RICKY Hatton roared “Bring on the Pac Man” after seven savage rounds in which Manny Pacquiao made legend Oscar De La Hoya a virtual punchbag.
‘Golden Boy’ De La Hoya’s bid to fight Hatton in a £14m Wembley showdown next May was shelved when Pacquiao upset the odds in Vegas. 
Hitman Hatton said: “Pacquiao has now proved himself to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world so why wouldn’t I want to fight him? “Pacquiao is now one of the world’s biggest names but I’m the world’s biggest ticket- seller. I’m a big draw in my own right.”
Yes, everyone loves pasty, fat, alcoholic Englishmen abroad.
Legendary six-weight champion De La Hoya, 35, was stopped for only the second time after he quit on his stool ahead of round eight with the Pac-man miles ahead on points.
Speed kills and the Filipino icon first befuddled De La Hoya, and then battered him.
After an astonishing display that – thankfully for us – dispelled the old adage that size matters, Pacquiao, 29, who stepped up three weight divisions in just eight months to fight at welterweight, is up for the money-spinner against Hatton.
He said: “My job is to fight. I’ll go to England any time and fight Hatton – no problem.”
Hatton, 30, was part of one of the biggest grossing non-heavyweight fights, when he earned £13m for fighting Floyd Mayweather Jnr at welterweight and now wants a bit more cash for Eccles cakes, pies and bitter.
Oh, and Guinness.
• THE COBRA is a formidable beast that everyone tries to avoid, lurking in the shadows until striking with ruthless aggression once given the chance. It’s no coincidence that Carl Froch takes his nickname from such a pain in the grass.
The Nottingham native ended years of frustration in exhilarating fashion when he claimed the WBC super-middleweight title in a manner which led to comparisons Benn, Eubank and Britain’s other 12-stone greats.
Froch produced a unanimous victory over brave, dangerous, and previously unbeaten, Canadian Jean Pascal by teeing off like Ivan Drago from first bell to the last in a contest with a frantic pace.
Fantastic Mr Froch’s lit up the big stage with his 24th straight win and as the holder of the most prestigious 12-stone title, big names like Jermain Taylor will be unable to avoid fighting him.
It was a rare case of substance over hype for a British boxer, something which cannot be said about the following show ponies: –
• AMIR Khan was able to pick his scrawny, arrogant arse off the canvas and take the first step to restoring his battered reputation with a second-round stoppage of Irishman Oisin Fagan.
Fagan – who may or may not be an actual boxer – required oxygen treatment in his corner after a brutally one-sided contest.
The win was Khan’s 19th in 20 fights, but his dodgy chin and world title pipedreams would have been tested more by Mother Theresa.
• FR-AUDLEY Harrison’s even more unlikely heavyweight world title aspirations were left in tatters after losing to Belfast cabbie Martin Rogan. The Olympic gold medalist paid the price for a negative and lazy display that handed the aggressive and crudely effective Rogan victory on points in an ugly encounter.
Rather than discard Audley’s claims he can still be world champ, it should merely provide you with belief that if he can, so can you.
• RONNIE O’Sullivan won the Premier League title for a fifth straight year with a 7-2 victory over Mark ‘The Jester from Leicester’ Selby.
• STRAPPING Swede Henrik Stenson cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in the Nedbank at Sun City.
Stenson added to his opening day course-record 63 with a closing 68 for a 21-under total and nine-shot win over American Kenny Perry.
Robert Karlsson, who partnered Stenson to World Cup victory last week, finished third.
LEGENDS LIVE
SOUTH Africa arrived this week for an eagerly awaited tour of Australia, but one man missing was one of modern cricket’s greatest talents, and own worst enemy, Hershelle Gibbs.
The classical stroke maker has played 90 tests and 234 ODIs for 34 centuries, but even this hasn’t done justice to a man with the tools to be an all-time legend.
Despite, hitting 175 in the highest ODI run chase of all time and six sixes in an over against Holland in the last World Cup, Gibbs will be remembered for dropping Steve Waugh in the 1999 World Cup, when he tried to throw the ball in the air to celebrate before it was under control. Waugh said “You’ve just dropped the World Cup,” and went on to score the runs to win the game and the tournament.
Off-field controversies began with admitting he took $15,000 from ex-captain Hansie Cronje to score “less than 20” v India. He tearfully said he couldn’t follow through, scoring 74, and was banned for only six months.
A ban for smoking weed in Antigua followed, as did revelations about a love child and suspension for partying on the morning of an international.
He was also banned for racist abuse heard on the stump mic.
After being sent home for breaking a team curfew last month, he is currently in rehab for his alcohol problems after being caught drink-driving.
If only he fulfillled his talent for batting as well as he fulfilled his talent for being a cock.
