By Mark Vester
After several days of trash talking by WBC welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., it took a single proclamation for Ricky Hatton to finally lose his temper. The two fighters have been traveling on a promotional tour to hype their Dec. 8 pay-per-view bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
None of Mayweather's insults and claims have been able to get under Hatton's skin, but during the final promotional stop in Hatton's hometown of Manchester, England, Mayweather proclaimed that he was the best boxer that ever lived, and that was more than enough to set Hatton off.
"I am boxing, there isn't nobody out there with my record," Mayweather said. "Forget Sugar Ray [Leonard] and the rest, I am the best boxer that ever lived."
For the first time during the tour, Hatton appeared to lose his temper as he shot back at Mayweather's claims.
"I think Floyd Mayweather is a terrific fighter, the best pound-for-pound in the world," Hatton said. "His record of people he's beaten says that, but he needs some respect. He has crossed the line with me a few times this tour, but I don't mind. I can do something about it. It's when he starts saying he is the best ever that gets to me."
"He's an insecure man. That much is obvious, look at the amount of bodyguards he carts around with him. They are everywhere, wearing their jewellery, flashing money and shouting their mouths off. It may be promotion, but it's his way of masking stuff. So is this business of saying he is the best fighter that lived. It's all nonsense. It disrespects the genuine greats, people like [Muhammad] Ali and Leonard."
"Sure, he has a place in history, he has been a terrific boxer and is certainly one of the best. But to say he is the best ever is way off the mark."
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