Hatton tells Calzaghe to go to America

[Chipp3r]

DLT, you are a ****. That is all.

Regarding Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton is right in the majority of his points, it is nice to go to the so called 'mecca' of boxing and see your name up in lights at Las Vegas. However, Joe might not have them same ambitions. He's ruled his division for 10 years now and HE is the man to beat. He's fought in Germany before so he can hardly be a man afraid to come out his comfort zone. If he can earn loadsa money at home with his fans cheering him on why not.

The ignorance of some American fans is disgusting. Boxing is a global sport and non-American fighters should be treated seriously and not called 'bums' just because they don't fight in your country.

You all say that Calzaghe don't want none of Taylor/Hopkins... well i say it's the other ****ing way round. Taylor priced himself out of a fight with Joe, and Hopkins will never come to the U.K... besides, he's a 40 year old and not worth fighting anyway. Kessler is the only man out there left for Joe and whether he fights him in the UK, Denmark or the USA it don't matter, there are two ****ers in that ring and that's what counts. Joe, if he beats Kessler and a few others, he'll go down in history, undefeated and in the hall of fame.

[LemonChiff]

Can't be bothered to read all this


-Chiff

[robjr]

hahaha... the biased people on here make me laugh...

[LemonChiff]

Oh, I agree.

[FeedMeHoney]

hahaha... the biased people on here make me laugh...

There is no reason for people to be disgusted with Hatton for what he said in this article. So when posters are attacking DLT, then it's not a nationalistic thing, but more common sense.

[Orange Sneakers]

It's interesting that Americans seem to be glad about this Calzaghe-Kessler fight, even though Kessler's European?

[Easy-E]

Dont know if this has already been posted, but very interesting comments by Hatton urging Joe to fight in America:

“Joe doesn’t know what he’s missing by not fighting in Las Vegas. It isn’t just the boxing capital but the capital of entertainment.

“New York’s Madison Square Gardens is steeped in boxing history, but Vegas is the only place in the world where just going to the supermarket for a pint of milk can be exciting.

“One of my best moments in boxing is seeing my name up in lights on the huge TV screens above the Vegas Strip.

“There were adverts to watch Celine Dion and David Copperfield, then my ugly mug flashed up on the screen. That was a priceless feeling.

“Joe would love that feeling, it’s what boxing is all about. That’s showbiz.”

Hatton hopes unbeaten Calzaghe, the longest-reigning world champ, joins him on British boxing’s assault on the States.

And he admitted: “Joe wants to go to America but things aren’t happening for him.

“He needs to have a word with his promoter Frank Warren and say, ‘let’s get over there’, because that’s where every great boxer must be.

“Joe has said he only wants the big fights, like top American pound-for-pound guys Winky Wright, Jermain Taylor or Bernard Hopkins but he’ll have to go to them.

“They’re never going to come over here to Joe’s fortress as they saw what he did to Jeff Lacy last year.

“Joe might continue to get the mediocre fighters in Britain, like Peter Manfredo jnr, who want big paydays but the elite won’t come here because Joe is too good for his own good.

“He gave Lacy an almighty beating and scared the Yanks to death.

“If they came over here, it’d be them writing a career suicide note.

“History shows top Americans don’t like it here.

“Gerald McClellan lost to Nigel Benn and Frank Bruno beat Oliver McCall, so Joe will have to make the first move and go over there.

“Either that, or retire wondering what might have been.

“I’ve not got many big fights left in boxing and time is more of the essence for Joe as he’s 35 and he says himself he probably has only a few big fights left in him.”

Hatton controversially dumped promoter Warren, also Calzaghe’s fix-it man, in 2005 after his career-defining victory over Kostya Tszyu.

He subsequently suffered a long acrimonious legal battle just to realise his American dream.

Hatton’s career has hit new heights in the States, where he is promoted by Brit Dennis Hobson, as the win over Castillo has set him up for a potential bank-busting showdown with Floyd Mayweather, possibly at the new Wembley in London.

In contrast, Calzaghe’s career has stuttered since his career-defining fight – a one-sided systematic destruction of the so-called ‘next Mike Tyson’ Lacy in March last year.

Since then there have been meaningless beatings of nobody Sakio Bika and reality TV joker Manfredo jnr.

“I wanted to go to America for years,” said unified light welterweight champ Hatton.

“But I spent years fighting in Manchester at The MEN Arena until I reached a point in my career when I said, ‘no, I have to go to America now’.

“It was always something I wanted to do. I put myself and family through trauma and financial cost to get there as I fell out with Frank Warren.

“I’ve not looked back and my decision has paid dividends.

“Joe is at that point in his career now. It just depends on Joe’s ambitions and whether his promoter will back him.

“Joe has done his time here and when he retires, he doesn’t want any, ‘what ifs’.

“He has been No 1 super-middleweight for almost ten years and is one of Britain’s best-ever fighters. So he doesn’t want critics questioning his record, saying, ‘Yeah, he was great but he never fought in the States’. Joe is far too good for that.

“I had to put up with people saying I wouldn’t come out of my comfort zone and fight outside of Manchester.

“I knew that wasn’t the case, but now I’ve fought and won in their back yard I’ve shut a few people up.

“If I’d have beaten Castillo in Manchester it would have been a great win, but the achievement is greater because I’ve gone halfway round the world to do it.

“I recovered from an 11-hour flight, adapted to a different time-zone, climate, humidity and way of life and still won well.

“I didn’t have to leave Manchester because I was No 1 in my division, like Joe is, but I wanted to prove I was a true champion and bust the myth that all British fighters are wrapped in cotton wool.

“Many British boxers don’t want to risk their titles against the Americans in America, but the great fighters do.

“For everything he has done in this sport, to hang up his gloves without topping a bill in America would be a shame for Joe.”

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0700s...name_page.html

Well said Ricky.
Way to man up and come to the US.

[msagrain]

who could he fight in america, who is willing to fight him besides hopkins and taylor?

[Mozza]

but if he comes over he gets exposed as a fraud. tough choice.

By whom ?

[mick66]

you have amazing points. Mayweather vs Hatton shouldn't happen in England because Mayweather is the #1 fighter in the sport and America is the place for boxing.

Funny that...

In the UK the crowd would be well over 50,000...60.... 70,0000 ..
Whats is it in the states....16,000 or something...

Typical attitude...even though the country is 5 times the size of the UK you can't get a fifth of the fans to attend a fight...
It's alright being P4P but if you can't get people to come and see you, it means jack..

Hatton should he win Mayweather should start fighting in the UK to let the 50,000 plus fans see him fight....instead of getting 3500 allocated tickets for a fight in the US.

Then the UK would have the highest attended fights bar none..

Just look a Calzaghe's ticket sales....and he's less popular than Hatton...

The UK is the oplace the fights should be happening...Let tyhe US watch it on telly..