By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TOP Rank promoter Bob Arum said he expects that a decision on the venue for the May 2 mega-buck showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Britain?s Ricky Hatton will be made on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

In an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Arum said he received the preliminary responses from the people who want to put it at Thomas and Mack. ?The MGM Grand had asked me for time until tomorrow morning [Thursday in the US] to get back to me on our proposal to them.?

Arum said both he and Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer, who met earlier with each of the interested venue representatives separately, said they would wait and have a decision by Friday (tomorrow).

The Top Rank executive made the statement even as Hatton?s lawyer Gareth Williams was reportedly flying to Dubai to discuss his possible future fights and that Las Vegas will be the most likely venue for the showdown with Pacquiao. 

Meantime, trainer Freddie Roach said he?s eager to get Pacquiao into the Wild Card Gym and ready to begin the hard grind on March 1, predicting that the fight against Hatton would be tougher than the clash with Oscar de la Hoya.

Roach believes that Pacquiao will ultimately take Hatton out in the later rounds, just like he did with World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz and De la Hoya.

But Roger Mayweather Sr., who trained Hatton for the Paulie Malignaggi fight in which the Briton looked very impressive, said that his ward would win and even indicated the British International Boxing Organization 140-pound champion, who has never been beaten at that weight, may stop Pacquiao in the first round.

Roach conceded that Hatton had never lost at 140 pounds.

?But there?s always a first time,? Roach said.