Does Ricky Hatton have AMERICAN fans?

[.Mik.]

But that is kind of a negative.. You think De La Hoya needs fans to fly around to see him? No. He has fans, world wide. If fans flew to watch him, by the time he gets there, the fights sold out.

Is that right? So considering he has never fought outside of the US...how would you know that?

[Steelhammer86]

You're trying to put a negative spin on the fact that 10,000 people flew from Manchester to Vegas to see him? C'mon Dios you're working too hard on this.

Good post...

I doubt if Mayweather would have 10,000 of his fans travel to England if he ever fights there.

[THe TRiNiTY]

Is that right? So considering he has never fought outside of the US...how would you know that?

You really doubt it? Tell me you do, so everyone can laugh at you.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

There's really only one way to gain visibility at a high level, and that's to headline HBO Championship Boxing (Showtime is a possibility, but I don't think their subscription rate is even close to HBO's). Ricky has done that.

FYI: you post JUST like this cat "SK" at the HBO boards.

HBO has about 3x the household penetration that Showtime does (35 mil to 14 mil). But in terms of 'branding' and the roster of fighters, there is no comparison.

PBF is in that upper-tier of the "commercially viable fighters". You always have to throw Oscar out of any discussion because he is an economic freak-of-nature.

Floyd did almost 400K vs Judah and he did about 330K vs Baldomir. Consider that Cotto/Judah did 180K and Hopkins/Wright did 305K. In that context, PBF is a 'money fighter'. But he isn't 'water cooler' talk.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

You're trying to put a negative spin on the fact that 10,000 people flew from Manchester to Vegas to see him? C'mon Dios you're working too hard on this.

Quite the contrary!! I think that is a GREAT thing. This fight would NOT be happening if Floyd didn't recognize that Ricky can engender some fan support.


Where I AM putting a negative spin is that there were 3,000 US fans for Hatton-Castillo. Nahmean?

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Good post...

I doubt if Mayweather would have 10,000 of his fans travel to England if he ever fights there.

Unfair statement. Different cultures.

Oscar Delahoya or Mike Tyson wouldn't have 10,000 of their fans fly to a foreign country to watch them fight.

[SquareCircle]

First, Hatton fans, calm down. This is not a criticism thread.

But Ricky Hatton came to the USA to increase his profile and to build an American fanbase. Three fights later, I think it is fair to evaluate where Hatton stands in the consciousness of the American sports fan.

Did the fights with Luis Collazo (disputed decision), Juan Urango (clear decision), and JL Castillo (knockout) substantially increase Hatton's appeal and fanbase? Did American boxing fans consider these fights as "exciting performances"?

It's great for Ricky that he was able to mobilize so many Mancunians to the Castillo fight. But it merits the question: why wasn't there US interest in this fight?

It has been my observation that Ricky would NOT be able to sustain a commercially successful PPV on his own without another big-name fighter. For example, would Hatton-Clottey be a good PPV?

With Delahoya, Mosley and Mayweather clearly nearing the end of their careers, there is going to be an opportunity for a fighter to seize the spotlight and PPV dates in the middle divisions. Ricky Hatton is a media-friendly, English-speaking, white fighter with an aggressive style. On paper, it would seem a no-brainer that he would be that guy.

But is he?

You think just because Hatton is white that America will go ape**** over him?
Wow..

Even if Hatton was a bigger puncher and had KO'd Collazo, the fact still remains that the majority of the American boxing fanbase consists of browns or blacks, like yourself. Browns/Blacks are the majority population in most ******s. Boxing thrives in the ******, which is where most fighters come from. Average fans like you're talking about tend to relate to the best fighter who is the same ethnicity as themselves. You can't expect these black/brown average or hardcore fans to take Hatton as serious as they take Mayweather, because of a few factors, one is Collazo, and the second is the fact that Hatton does get hit alot and he has been down...So they figure he's just another win for Floyd.

This has to be the most redundant thread ever, but let me explain something else to you, since you're new here, Dios. People don't like reading red text. In every single reply you make, you feel the need to bold and redden part of your message. I don't know which forum you came from before you came here, but I'm sure they didn't like that either. Resize or use bold like everyone else...

Even way back when, America never really loved a British fighter like they loved a guy like, say, DLH, Tyson, Ali, or George Foreman. Because in the back of alot of Americans minds, they dislike the British and think that their boxing is on a lower tier. The best british HW ever, Lennox Lewis, didn't even get the respect and love from America that people thought he should've. Oh, but by your idiotic racist logic, since he isn't white, he doesn't count.

[Steelhammer86]

Quite the contrary!! I think that is a GREAT thing. This fight would NOT be happening if Floyd didn't recognize that Ricky can engender some fan support.


Where I AM putting a negative spin is that there were 3,000 US fans for Hatton-Castillo. Nahmean?

Why does it matter where the fans are from? It shouldn't be any surprise that boxers have more fans in their home country.

Here's a point to consider: here in Canada, Hatton has far more fans than Mayweather! He isn't well known to the general public, but boxing fans here are very familiar with him and most of them are rooting for Ricky to defeat the much less personable Mayweather.

[Steelhammer86]

Unfair statement. Different cultures.

Oscar Delahoya or Mike Tyson wouldn't have 10,000 of their fans fly to a foreign country to watch them fight.

It's a fair statement, and it shows Hatton is much more popular in Britain, than Mayweather is in America.

[THe TRiNiTY]

Why does it matter where the fans are from? It shouldn't be any surprise that boxers have more fans in their home country.

Here's a point to consider: here in Canada, Hatton has far more fans than Mayweather! He isn't well known to the general public, but boxing fans here are very familiar with him and most of them are rooting for Ricky to defeat the much-less-personable Mayweather.

It matters, because I doubt that a fighter who fights more often than Hatton, can have his fans fly out for every fight. For Hatton, it's OKay, they seem to be able to make the trek. Generally speaking, it's NICE to have fans from where you hope to do your fighting. WORLD champion, wants WORLD recognition, I'd assume.