By Terence Dooley
A few weeks ago I went on an interesting road trip with Billy Graham – trainer of Ricky Hatton – as Graham’s charge Matthew Macklin made his comeback from the Jamie Moore defeat, by defeating Antatoliy Udalov in Wolverhampton.
We made the trip back from Wolverhampton as torrential rain and, therefore, flooding swept through many parts of the UK.
As the car pulled-out off the city Graham broke out into a big smile and exclaimed joyfully, “Nature is f*cking wicked but this rain is diabolical”. There was a certain jubilation to Graham, a spirited joyfulness which transcended the miserable rain raging around us.
Graham is friendly and approachable at the best of times yet on this Friday night there was an element of childlike delight surrounding Billy.
At this point Graham confided that the fight he had dreamt off for the past few years – Ricky Hatton versus Floyd Mayweather – was in the process of being completed.
Graham shook his head as he spilled this out, perhaps vocalising this fact was hammering home the reality of the situation, and declared that he felt like a child waiting to open his Christmas presents who had had to tell someone what Santa was bringing him this December.
For Graham a journey of belief, that started when he first saw Hatton sparring his best fighters, was nearing its logical conclusion; a fight with the best fighter in the world, Mayweather, in one of the classic divisions in the sport, Welterweight, for the WBC title. As Graham explained:
BG: “We’ve always wanted the biggest fights, both me and Ricky wanted them but I wanted them at the right time and now the time is right. We were always careful because Ricky is constantly improving but it has always been our intention to win the undisputed titles and be the best.
“We wanted to fight the best fighters in superfights. It’s always been my ambition to go against the best camps as well. It was like that years ago when we fought in the MEN. We loved fighting in the MEN but we always wanted to get onto the big stage in America and to be fighting the best people and indeed that’s what we’re doing.”
Asking Graham if he was happy seemed a waste of time at this point.
BG: “I think this is absolutely fantastic as it is the fight that I want and it is the fight the whole planet wants so I say lets give everyone what they want to see and we can achieve what we wanted to and go against the best.”
That is the key to the fight for Graham. Billy feels Hatton is the best light-welterweight in the world as well as recognising that, on merit, Floyd is the consensus best fighter in the world and that is what makes this fight special. It is the best against The Best.
BG: “Look it is special to win a world title but it is even better to take it off an all time great like Kostya Tszyu and to dominate your division but every now and again there is somebody who people rate as the best pound for pound fighter in the world and that is the ultimate fight. Bigger than any other one you can have. I don’t want to be padding Ricky’s record out. I want this fight while both guys are at their best. You’ve got two fighters at their peak so lets do it.”
After Hatton had beaten Tszyu and, then, annexed the WBA title from Maussa, his dip into the welterweight waters against Collazo was met with a sense of befuddlement. For Hatton and Graham it had been a logical step, it had been taken with a little less care than they had hoped for but it was one they needed to take to show Floyd that Hatton was prepared to move through the weights, to an extent, to face Mayweather.
Graham had worried about Collazo, he felt a mixture of style and stance would make this a really tough fight against a big welterweight. All the while he felt that Floyd himself was a lightweight punching above his weight and that Hatton would be the stronger man at welter.
BG: “I’m not scared of Floyd at welterweight because genetically he’s not bigger than Ricky. Ricky is a pure junior-welterweight and we are not giving Floyd a big advantage.”
So this, as it was with Collazo, is a one-fight gambit at the higher weight.
BG: “I’m not interested in seeing Ricky move through the weights – he’s a short guy – why should you have to move through all the weights to become an all time great? Floyd at welter is no problem at all. My guy is going to be stronger than him so we’ve no fear of him there. I always felt that there were two more fights for Ricky at welterweight – Floyd and Oscar.”
Despite discussions of other names in the frame following Ricky’s destruction of Jose Luis Castillo there was only one name in the hat as far as Hatton and Graham were concerned.
BG: “We wanted Mayweather. We didn’t want to f*ck around anymore.”
From a tactical standpoint this fight was the one Graham felt would prove to a sceptic USA that Hatton is an intelligent boxer. With that said plans for how to deal with Floyd were already underway. I asked for a preview of these plans and received an honest reply.
BG: “He’ll beat him and I know that. I won’t tell you how he’ll beat him with that [tape recorder] turned on. It is a subtle strategy; it is more than just crawling all over Floyd. I think about this fight a lot and there is a lot to work out. It is not just going to be a crazy fight from Ricky.”
