Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao will end up in the ring together after all.

The popular British fighter and the pound-for-pound king from the Philippines will fight May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas in easily the year's biggest bout — one that appeared scuttled earlier in the week when Pacquiao refused to accept terms already agree to by his promoter.

Pacquiao, who is coming off an easy win over Oscar De La Hoya last month, signed and faxed his bout contract to the headquarters of promoter Top Rank in Las Vegas yesterday.

The 12-round junior welterweight fight is expected to be a sellout, Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels told The Associated Press.

"Manny Pacquiao is the most exciting, charismatic athlete in the world today. He has millions of fans worldwide," Top Rank chief Bob Arum said from Los Angeles, where he is promoting tonight's welterweight title fight between Antonio Margarito (37-5, 27 KOs) and Shane Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs).

"Now he has a new challenge in facing a champion in Ricky Hatton."

Pacquiao has won his last nine fights and captured a lightweight belt from David Diaz last summer.

The original agreement was for Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) and Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) to split their shares 50-50, with Pacquiao having a $12 million guarantee. Then Pacquiao demanded a bigger percentage, and a new agreement called for him to get a 52-48 split.

FIGURE SKATING

ABBOTT LEADS MEN

Jeremy Abbott won the short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last night in Cleveland with a score of 86.40 points to lead two-time defending champion Evan Lysacek going into tomorrow's free skate.

Johnny Weir, the national champion from 2003-06, popped a triple axel into a single and is in seventh place.

SOCCER

U.S. PLAYS SWEDEN

United States forward Brian Ching, a Kamehameha Schools alum, and midfielder Sacha Kljestan will be the only starters from October's World Cup qualifier against Cuba in tonight's exhibition against Sweden.

With most of the starters remaining with their European clubs, U.S. coach Bob Bradley will use a roster that includes seven players who will make their international debuts in a tuneup for next month's World Cup qualifier against Mexico.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers completed an $18 million, two-year contract yesterday, a deal that avoided salary arbitration. The 24-year-old Fielder receives a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $6.5 million this year and $10.5 million in 2010. ... Hometown favorite Laura Lepisto earned a personal best score of 56.62 yesterday to take the lead after the women's short program in the European Figure Skating Championships at Helsinki, Finland.