Well that didn't take long. Slightly under two rounds, actually before Manny Pacquiao dropped Ricky Hatton for the third and final time.
The man known as Hitman was ultimately done in by a vicious left hand that connected at the base of his jaw, turning the former champion off like a light switch in the middle of the ring. While it's still early, I'm pretty confident calling the punch knockout of the year. After brief exam in the ring Hatton walked off on his own power, presumably on his way to the hospital for a night of various scans.
For Pacman the future is as bright as ever. The pound-for-pound champ can now add the junior welterweight's lineal title to his collection, with eyes on a future fight versus the winner of July's Mayweather-Marquez showdown. Pacquiao has already defeated Marquez twice (one was scored a draw), although he was pushed to the limit in both contests. The tougher test at this point would likely come from Mayweather, who is the naturally bigger fighter and one of the best athletes on the planet. Regardless, we're talking about the top three fighters in the sport today.
If Hatton is going to have a future in the sport he's going to need to get over this knockout like he did the last time around against Mayweather. While his career as a pay-per-view headliner is likely over it doesn't mean he can't return as a competitive fighter, albeit one on the sport's second tier.
There's a video up on Sox and Dawgs.
Getty Image via Yahoo! Sports