after eight rounds. Pacquiao moved all the way up to welterweight for that bout after fighting just once above 130 pounds (59 kilograms) in his career before then, and the former five-division champion will move back down to yet another weight class for his next high-profile pay-per-view fight. “I always like new challenges, which is the reason I am anxious to fight Ricky Hatton,” Pacquiao said in a statement released by Top Rank. “My trainer, Freddie Roach, will put together a new game plan which will be much different than the one we used against Oscar. There are concerns because Hatton is a very strong puncher, so I must deal with that in the ring.” Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) is one of Britain's most popular athletes, but the Manchester-born brawler lost his only previous fight against a boxer of Pacquiao's stature when Floyd Mayweather Jr. stopped him in December 2007. Hatton beat Paulie Malignaggi last autumn in his most recent bout.
