Very interesting interview with Billy Graham. Confirms Hatton has no fear of Mayweather.

Ricky Hatton's trainer, Billy Graham, is hardly the most charming of people. He snarls rather than speaks, and every other word he utters is an expletive. He looks like the type of bloke you would probably avoid down the pub; the angry looking, shaved head type, ready to argue with anyone, and quick to disagree.

Graham does not really listen to what is said to him, rather he talks about what he wants, and answers questions he thinks should have been asked.

But, he is a fine trainer, and the type of person you would want in your corner. He has honed Ricky Hatton into an awesome fighting machine with his training methods, and he is one of the most respected trainers in the game because of it.

"I wasn't keen at all, why would I be?" said Graham irritably when asked about Hatton's upcoming fight with Luis Collazo. "My kid is Light Welterweight champion of the world, I am kind of reluctant to have him fight a welterweight southpaw who is a mover, and the objective of it all is to look good, as it is for the American public."

"He is the worst type of opponent," he continued. "I would have to be brain dead to not show my concerns about it. But, my concern was never, never that I though he could beat Ricky Hatton," he says emphatically, responding to members of the press who have read into his protests at taking this bout.

"Ricky Hatton could beat anyone at his weight in the world. The fight's on, we just got to deal with it."

How will he deal with a tall rangy southpaw in training?

"I know how to deal with a southpaw," he says flatly. "Ricky's got the tools to deal with a southpaw."

Does Hatton maintain his power and strength at 147?

"Absolutely".

Why this fight, and not someone slightly less difficult?

"It's the fight we were told to take."

Who would he have preferred?

"I'd prefer to fight Mayweather, because everyone thinks that Mayweather is the pound for pound best fighter in the world. It's Mayweather that we want", he opens up.

And how would he see that fight panning out?

"I see Ricky winning",

Too much pressure?

"Yeah, I think he'd put too much pressure on Mayweather. I think he is too intense, not just that, you can't beat Mayweather with just intensity, he is a genius, a wicked talent, but he's got flaws the same as anyone else, the same as Kostya Tszyu. My kid's a great fighter. It's not just his intensity and pressure which is of course what he brings," he says.

"He's a lot more than that, he has educated shots, he can read a fighter well, he's as quick as lightening himself, great foot work. He's a lot more than just intensity and pressure, but that would be a big part of it."

What flaws does Graham see in Mayweather?

"I see loads of flaws in him," he replies bluntly. "But you can't ask me to do this over a taped interview. I'm the coach, I see loads of flaws."

Moving on, what of the other opponents out there, in or around Hatton's weight category? Miguel Cotto for example?

"I think he is a great fighter, but he's a welterweight. He has got to move up to Welterweight NOW."

And how does he think Ricky would fare against him at 147?

"Why would we take the fight at 147?" he asks incredulously.

At 140 then?

"At 140, Ricky would stop him. It wouldn't be early, but Ricky would stop him", he states adamantly.

And what of Hatton's old British nemesis, Junior Witter?

"He would MURDER Junior Witter," he barks. "He would MURDER Junior Witter. There is not a prayer Junior Witter would see the final bell".

Ricardo Torres, the man who almost toppled Cotto in a thrilling 8 round brawl last year?

"I think Ricardo Torres is a wicked puncher, a massive puncher, he was a banger all his life, a real dangerous fighter, but that's about it," he says.

Given that Hatton has stated he wants to be out of the fight game in the next two to three years, whom would Graham choose to be Hatton's next three opponents?

"Mayweather, Mayweather, Mayweather" he replies slowly.

And with that, he walks off.

Before we get the torrent of usual Mayweather loving bias I thought I would add that Hatton for me is the only fighter who could beat Mayweather out there.
Mayweather without doubt is the best box fighter in the Welterweight divisions however that does not make him unbeatable, Hattons style would make a hard nights fighting for any boxer, thats just a fact, Mayweather likes to work off flashy combo's just inside of range where he can move in and out of distance and look at his stylish best.
With Hatton he will not be allowed to do that, he will have to brawl with Hatton, Hatton is too strong and too fit for Mayweather to push him back, he will constantly be inside of Mayweather and make him feel uncomfortable and uneasy and it would probably be a ugly fight but for me a hard one to define and to pick a winner.
Obviously if Mayweather if he can force his style onto Hatton then Mayweather will win but I think he will find it hard to do that so.......

