By Mark Vester
Ricky Hatton, the unbeaten son of Manchester, is counting down the days until his Dec. 8 showdown with WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During a recent chat on ESPN, Hatton was asked about his potential post-Mayweather plans. Hatton threw out a single name. Surprisingly, that name was not Oscar De La Hoya, but undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.
"I haven't really thought about that yet. I'll take it as it comes. When I win this fight, there will be no shortage of fighters out there. I'd love to fight Miguel Cotto, but my next fight is far from my mind," Hatton said.
It's no secret that De La Hoya is praying for Hatton to pull out an upset in order to secure him as the opponent for his return to the ring in May. Bob Arum, Cotto's promoter, has mentioned Hatton as a potential opponent for 2008, but is not confident of the fight coming off because he expects Mayweather to win. Even if Hatton wins, Arum expects him to fight De La Hoya, which is a much bigger fight in terms of money and according to Arum "it's probably an easier fight."
Hatton has the strategy planned out for Mayweather, as he informed the chat particpants, the formula is to shorten the distance and save energy for the later rounds.
"I would say that he spends too much time covering up and trying to soak it all up, if you like, and he depends on people running out of gas. There's nothing more tiring than punching air. He sets a hot pace but doesn't fight that way himself," Hatton said.
"Stick on his chest, so it's more difficult for him [to use his speed]. It's more likely for him to benefit with me standing on the outside. I'm very quick myself at covering the distance and moving in, plus very fast footwork. That will be a big key, moving in on him quick. I think the left-hand work is important, because he likes to drop his right shoulder. De La Hoya had a lot of success with it in the first six rounds, but after that, he slacked off the pace. It gave Floyd a way back into the fight, which he won't get against me."
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