The last three fights of Manny Pacquiao's career have transformed him and turned him into not just one of the best fighters in the sport, but one of the two biggest as well. For years, Pacquiao was one of "our" fighters, an exciting, dynamic, can't-miss-him-fight sort of guy that translated to the hardcore audience. His size seemed a deterrent for him ever being a major star, and the fact that he isn't American or Mexican also seemed it might be a hindrance in the States, too.

But his performances in major money fights against Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto have not just been shockingly dominant, but they've introduced him to the casual audience, and that audience can't get enough of him. CompuBox looks at the numbers for Manny's last three bouts:

If you have trouble reading the numbers, a larger resolution version of the same chart can be seen here.

Manny Pacquiao's two-round destruction of Ricky Hatton in May remains an amazing thing to watch. Can Miguel Cotto do anything to stop Pacquiao's amazing run? (AP Photo)

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It's been nearly four months now since Manny Pacquiao ended what was then going to be the biggest fight of 2009 in less than six minutes of action. And no matter how many times I watch the video of the fight, I never cease to be amazed by how easy Manny made it look.

That night, the Filipino living legend not only outquicked and outboxed Manchester's favorite son, but he did so in a brutal fashion that left no questions whatsoever. Five months earlier, Pacquiao had stunned the boxing world by beating Oscar de la Hoya so thoroughly that "The Golden Boy" quit on his stool after eight rounds of action, so hopelessly out of the contest that there was no need to go on.

Oscar couldn't touch Pacquiao that night. Hatton never really got a chance to even try.

Oscar de la Hoya retired after what Manny Pacquiao did to him. It remains to be seen whether or not Ricky Hatton will fight again.

What we do know, though, is that both were fights that Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, quickly agreed to. In fact, the win over Oscar was barely in the books before talk of Pacquiao and Hatton on May 2, 2009 began. After some rough patches in the negotiation process, that fight came off, and now it's history.

Freddie took the Oscar fight when people said it was crazy because he saw that Oscar de la Hoya couldn't pull the trigger anymore, and I think he also knew from training Oscar that there was no way that de la Hoya was going to comfortably make 147 pounds.

Freddie took the fight with Hatton because he saw a vulnerable, limited fighter -- a very good fighter, good at what he does, yes, but so tailor made for Pacquiao that Roach knew Hatton had no chance to beat his guy.

But what about Miguel Cotto? Roach has backed off from the idea of fighting a pre-disgraced Antonio Margarito, because he plainly said, "Margarito is too big." He wanted Shane Mosley to boil down to 143 pounds. And he's made Cotto come down to 145.

Why is that?

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Last night, a significant chapter turned in the dynamic, ever-renewing history of boxing. As we all know, Manny Pacquiao underwent a metamorphosis last night--at least for the world at large.

Freddie Roach already knew it. Manny himself surely knew it. Some in his ardent fan base believed it. But how many really KNEW it? Now we all know. Last night, Manny Pacquiao ceased being "merely" boxing's greatest active practitioner-and, miraculously, one of the very most exciting boxers as well--he emerged as one of the greats. A transcendent figure. An athlete that inspires wonder from hardcore and casual fan alike. Manny Pacquiao became a living legend.

I don't use that phrase lightly. Floyd Mayweather is no living legend, though, arguably, he might merit a notch higher of a spot in an all-time P4P list, at least for now. There is a difference, though. In a way Mayweather never has, Manny Pacquiao astounded me last night. He completely befuddled my humble appreciation for the sport. In his last two fights, it's become clear that he is not just a supremely talented athlete, like Mayweather, but an almost unbelievable figure. As I said, a real living legend.

There will be time for arguments about his legacy. Time for sober assessments of what he actually achieved ... how significant his win over Hatton really was. There will be time to carp over rumors about his next fight, his chances against Mayweather (whether we believe that fight will transpire or not). There will time to reassess our estimations of Marquez, Oscar, and others...

But for now, I am satisfied just to keep sipping this expensive beer and reflect on Manny's greatness--on his power, his public humility, and his poise. Cheers to you, Manny Pacquiao. Floyd may claim to be back to keep boxing "up and running," but it's you, Manny, who has become its true redeemer.

