By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TOP British sports executive Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport has picked Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao to defeat his British counterpart Ricky Hatton when they clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2.

In an interview with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Hearn conceded that his prediction may get him into trouble. ?But I may have to go for Pacquiao. A late-fight stoppage in Rounds 10, 11 or 12.?

Hearn said, though, that Hatton is pretty tough. ?They say that big hearts make big fights and you couldn?t find two fighters in the world who have got more heart and commitment than these two fighters which means that one of them is going to be dragged out of the ring at the end.?

Hearn added: ?I hope the one who is dragged out is on his feet rather than on the floor, because I think both fighters have given so much to the sport that they both deserve to do well. Obviously, there can be only one winner, unless it?s a draw.?

Hearn noted that while Hatton is a big body puncher, he believes Pacquiao is well prepared for it. ?Manny is very intelligent. He and Freddie Roach will watch the tapes and go to school, do their research and plan their tactics. I know one thing with Ricky Hatton, you know what you?re going to get. You are not going to get any surprises.?

Hearn was sure that Hatton was not suddenly going to come out, switch and fight a different kind of fight. ?He only knows one way and that?s all-out attack. Very easy to plan against. Tactically, Manny will be in a lot better shape than Ricky.?

At the same time, Hearn noted that ?people talk about a credit crunch, they talk about a financial crisis. I heard that tickets are $1,000 even for a mediocre seat and it?s probably going to be a $5,000 trip for a British fan.?

But Hearn was optimistic that ?there?ll probably be at least 10,000 Brits there.?