Just my opinion.

Before we get the torrent of usual Mayweather loving bias I thought I would add that Hatton for me is the only fighter who could beat Mayweather out there.
Mayweather without doubt is the best box fighter in the Welterweight divisions however that does not make him unbeatable, Hattons style would make a hard nights fighting for any boxer, thats just a fact, Mayweather likes to work off flashy combo's just inside of range where he can move in and out of distance and look at his stylish best.
With Hatton he will not be allowed to do that, he will have to brawl with Hatton, Hatton is too strong and too fit for Mayweather to push him back, he will constantly be inside of Mayweather and make him feel uncomfortable and uneasy and it would probably be a ugly fight but for me a hard one to define and to pick a winner.
Obviously if Mayweather if he can force his style onto Hatton then Mayweather will win but I think he will find it hard to do that so.......

Just my opinion.

More or less use the identical tactics he used against Zoo. I dont think anyone can beat this style of boxing. Hatton can relentless pressure you for 12 rounds, has Mayweather ever faced a fighter of that caliber? Admittedly, I've only seen two Mayweather fight: Mitchell and Judah, so cannot say if he has or not.

WOW, what I find intersting is that they wouldnt want to fight Cotto at 147lbs. It also appears that they would want to fight PBF at 147lbs. Intersesting but that person conducting the interview was a cream puff.

WOW, what I find intersting is that they wouldnt want to fight Cotto at 147lbs. It also appears that they would want to fight PBF at 147lbs. Intersesting but that person conducting the interview was a cream puff.

Your right and I dont get the logic in that either.

hes smart, he knows cotto's killing himself to make 140 - at 147 - hes a stronger more fluid killing machine, like he was when he was a younger 140lber.

but if hatton looks at 147 like he did at 140, of course hes going to fight cotto - that would be a blood bath and everyone involved would make a killing - cotto/hatton @ 147 - and he is a smart man, very smart - he SEES that cotto's not fit for 140 anymore.

props to him for that.

Before we get the torrent of usual Mayweather loving bias I thought I would add that Hatton for me is the only fighter who could beat Mayweather out there.
Mayweather without doubt is the best box fighter in the Welterweight divisions however that does not make him unbeatable, Hattons style would make a hard nights fighting for any boxer, thats just a fact, Mayweather likes to work off flashy combo's just inside of range where he can move in and out of distance and look at his stylish best.
With Hatton he will not be allowed to do that, he will have to brawl with Hatton, Hatton is too strong and too fit for Mayweather to push him back, he will constantly be inside of Mayweather and make him feel uncomfortable and uneasy and it would probably be a ugly fight but for me a hard one to define and to pick a winner.
Obviously if Mayweather if he can force his style onto Hatton then Mayweather will win but I think he will find it hard to do that so.......

Just my opinion.
I disagree respectfully.

I don't see how Mayweather would have to brawl with Hatton and why he can't continue with his agile style. The ring is there and if Mayweather can't push Hatton back, he can push off of Hatton to get away then come back in with another jab/hook. Floyd definitely won't sit there and brawl with Hatton or he would most definitely lose.

I think this will be another classic Mayweather fight. Floyd will bounce around the ring hitting his way to another victory. There will be no KOs in this fight.

I disagree respectfully.

I don't see how Mayweather would have to brawl with Hatton and why he can't continue with his agile style. The ring is there and if Mayweather can't push Hatton back, he can push off of Hatton to get away then come back in with another jab/hook. Floyd definitely won't sit there and brawl with Hatton or he would most definitely lose.

I think this will be another classic Mayweather fight. Floyd will bounce around the ring hitting his way to another victory. There will be no KOs in this fight.

Its a fair point and one thats open ended, if Floyd was able to keep it at distance then of course he would beat Hatton, as I said Mayweather is the best box fighter around and if he was able to keep it at range then Hatton would be screwed, however Hatton would not allow it, he is the strongest and fittest Welterweight out there and would make it extremely uncomfortable for Mayweather.
Add into that Hatton will work the body and slow Floyd down, also add into that Floyd will work Hattons brow and probably cut his paper thin skin so there are permatations that could go either way.
What I wont accept and I have read on this site many times (from people who post before they think) is that Mayweather will beat Hatton easily and even knock him out, wont happen, if Mayweather beats Hatton it would be on points and he would leave the ring a very sore man!