Like most everyone, referee Kenny Bayless seemed more in shock than anything when Manny Pacquiao flattened Ricky Hatton in the second round. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

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Ricky Hatton went back to his corner after the first round, having tasted canvas twice due to the blinding speed and shocking power of Manny Pacquiao, and he looked hopeless. He looked defeated.

He looked like a man who knew he was in way over his head.

If that indeed was the prevailing thought in Hatton's mind, he was right. Less than three minutes later, he was destroyed by a left from Pacquiao, knocked out nearly cold.

I was up late after the fight, drinking and discussing the bout with friends until about 6am. I'm slightly hungover today, about to eat a panini, glancing outside and catching glimpses of my neighbors talking on cell phones, hearing their brakes squeal as they try to park their cars.

But the image of Hatton flat, hurt, and conquered won't leave my mind. And I'm still not sure how to go about discussing this fight.

There are the easy targets. Maybe Hatton should retire. Maybe I could complain about a pay-per-view that featured four dull undercard fights and a two-round demolition in the main event for 50 dollars. Maybe...

But I won't complain about the cost, because something special happened last night. This was sort of like having watched Clyde Drexler have a great season only to meet up with Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. Or like watching one of those recent Ohio State football teams look unstoppable in Big Ten competition, only to meet up with a team that can flat-out out-run them in a bowl game.

Hatton was no match for Pacquiao -- and it doesn't mean Hatton's not good. It means Manny Pacquiao has gotten even better, a scary proposition for anyone that wants to fight him in the future.

The best news for Ricky Hatton is that he's OK, and that if you ask a lot of people who aren't crazy, there's nothing for him to be ashamed about. He's 45-2, reigned as 140-pound champion for about four years, and lost only to Mayweather (the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world then) and Pacquiao (the best now). If he retired tomorrow, I couldn't do anything but salute him, wish him the best, and hope he's got his mind right.

I don't think Ricky Hatton will retire. At the very least, a farewell fight in Manchester will be in the offing. I also believe he still has the goods to beat a lot of good fighters.

What this means for Pacquiao is simple and plain: He's now been a legitimate, lineal champion in four weight classes (112, 126, 130 and now 140) and has held world titles in two other divisions (122 and 135). No one has ever done this.

We're now talking about an all-time great. We're talking about one of the best fighters of this generation -- maybe the best.

In my generation, we've seen a few greats. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has done it on immense natural skill, great training from his father and uncle, and an ability to not be hit that rivals the best in history. Roy Jones Jr. did it on ridiculous reflexes and an uncanny ability to hit guys four times before they could even cover up. Winky Wright is/was a cover-up defensive master. Shane Mosley mixes skills and fortitude like few in the game today.

But nobody has been this insane force of nature that Pacquiao has become. He really hasn't lost a round in his last three fights, which ended when David Diaz was knocked out in nine, Oscar de la Hoya quit on his stool after eight, and now Ricky Hatton was drilled inside of two rounds.

Even though I don't think Hatton will retire straight off, I will not be surprised if this fight took a lot of Hatton's heart and desire, which would also mean that the last three guys Pacquiao has beaten have all found themselves either retiring (Oscar) or questioning what to do next (Diaz hasn't fought in almost a year, Hatton is up in the air now). He also essentially beat the spirit out of Erik Morales (who is planning an ill-advised comeback) and Marco Antonio Barrera (whose ill-advised comeback hasn't gone very well).

But what about Pacquiao? Where does he go now?

There's nobody at 140 that's a match for him, so this stay will be short-lived. His rival Juan Manuel Marquez -- the best opponent of his career -- will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a catchweight on July 18, and most people expect the winner to face Pacquiao. But Mayweather-Pacquiao just might not get done because of economics and fighter pride. What then? Bob Arum wants to match Manny with Miguel Cotto at 147, but let's not forget Cotto has a big test coming in Joshua Clottey (HBO, June 13). Shane Mosley?

When you get this good, there are only so many options. Stay-busy fights or bouts that aren't against the cream of the crop get called cowardice. You're expected to fight the best when you are the best.

Manny Pacquiao is the best. Let's see what the future holds, because the present is pretty amazing.

Manny Pacquiao stands over a knocked-out Ricky Hatton in the second round of their fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

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Ricky Hatton was absolutely no match for Manny Pacquiao tonight, going down twice in the first round and then a final time in the second, knocked out nearly cold on a perfect left hand.

