Pacquiao threw Hail Mary punch at Hatton – Floyd  

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Floyd Mayweather Jr., who will take on Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in a non-title welterweight bout on Saturday for his first fight since beating Britain's Ricky Hatton in December 2007, has belittled Manny Pacquiao’s win over the same Briton, saying his own win was of a higher quality.

The undefeated American, a former world champion at five different weights, has come out of retirement determined to reclaim the title of best pound-for-pound boxer which has passed on to Pacquiao largely on the heels of Pacquiao’s demolition of Hatton and Oscar de La Hoya.

Mayweather, however, believes his own victory over Hatton was of a higher quality and that his return to boxing will bring a much needed jolt of excitement to the sport.

''People seem to forget, I fought Ricky Hatton when he was undefeated and I laid down the blueprint for how to beat him,'' the flamboyant 32-year-old said.

''And again, when you look at the tape of when Hatton fought Manny Pacquiao, when Pacquiao hit him he wasn't even looking when he threw the punch. He threw a Hail Mary punch.''

Pacquiao demolished Hatton with a stunning second round knockout in May to claim the IBO light welterweight crown.

''I'm not saying Pacquiao's not a good fighter,'' Mayweather added. ''I'm not saying that I'm the only star in boxing. There are other stars in boxing. But there's only one mega-superstar.''

Mayweather credits a trip to the Bahamas with his mother for sparking his hotly anticipated comeback.

Shortly after his 10th round stoppage of Hatton in Las Vegas, Mayweather announced he would not fight again because he had lost his desire for the sport.

''I was going to the gym, playing basketball and partying a little,'' Mayweather told reporters on Tuesday about his various activities since retiring. ''I travelled a lot.''

It was on one of those trips, according to Mayweather, that his mother Deborah turned to him and said: ''Everyone on the whole island keeps asking when you're going to fight again.''

Having mulled over those words, the American returned to his home town of Las Vegas where he went to the boxing gym and sparred eight rounds. After sounding out several close friends, he decided to make his official return to the ring.

Source: mb.com.ph