Mayweather loves fighting guys that come forward, it's his specialty.
Judah had success in the early rounds against Mayweather because he waited on Mayweather to come forward instead of pressing the action.
The only pressure fighter Mayweather really had a problem with was Castillo in their first fight. Many think Castillo won that first fight, including me. But, when Castillo comes forward he does it with a lot of head movement, constant bobbing and weaving allowed him to get inside without taking pot shots to get there. I see no movement like this from Hatton when he comes inside.
I also don't want to hear anything like Hatton is the finest conditioned welterweight there is, because that's nonsense.
Mayweather spars 15 minute rounds and keeps himself in serious shape all year around. Hattons a pig when he's not training, drinking beer and eating like a pig.
Mayweather's a fine tuned machine and would win this fight stopped on cuts/TKO by the 10th round.

More or less use the identical tactics he used against Zoo. I dont think anyone can beat this style of boxing. Hatton can relentless pressure you for 12 rounds, has Mayweather ever faced a fighter of that caliber? Admittedly, I've only seen two Mayweather fight: Mitchell and Judah, so cannot say if he has or not.

floyd can counter with speed and accurate, crisp punching

floyd can counter with speed and accurate, crisp punching

You're right. The man has unbelievable hand speed, but does he have the stamina to keep up with a non stop Hatton. Hmm. I'm not so sure. Sure, he can last 12 rounds. No question. But its quiet a different matter when you have someone who seems hell bent on not giving you a seconds rest, as zoo found out to his cost.

You're right. The man has unbelievable hand speed, but does he have the stamina to keep up with a non stop Hatton. Hmm. I'm not so sure. Sure, he can last 12 rounds. No question. But its quiet a different matter when you have someone who seems hell bent on not giving you a seconds rest, as zoo found out to his cost.

Tszyu had boxed just a handfull of rounds in the 2 years previous to fighting Hatton, so he couldn't keep up the pace like Mayweather will. Even so, Mayweather is going down for sure, he has nothing in his arsenal that Ricky's iron chin won't walk through...Ricky takes a few to get inside then unloads to the body and with uppercuts, after 7 or 8 rounds of this Floyd will slow down then get caught, he's out of his league against the hitman at 147lbs.

Tszyu had boxed just a handfull of rounds in the 2 years previous to fighting Hatton, so he couldn't keep up the pace like Mayweather will.

****, you're right. Totally forgot about that.

Even so, Mayweather is going down for sure, he has nothing in his arsenal that Ricky's iron chin won't walk through...Ricky takes a few to get inside then unloads to the body and with uppercuts, after 7 or 8 rounds of this Floyd will slow down then get caught, he's out of his league against the hitman at 147lbs.

Karma for that. And the Brian Clough Avatar.

Tszyu had boxed just a handfull of rounds in the 2 years previous to fighting Hatton, so he couldn't keep up the pace like Mayweather will. Even so, Mayweather is going down for sure, he has nothing in his arsenal that Ricky's iron chin won't walk through...Ricky takes a few to get inside then unloads to the body and with uppercuts, after 7 or 8 rounds of this Floyd will slow down then get caught, he's out of his league against the hitman at 147lbs.

Great points, your right Mayweather can do 12 rounds no problem, your also right he wont handle 12 Hatton rounds easily!

Tszyu had boxed just a handfull of rounds in the 2 years previous to fighting Hatton, so he couldn't keep up the pace like Mayweather will. Even so, Mayweather is going down for sure, he has nothing in his arsenal that Ricky's iron chin won't walk through...Ricky takes a few to get inside then unloads to the body and with uppercuts, after 7 or 8 rounds of this Floyd will slow down then get caught, he's out of his league against the hitman at 147lbs.
i agree 100% ricky saw what floyd looked like in the zab fight and now he knows he can take him at that weight. this is why he is pressing for the fight.