Pacquiao landed 57% of his punches (73/127) compared to 23% for Hatton (18/78) in the incredibly short fight.

We will have MUCH more tomorrow, but I'm going to make a statement right now: I am STUNNED by how good Manny Pacquiao is. Ricky Hatton is a tough, tough man. Pacquiao blew him up with no trouble whatsoever. He beat the hell out of Ricky Hatton in short order.

Manny Pacquiao is without any question the best figher on the planet. Floyd could knock out Marquez with one punch in July and Pacquiao is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

I'm literally in awe. I don't even know what to say. This was competely amazing. Manny Pacquiao is unreal -- and he's an all-time great. He's won his fourth lineal championship and a title in six weight classes now.

Hatton had nothing for Pacquiao. Nothing. Ricky Hatton is a hell of a fighter and Manny Pacquiao made him look like a guy who didn't belong in there.

I don't know what else to say. Pacquiao just made his spot among the best ever.

Fight time is 9pm ET on HBO pay-per-view. We will be here with live, round-by-round coverage and scoring of all five of the bouts that air live, and then the big one, the main event, the biggest fight of 2009: Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao, toe-to-toe for Hatton's 140-pound championship of the world.

If you've never been here for round-by-round, it takes place in the comments of this post. Everything automatically refreshes and you don't need to do anything but sit back and follow.

via www.telegraph.co.uk

We're not putting up records for the undercards, but here are the televised matches, with links to their BoxRec.com pages:

Humberto Soto v. Benoit Gaudet (12 Rounds - Soto's WBC junior lightweight title on the line)

Daniel Jacobs v. Michael Walker (8 Rounds - Middleweights)

Erislandy Lara v. Chris Gray (4 Rounds - Junior Middleweights)

Matt Korobov v. Anthony Bartinelli (4 Rounds - Middleweights)

I'll be a guest tonight on MMA Nation with host Luke Thomas of BloodyElbow.com to discuss Hatton-Pacquiao and a little more boxing. My understanding is I'll be on around 8:15 ET.

Luke will also have former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra on as his featured guest.

You can listen live on WJFK's web site, or you can listen via podcast.

via d.yimg.com

Manny Pacquiao came in at 138 pounds and Ricky Hatton made the junior welterweight limit of 140 on the nose for tomorrow night's bout. The weigh-in took place in front of about 4,500 screaming fans in Las Vegas.

The atmosphere tomorrow is going to be crazy.

Oscar de la Hoya had this to say:

"When you have the Brits come over for Hatton, this is by far the biggest and best crowd I've ever seen," promoter Oscar de la Hoya said of the turnout. "I'm glad I retired so I can go have a pint."

Afterward, Oscar was heard to ask, "Anyone here from THE PHILIPPINES?!" He also shouted, "Hello, Las Vegas!"

Humberto Soto (130) and Benoit Gaudet (129) were both on weight for the main undercard bout.

via d.yimg.com

You don't win anything, I'm just curious how well everyone thinks this will do on American PPV. In England it will do a million plus, I'm certain of that (Hatton against Mayweather did 1.4 million there and 910,000 in the States).

For a refresher, here are some notable recent boxing PPVs, with rough estimates of how many buys they did:

There are several factors at work here, as well:

1. The economy is still not good. Promoters tried to blame the weak numbers for Pavlik-Hopkins and Calzaghe-Jones on the economy, but I truly feel that you have to also consider that Pavlik has not sold on PPV yet, Hopkins has never been a superstar despite having all the skills to be one (except most of his fights aren't exciting), and Calzaghe-Jones was a hideous matchup that everyone overestimated as far as public interest went. Calzaghe was never a star in the States, either; his HBO fights with Hopkins and Kessler did rotten ratings.
2. Two of Pacquiao's last three fights have been HUGE success. The rematch with Marquez doing "only" 400,000 buys seems disappointing until you remember no fighters of their size or lower headlining a PPV has ever done so well in America.
3. Promotion has been excellent for this fight, including what is in my view the strongest "24/7" series to date. But "24/7" is sold to one-and-half types of people, really: Boxing fans that were already going to order (or not order), and those that subscribe to HBO. Phenomenal show, but I question how much it really means. It did zilch for Calzaghe-Jones. The other fights for which it has been used -- like this one -- were guaranteed sellers (Oscar-Floyd, Floyd-Ricky, Oscar-Manny).
4. Both fighters have done mammoth buys (against Floyd and Oscar), but in neither instance were they the "A" side.

