One fighter is chasing history and boxing immortality, the other seeks to seal his own legacy. Both will light up Las Vegas with an explosive fight that promises to be an all-time classic.

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, the boxing world's pound-for-pound king, will clash with the pride of Manchester, Ricky Hatton, for the latter's IBO Junior welterweight crown in a 12-round title fight dubbed Battle of East and West at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

The battle for supremacy at 140 pounds also includes The RING Magazine's Junior welterweight crown which Hatton currently owns as champion. Ironically, Hatton is not the odds-on favorite despite being unbeaten in the division.

That's because Pacquiao, winner of his last nine fights, has defied all boxing logic and exceeded expectations on his way to becoming the mythical pound-for-pound champion of the sport - an honor bestowed by boxing's top writers to the best fighter across all divisions.

The Filipino, dubbed the PacMan, is chasing a rare feat done only by the man he beat into submission in his last fight. If Pacquiao dethrones Hatton, he would become only the second fighter to win titles in six weight classes - a distinction that only Oscar De La Hoya holds.

Pacquiao demolished De La Hoya in eight rounds last December that led the Golden Boy to quit on his stool before the ninth round bell and eventually into retirement. Pacquiao has previously won titles in the flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight divisions from boxing's various sanctioning bodies.

Pacquiao fought De La Hoya in the welterweight class but despite the seeming disparity in height and weight, the Filipino overwhelmed him and proved to all his doubters that he can carry his speed and power in the higher division. Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KO), enters the fight against Hatton as a 2/1 on favorite.

But the The Hitman is unfazed. Hatton will enter the ring sporting a 45-1 win-loss slate with 32 victories by knockout. His only loss came at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who knocked him out cold in the 10th round of their welterweight match (147-pounds) in December 2007. This means Hatton is still undefeated in the 140-pound division where he thinks Pacquiao's rank invasion will come to a screeching halt.

"This is where I rule. I honestly believe that I cannot be beaten at this weight and that I will have a huge advantage in terms of size and power," Hatton wrote in one of his online diaries for Yahoo Sports. He belittled Pacquiao's win over De La Hoya, saying that the Filipino defeated an aging fighter who was already a "sorry shadow of his real self."

However, Pacquiao's multi-awarded trainer, American Freddie Roach, believes that he has the better fighter and that Pacquiao's speed and overall skills will spell victory. “We can talk about who is better here and who is better there, but when it comes down to it, what matters is the complete package and I think I have the better fighter,” Roach said. “I have a lot of respect for Ricky, but Manny has it all."

In earlier interviews, Roach even predicted that Pacquiao will knock Hatton out in three rounds. "I told Manny that I will really be disappointed in him if the fight lasts beyond three rounds."

Hatton's outspoken trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., - incidentally, the father of the only man to beat him - disagrees with Roach and even poked fun at how Pacquiao throws his punches. "It's called amateurism," declared Mayweather. He also believes that Hatton has what it takes to cope up with Pacquiao's perceived advantage in speed.

“Ricky is not slow,” Mayweather said. “But it’s not all about speed. It’s about timing. If you know boxing, you know that timing is the most important thing. And Ricky has very good timing.”

With the impending emergence of Floyd Mayweather Jr., out of retirement, the former pound-for-pound king is looking to cap the year with a December bout against the winner of the Pacquiao-Hatton match.

On a personal note, I have my usual Fearless Forecast for this fight and I believe Manny Pacquiao will run away with the crown via unanimous decision.

Although most fight fans see either an early or late stoppage in the fight, I think Pacquiao will take the full route and win in a convincing fashion where his natural boxing talent and superior skills will shine. That's unless he's not quick enough to elude a liver shot from Ricky's pet left hook. Hatton will let it all fly for sure but I think Manny will be too quick for him.

The Hitman has the obvious advantage in size and power and one unknown variable that most observers overlook is whether Pacquiao can take Hatton's punch. Even Roach seemed to omit this aspect in his interviews, but that perhaps because he thinks Hatton will not be able to catch Pacquiao with a huge shot.

Ricky still has a puncher's chance of an upset if he can perfectly deliver a left hook like the one he stuck like a dagger to Jose Luis Castillo's ribcage in their June 2007 fight. Castillo took the punch, turned his back around Hatton, collapsed on his knees and got counted out by Joe Cortez in the fourth round.

If he can deliver those type of body shots with precision, he even has a chance to knock Pacquiao out early. Hatton's reputation for rough-housing his opponents by grappling could also throw Pacquiao out of rhythm.

But as Pacquiao displayed in the De La Hoya fight, he will be hard to hit. And when he hits, it will be a four-punches-to-one ratio. The fourth punch is usually the 'Phantom Punch', the punch that you do not see coming. Hatton must avoid Pacquiao's vaunted combinations and phantom punches if he wishes to stay on his feet until the final bell.

Ricky Hatton is a great champion and could be considered for the Boxing Hall of Fame some day. But Manny Pacquiao's own golden era has dawned with his conquest of De La Hoya and a victory over Hatton will be his Sunday afternoon delight while the inevitable clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be his prime time dinner. Go Manny!