I find it funny that people still buy into the idea that power makes a difference here. When will you guys ever learn?
It's been proven time and time again that a well schooled boxer will beat the brawler 9 times out of ten and this fight will be no different. Calzaghe schooled Lacy by outboxing him. He landed everything against the guy but didn't knock him out, he didn't have to. Lacy has all kinds of power but it didn't do him any good because he couldn't land anything and had zero defense.
I'm not saying Hatton's a carbon copy of Lacy, but when you look at this fight Mayweather has Hatton beat in almost every category:

Skill
Speed
Defense
Conditioning
Experience (quality of opponents)

The only edge I see Hatton having may be in the power department, but power does you no good if you can't hit your opponent cleanly which is something everyone has a problem doing against Mayweather.
You guys like keeping your heads buried in the sand despite these facts for some strange reason.

I find it funny that people still buy into the idea that power makes a difference here. When will you guys ever learn?
It's been proven time and time again that a well schooled boxer will beat the brawler 9 times out of ten and this fight will be no different. Calzaghe schooled Lacy by outboxing him. He landed everything against the guy but didn't knock him out, he didn't have to. Lacy has all kinds of power but it didn't do him any good because he couldn't land anything and had zero defense.
I'm not saying Hatton's a carbon copy of Lacy, but when you look at this fight Mayweather has Hatton beat in almost every category:

Skill
Speed
Defense
Conditioning
Experience (quality of opponents)

The only edge I see Hatton having may be in the power department, but power does you no good if you can't hit your opponent cleanly which is something everyone has a problem doing against Mayweather.
You guys like keeping your heads buried in the sand despite these facts for some strange reason.

Lacy and Hatton are completely different, Lacy depended on landing bombs, Hatton can and has adapted to all styles (have you watched any more than his last two fights?)
Also he is not a typical power puncher as you described him, he attacks with flurries to head and body and is constantly on top of his opponent.
As for your 'list' how you can say Mayweather is better conditioned than Hatton? Hatton is easily the better conditioned and naturaly fitter fighter, everyone knows that?
I will agree that Mayweather has superior overall skills and speed and that he has a better resume than Hatton but Hatton has fought some good fighters and one great fighter along the way so....
The difference between Lacy and Hatton is that Lacy was proved to be a hyped up fighter when he stepped up to top opposition in Calzaghe and was completely outclassed, Hatton fought, overwelmed and retired Kosta Tzsyu on his stool, huge difference!

hatton will smash mayweather up !!!!!!!!!!!!

Floyd will give Hatton the Gatti over and over and over.

Floyd will give Hatton the Gatti over and over and over.

:lol1: yeah right! he could'nt do it to judah but he's going to do it to hatton who is ten times more skillful

Hatton ten times more skillful than Judah?

ROFL.

I love it how Hatton fans use the Judah fight to compare Mayweather with Hatton. Judah is one of the most skilled boxers out there, and Floyd did something Hatton fans could only dream of: outbox Zab. Which Floyd did and did impressively.

PBF has a way, way, way better resume that Ricky. Ricky has one name worth mentioning, and thats KT... a washed up KT that had boxed less than what 8 rounds in 2 years?

PBF is going to absolutely unleash on Ricky's face as he comes in, and move back out. I see this fight ending in the later rounds with either a TKO or ref stoppage from cuts.

Hatton ten times more skillful than Judah?

ROFL.

I love it how Hatton fans use the Judah fight to compare Mayweather with Hatton. Judah is one of the most skilled boxers out there, and Floyd did something Hatton fans could only dream of: outbox Zab. Which Floyd did and did impressively.

PBF has a way, way, way better resume that Ricky. Ricky has one name worth mentioning, and thats KT... a washed up KT that had boxed less than what 8 rounds in 2 years?

PBF is going to absolutely unleash on Ricky's face as he comes in, and move back out. I see this fight ending in the later rounds with either a TKO or ref stoppage from cuts.


how many hatton fights you seen let me guess 2 at the most :rolleyes:

go watch some more then come back and tell me zab has more skill than hatton all zab got on hatton is speed

Hatton ten times more skillful than Judah?

ROFL.

I love it how Hatton fans use the Judah fight to compare Mayweather with Hatton. Judah is one of the most skilled boxers out there, and Floyd did something Hatton fans could only dream of: outbox Zab. Which Floyd did and did impressively.

PBF has a way, way, way better resume that Ricky. Ricky has one name worth mentioning, and thats KT... a washed up KT that had boxed less than what 8 rounds in 2 years?