So take it all in: The depressed economy, the fact that neither man has ever single-handedly sold a massive show (not that they're doing this one single-handed, either), and the great promotion.

Where do you see this one ending up when the tallies are in?

Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Sr. may not be getting on quite as well as previously believed. (AP photo)

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The timing really couldn't be worse, but some chinks are showing up in the armor of Team Hatton.

From BBC Sport:

Mayweather admits problems have overshawdowed the preparations.

"Was there a problem (in the camp)? Yes. I saw a problem and addressed it. Nobody is jerking me around," he said.

...

"It doesn't mean a camp is not a good camp because there are problems," he said. "It doesn't mean you've had a bad camp. I think he had a good camp.

"It was a problem that could be addressed and taken care of without being in the media. We straightened it out."

When asked if there was a clash between himself and Hatton's assistant trainer Lee Beard, Mayweather said: "Why wouldn't Lee and I be friends? Why would you pick Lee out of everybody?

"There are a lot of people there (in camp), not just me and Lee. But you could be on the right track.

"I'm a no-nonsense trainer. We have a very clear understanding. I respect them and I want them to do the same with me."

GMA News in the Philippines is saying that Hatton is having trouble making weight:

Alex Ariza, Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, believes the 30-year old boxer from Manchester, England has yet to comfortably meet the 140-pound limit based on the road work Hatton was still doing Thursday at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas campus.

Ariza talked to one of the strength and conditioning coach who was around when Hatton jogged around the campus oval. “My source saw them running out in the sun, so probably he’s still struggling to make weight."

...

Ariza’s revelation came in the heels of the alleged rift between Hatton and Mayweather Sr. Hatton reportedly felt miserable working out under the outspoken Mayweather Sr., whose practice of coming late in training doesn’t sit well with the two-time world champion.

Mayweather Sr., hired by Hatton last year to replace long-time trainer Billy Graham, didn’t deny the matter, but stressed out that everything else had been settled with Hatton.

I wouldn't really take a whole lot from this. Hatton crashes to 140 every single time. He never comfortably makes weight.

As for the rift between Hatton and Floyd, I tend to agree with folks who say it's natural for something like that to happen. Floyd and the more senior members of Ricky's team are probably still getting accustomed to each other, and frankly even though we know Mayweather shows up late for training sometimes and "24/7" even made light of that fact, he's not lying when he says he's a no-nonsense trainer. He's exceptionally hard-nosed. We're talking about the one trainer in recent years that's seemed to be able to get Oscar de la Hoya to remember he's a guy who can still do things wrong in the ring.

For instance: There's a story in the BBC article linked above about Mayweather popping Hatton in the head with his mitts if he isn't pleased with how Ricky is moving his head. Do you think that happened under Billy Graham?

Bottom line: I wouldn't much worry about anything. Mayweather, despite all his goofiness, is a professional.

UPDATE: More here from Kevin Iole:

Roach’s agent, Nick Khan, had heard of rumors of discontent between Hatton and his trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. In a telephone conversation with Schaefer, Khan suggested that Roach would be interested in training Hatton.

“Richard [Schaefer] and I were speaking on the phone, though I’m not sure who called who, and I told him how much respect Freddie has for Ricky,” said Khan, who is Pacquiao’s former co-manager. “I suggested that after Manny defeats Ricky on Saturday, which is Freddie’s priority, that we sit down and discuss the possibility of Freddie getting together and working with Ricky.”

A source close to Roach said Schaefer had indicated that Hatton was miserable with Mayweather and was unhappy that Mayweather had arrived late for several workouts.

Schaefer adamantly denied telling anyone he knew of problems between Hatton and Mayweather and said Thursday he was surprised to hear of it from a reporter.

That's a little more serious-sounding, but at the same time it also sounds like Khan is trying to stir the pot on behalf of Roach and Team Pacquiao.

Note: If you want to make your Hatton-Pacquiao picks for our ongoing picks competition thing, that post is here. It's been madness keeping up with all the news the last few days, but we're doing our best, and that means stuff gets bumped faster than normal.