Hattons trainer relishes Mayweather bout

JJay18y ago

Ricky Hatton will evoke the spirit of Roberto Duran in his quest to become the first man to defeat Floyd Mayweather and establish himself as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world. That is the view of Hatton's trainer Billy Graham, who said news of a verbal agreement between representatives of Hatton and Mayweather for a December super-fight in Las Vegas is "a dream come true". Contracts are expected to be signed in the coming days for a fight which is set to earn Hatton around £8million, and Mayweather much more. It is expected to take place on December 8 in Las Vegas. Referring to Duran's famous win over Sugar Ray Leonard in their first fight in Montreal in 1980, when Duran lured his opponent into a brawl and claimed a points win, Graham said: "This is Ricky's Sugar Ray Leonard fight. "It's the first Duran-Leonard fight all over again. Look at how Duran won that fight and you will see how Ricky will beat Floyd. I have been studying Floyd for years with a view to this fight. "Floyd is a fantastic fighter whom I respect a lot for what he has achieved. I never doubted this fight would be made because they are both true warriors who want to fight the best. But I know Ricky will win." Hatton's father Ray confirmed this weekend that he had reached a "verbal agreement" with Mayweather's camp shortly after returning from a trip to Las Vegas to watch Bernard Hopkins' victory over Winky Wright. Mayweather announced his retirement after his win over Oscar De La Hoya in May, but appears to have been riled back into the ring following disparaging comments by Hatton. Hatton's representatives will sign a one-fight deal with De La Hoya's 'Golden Boy' organisation to promote the fight. Dennis Hobson will not be involved, although he will continue to be Hatton's British promoter. Graham added: "I already think Ricky is the best pound-for-pound fighter ever to come out of Britain but a lot of people don't agree with me. This fight is going to leave no room for doubt."

Comments (13)

CottoOverrated1

Duran was good but i saw him on Ch4 the other day put on the seat of his pants and to be honest he didnt look too great at times. Hatton to be unbeaten after 43 fights must be good at something to be able to win all the time. I wouldnt like to say he is as good as Duran but its not silly to talk about it and compare. IF hatton can beat PBF that would be special. A guy from England the best in the world. How embarassing would that be to the Americans. A little island like England havin p4p the best boxer on the planet. I hope hatton wins but dont make it a country vs country thing, please.

18y ago

squealpiggy

There's obvious comparisons between Duran and Hatton. They have the same attitude in the ring and the same attitude out of it. Both fighters are known to eat and drink too much and blow up between fights. Both are known to be utterly without remorse within the ring, to want nothing more than to hurt their opponent. Both fighters are very much tied to their roots, and are very generous with old friends and family. Duran was better than Hatton is but not by much. A fight between Hatton and Duran would be an interesting one to say the least.

18y ago

hugh_grant

Yes, it is. It is extremely silly. Why? They are about the same height and build. They have relatively the same type style and have been compared to another. They were both champs and they will have fought similar type boxers in SRL and PBF. But Duran was sparked out by Hearns i guess and lost to a brit, Kirklaing lang and Buchanan gave him a bit of a nightmare. SO lots of things to compare i suppose if u look deeply. I loved Duran and his legacy though.

18y ago

mayney

It would put it right up the americans to have Ricky Hatton as p4p king! I get so pissed when I read these forums, people just slagging off Ricky Hatton and saying he doesn't stand a chance against PBF. I hope Ricky can beat him, and then I will be straight onto this forum to listen to the sorry excuses. I can picture it now - "PBF took him too lightly" or "Well.....PBF was retired, so Ricky beat a retired fighter". I get sick of hearing how Castillo was shot, and past his best, and so was Tszyu. I dont believe that, but even if its true - so what? The fact is, Ricky HATES PBF and he will be in the best shape of his life. he will be relentless, Im not stupid enough to say Ricky is definitely going to win, but I know that it will be a good fight and Floyd Mayweather will get the shock of his life with the onslaught and physical bullying. It may not be pretty, but if he can bully PBF then he wont give him a chance to catch his breath. As I say, Im not saying Ricky WILL win, but Im just posting cos Im sick of americans who hate the Brits, and who have their cocks so far up floyd mayweathers arse its not funny. He's not invincible, and I for one hope Ricky proves it and shuts everyone up once and for all.

18y ago

hugh_grant

18y ago

mediumdeek

You have chosen not to recieve private messages? (won't let me send) that cant be right. let me check it out.

18y ago

Orange_Sneakers

ricky deserves ever penny he makes for this fight. joe, just go to america and take hopkins down. You have chosen not to recieve private messages? (won't let me send)

18y ago

Chipp3r

Those saying Hatton has no technique are f*cking idiots. He DOES slip punches, he DOES have technique, he DOES have great footwork and handspeed, he DOES have every punch in the book, he CAN box on the outside, he CAN box on the inside...

18y ago

mediumdeek

ricky deserves ever penny he makes for this fight. joe, just go to america and take hopkins down.

18y ago

SpeedKillz

Hatton is no Roberto Duran Duran put relentless pressure ,but he also knew how to slip punches as he was being aggressive. they should not be compared at all. hatton is a brawler with no technique, yea i said it no technique so u can come back at me with whatever u want but thats the case everyone who knows boxing for what it actually is knows it, hatton can not beat mayweather they can fight 10 times and mayweather would beat him 11 times. hatton and his trainer can say what they want and train til they are blue in the face, mayweather is on a different level than hatton. hatton cant even see that level.

18y ago

RayLeonard82

Hatton is no Roberto Duran Duran put relentless pressure ,but he also knew how to slip punches as he was being aggressive.

18y ago

Nate126

Hatton is a fraud, his huggy bear ass. http://www.anjelicasboudoir.com/WEBPAGE/pics/balloons/critters/mylar/huggybear.gif

18y ago

Orange_Sneakers

£8million is $16million. Man, when you beat the best (Tszyu) and win a few fights in the States, and fight the best (Mayweather), with casinos and PPV's, you can make some ridiculous fucking cash. Joe Calzaghe take note. I agree with Preacherman that Ricky is the best fighter to ever come out of Britain. And I personally know their gameplan (!!) for this fight, PM me if you want to know!

18y ago