PBF is going to absolutely unleash on Ricky's face as he comes in, and move back out. I see this fight ending in the later rounds with either a TKO or ref stoppage from cuts.

You obviously base your opinion on the Tsyzu and Maussa fights (forget the 38 before that)
As for mentioning that KT was washed up, its like shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted and its complete bollocks, KT now would still beat 99% of light welters and you know it, Hattons style and game plan added with his power and conditioning won that fight, it had nothing to do with KT's short comings, would you be 100% confident that PBF fighting at range against Tsyzu wouldn't get tagged just like Judah???
Styles make fights and Hattons overwelmed KT's, thats why PBF would find it extremely difficult in fighting Hatton.

Hatton Ko's Floyd Inside Of 9

Hatton ten times more skillful than Judah?

ROFL.

I love it how Hatton fans use the Judah fight to compare Mayweather with Hatton. Judah is one of the most skilled boxers out there, and Floyd did something Hatton fans could only dream of: outbox Zab. Which Floyd did and did impressively.

PBF has a way, way, way better resume that Ricky. Ricky has one name worth mentioning, and thats KT... a washed up KT that had boxed less than what 8 rounds in 2 years?

PBF is going to absolutely unleash on Ricky's face as he comes in, and move back out. I see this fight ending in the later rounds with either a TKO or ref stoppage from cuts.

Haven't you Yanks been doing this with Hatton since the Tszyu fight? one ****ing fight and he's a ' clincher ' sort it out.

Hatton could cope with Mayweather..he'd just pile on the pressure and not let him breath slowly tiring out ' Pretty Boy ' before knocking him out late on. End Of

Mayweather is a good fighter don't get me wrong but Americans are quick to dismiss any other countries fighters very quickly..you hype your boxers up to much..look at Lacy/Calzaghe

The Hitman would beat Floyd..if/when this fight happens, no doubt about it

Haven't you Yanks been doing this with Hatton since the Tszyu fight? one ****ing fight and he's a ' clincher ' sort it out.

Hatton could cope with Mayweather..he'd just pile on the pressure and not let him breath slowly tiring out ' Pretty Boy ' before knocking him out late on. End Of

Mayweather is a good fighter don't get me wrong but Americans are quick to dismiss any other countries fighters very quickly..you hype your boxers up to much..look at Lacy/Calzaghe

The Hitman would beat Floyd..if/when this fight happens, no doubt about it

I agree, Mayweather looked very beatable in his last fight, especially now that he's at 147, he's a blown up super featherweight, Hatton could beat him now, more than ever.

Hatton is good, but he is not knocking Good Fighters out, who??? Did you see Hatton on FNF, he looked like he has broken his neck (fat as hell). Mayweather maintains his conditioning fight or no fight. Hatton is good, very good however not good enough!!!

Hatton is good, but he is not knocking Good Fighters out, who??? Did you see Hatton on FNF, he looked like he has broken his neck (fat as hell). Mayweather maintains his conditioning fight or no fight. Hatton is good, very good however not good enough!!!

dont let looks decieve you hatton is one of the most conditioned
fighters right now he throws punches non stop for 12 rounds

hatton tires mayweather out then knocks him out

You can't tire Mayweather, he spars 15 minute rounds when training. The guy is a machine in the gym.
All I know is that Floyd stays in great shape all the time, not just when getting ready for a fight.
Ricky spends a lot of time eating and drinking. He blows up like a fat pig inbetween fights. That kind of stuff cathces up to you sooner or later.

You can't tire Mayweather, he spars 15 minute rounds when training. The guy is a machine in the gym.
All I know is that Floyd stays in great shape all the time, not just when getting ready for a fight.
Ricky spends a lot of time eating and drinking. He blows up like a fat pig inbetween fights. That kind of stuff cathces up to you sooner or later.

body punches will tire you out no matter how fit you are

Hatton is good, but he is not knocking Good Fighters out, who??? Did you see Hatton on FNF, he looked like he has broken his neck (fat as hell).

Hatton has always been like that. But when he is in fighting mode, fit and ready, God have mercy on Mayweather.