For many this fight might be more of an event than a fight. It is assumed that Floyd is so far ahead of Hatton it will be a turgid affair. Or, if you envisage Hatton winning, it will be a foul-filled one-punch-at-a-time split-decision (depending on the judge’s perspectives) point’s victory. Graham is confident, has been, in fact, for a long time, that the fight will gel as well as any in history.
BG: “The fighters will gel with each other. I have got no doubts whatsoever that Ricky will bring out the best in Floyd Mayweather; I know that will be the case. Floyd is going to look fantastic in this fight with Ricky but he will also bring out the absolute best in Ricky. The styles will gel and I think Ricky will be too much for Floyd Mayweather.”
On the other hand Floyd’s sharp punches could be the Ockham razor that shows us Hatton’s weak skin is the only consideration considerable when considering this fight.
BG: “Look I’m a realist and know Ricky could cut. Floyd has got fast-hands and fast punches and Ricky does bleed. I fear cuts but that is all I really fear and I’m not underestimating Floyd Mayweather by saying that.
“Floyd is a defensive genius, he hits harder than people think and you will find that he’s got a big heart as well. I’m getting excited just talking about this fight.”
Talk is cheap and, as we see with Floyd, it emboldens the speaker yet common are the men who have set-out plans only to fail to put them to work. Graham, though, held no doubts about Ricky’s ability to see his plans through when the two meet in the ring, despite Floyd’s formidable fistic prowess.
BG: “This is what me and Ricky were working for all this time so no point in getting cold-feet about Floyd and what he can do. No point wishing for something then turning around and shitting yourself when it arrives. I just can’t wait to get this fight on.
“Now is the time to do it. Floyd must look at this Brit who brought more fans to his home-town than him and think ‘what is going on?’”
In saying that Graham hit upon perhaps the main reason this fight is taking place. For Floyd, and many of his ubiquitously vociferous fans, Hatton was yesterday’s news, a needless fight for Floyd to take given that Floyd only had to turn-up to win. Yet in putting the needle into the fight, Hatton has smoked Floyd out.
Seeing this pasty-skinned Brit invade his hometown seemed to prick Floyd. Hatton’s accusation that Floyd is boring, Hatton’s sole blow in the verbal battle thus far, sent Floyd into a rage that has led to the reality of this fight. Graham chuckled at the thought of Floyd being upset after Hatton called him a boring fighter.
BG: “Good! Floyd spends his career disrespecting people. I think he’s a great fighter and I won’t disrespect him but he disrespects people all the time. If it took him seeing his arse a bit to lose his temper and get him in the ring then I’m happy Ricky did that.
“Like him or loathe him Floyd is a man and he will fight to prove that to everyone. Floyd may act like a tosser but he is a man and he is a fighter and he’ll have to prove it against Ricky.”
Billy feels that if, as expected, Floyd uses backwards motion to combat Hatton’s pressure the fight will be as good as won. In Billy’s mind running is not an option for Floyd.
BG: “Most people run away from Ricky Hatton. They did that in the amateurs so most of my early coaching was about hunting people down fast and slowing them down with body shots. As good a boxer as Floyd is he is not going to go backwards faster than Ricky can go forwards.”
Another consideration put forward by Graham is that Floyd is a very underrated puncher.
BG: “Take it from me, Floyd can punch. Look at the class he has boxed in; look at the level he fights at. When he drops down a level he annihilates people. I don’t underestimate a thing about Floyd Mayweather but Ricky can beat him. Ricky has got the tools to beat him. Ricky is Floyd’s worst nightmare.
“If it is going to get messy it is Floyd who will make it messy. I think they’ll really gel to be honest with you. We’ll be in the great position of being massive underdogs. You won’t believe how serene I felt training for Tszyu because I knew that it brings out the best of Ricky.”
This fight is also one of contrasting personalities. Hatton is proud of his ‘man of the people’ tag and will be loathe to engage in verbal battles at the press conferences.
As with Oscar versus Floyd there will be a bad guy and a good guy and you can be assured that Floyd will talk up the bad guy role. I pointed out to Billy that the camp will have the pleasure of listening to Floyd at many a press conference.
BG: “Yeah we’ll have to do lots of presswork for this one.”
Billy looked out the window for a moment, we were nearing Manchester, then turned around as he realised the implications of this salient fact.
BG: “Imagine listening to Floyd at all those press conferences. F*cking hell. How did Oscar put up with all that?”
They are about to find out and we are about to find out how Hatton will cope with Floyd as well as how Floyd will cope with Hatton. It has been long overdue but, thankfully, it is taking place with both men at the top of their mountains.
