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It was the defining - and most sickening - image of the sporting weekend. You didn't need to have forked out the near 15 quid and sat up until four in the morning to see it, either. The moment when Manny Pacquiao's brutal punch shook Ricky Hatton's head off its shoulders was replayed over and over on the news. If your kids were asking if they could take up boxing, it was not going to encourage you to say 'yes'.

I laughed out loud when I heard one irate punter get through to a phone-in yesterday morning complaining that Hatton made no attempt to get up. It was a tribute to the strength of his neck muscles that he could eventually rise from the canvas. That punch would have killed you or I.

Today's papers are inevitably full of speculation over whether it should be the moment that ended Hatton's career. Most say it is time to retire - while the Express's Niall Hickman claims the Hitman has told his family he wants one more bout at home in front of his adoring Manchester fans. Hopefully that won't be against anybody who might hit him back because a punch like Pacquiao's will take a toll for months to come.

The Daily Star's Brian Woolnough was in Vegas to cover the fight and has his own excellent interview with Hatton. But they have another interesting take on it all from their UFC writer Kevin Francis - who reveals that the Mexican's trainer Freddie Roach has been working with British fighter Dan Hardy ahead of his next trip into the Ultimate Fighting ring.

Welterweight Hardy is due to meet former professional boxer Marcus Davies at UFC 99 in Germany on June 13, and has been working in America to start preparing. He tells Francis: "I usually do half my camp in Los Angeles with ju-jitsu legend Eddie Bravo at his gym. But because I am fighting an ex boxer I also took advantage of the fact that Freddie Roach's Wildcard gym is a couple of miles from my girlfriend's house.

"I trained there every morning for six weeks and he really helped refine my head movement and footwork on the inside. Most UFC fighters don't stay in close range to punch, they are too worried about getting taken down, but it can be done with the right footwork. I know that because of what Freddie taught me."

A victory for Nottingham born Hardy would put him in the top ten welterweights in UFC after winning both his first two fights. He adds: "Marcus thinks he's untouchable because he's an ex-boxer. But if he was that good he'd be a current boxer!"

The market for UFC 99 is only just forming but it looks as if Hardy will be the underdog against the American. Keep an eye on it and if you can get a price of around [3.0] matched he'll be a good bet.

Five things you might not know about Dan Hardy...

1. He got into trouble starting fights at his Nottingham school because he was obsessed with the Ninja Turtles cartoons - so his parents took him to Taekwondo classes.

2. He gave that up when it became an Olympic sport because he felt there wasn't enough aggression in it any more.

3. He studied art at Nottingham University and still takes a sketch pad with him.

4. He spent two months in China training and studying martial arts with Shaolin monks before his first amateur tournaments, and turned pro in 2004.

5. His musical tastes fit a fighter's image: "I like punk, heavy metal, some rap, anything with a good bass and an aggressive undertone."