You can't tire Mayweather, he spars 15 minute rounds when training. The guy is a machine in the gym.
All I know is that Floyd stays in great shape all the time, not just when getting ready for a fight.
Ricky spends a lot of time eating and drinking. He blows up like a fat pig inbetween fights. That kind of stuff cathces up to you sooner or later.

Thats one theory and another is that constant weight watching and maintaining of condition adds to stress on the body and does not allow for recovery.
Hatton does pile the pounds on but by the time he gets in the ring he is lean and stronger and fitter than any probably any other fighter out there and he has been able to rest and recover completely between fights!
If anything it will prolong a career, as a fighter who is always watching his weight and is not able to let his hair down will quickly fall out of love with the sport!

Well, IMHO Hatton can't expect to tire out Mayweather, Mayweather is known to come into fights in great shape. Also the all year round conditioning is actually better for athletes. Football (American) players stay in shape virtually all year round with about 2-3 months off. They, like PBF stay in general good shape peaking for fights or begining of seasons. But dont allow themselves to get into bad shape between seasons. Look at Jerry Rice, his offseason workout routines were legendary and he was able to prolong his career for many years in a position that generally doesnt have a lot of longevity. Other football players took there que from him and now football athletes are in better shape than ever before and summer camps are no longer for getting into shape but for actual practice and team improvement.

I know Hatton comes in Incredible shape but I dont think you can give Hatton the conditioning advantage, I'm not sure you can give it to PBF either.

But as to who can have a longer career with there respective training regiments I believe its PBF. That and his fighting style generally lends its self to a longer career also.

I think at some point, someones lack of defense is going to be a problem, Hatton has virtually no defense when he decides he wants to bum rush someone, Hattons only chance with this strategy is to keep on mayweather with body shots etc, but the problem is that its really hard to land clean on mayweather and unlike Tszyu, mayweather doesnt need to be distant to set up his shots. Hatton isnt gonna outbox mayweather, so even if Hatton walks through mayweathers shots, we dont know how his face will hold up.

Its no secret that losing alot of weight constantly leads to someone swelling very easily, which we all know hatton does. The HBO announcers pointed this out about Vargas swelling so badly in the fight with Mosley.

And lets stop this fantasy about Judah being less talented than Hatton, thats simply not true, Judah has faster hands, faster head movement and far superior boxing skills, ive seen 9 Hatton fights. Hatton is much tougher than Judah, and has 9x the heart.

Hatton isnt gonna land on Mayweather like Judah did, Hatton doesnt have that kind of deceptive movement and speed to launch Counter lefts like Judah did. Hatton will simply have to hope his face holds up long enough to keep the pressure, but on Mayweather when you come in with no head movement, your gonna be in for a long night.

I think at some point, someones lack of defense is going to be a problem, Hatton has virtually no defense when he decides he wants to bum rush someone, Hattons only chance with this strategy is to keep on mayweather with body shots etc, but the problem is that its really hard to land clean on mayweather and unlike Tszyu, mayweather doesnt need to be distant to set up his shots. Hatton isnt gonna outbox mayweather, so even if Hatton walks through mayweathers shots, we dont know how his face will hold up.

Its no secret that losing alot of weight constantly leads to someone swelling very easily, which we all know hatton does. The HBO announcers pointed this out about Vargas swelling so badly in the fight with Mosley.

And lets stop this fantasy about Judah being less talented than Hatton, thats simply not true, Judah has faster hands, faster head movement and far superior boxing skills, ive seen 9 Hatton fights. Hatton is much tougher than Judah, and has 9x the heart.

Hatton isnt gonna land on Mayweather like Judah did, Hatton doesnt have that kind of deceptive movement and speed to launch Counter lefts like Judah did. Hatton will simply have to hope his face holds up long enough to keep the pressure, but on Mayweather when you come in with no head movement, your gonna be in for a long night.

I agree with a lot of your points. I dont think that PBF can really hurt Hatton with any single shot but can inflict prolonged damage if unchecked.

If you really think about it this fight is very similar to Ali vs Frazier, Frazier eats leather coming in but once on the inside lands the more damaging blows. It makes for an interesting fight, hard to really predict as cases could be made for both sides, but thats what makes this fight intersesting. My only contention is that I dont think Hatton will enjoy a conditioning advantage here.

Let's see how good Hatton looks against Collazo? Is anyone saying Collazo is better than Zab?