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Old post I found check it out
Boxing Preview Analysis:Ricky Hatton vs. Floyd Mayweather
By Lee Bellfield August 14th, 2007 All Boxing Previews
An Early Look
In a fight that I still find difficult to believe is taking place, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Ricky Hatton put their unbeaten records on the line in December.
Call me a skeptic or even a pessimist, but I still won’t believe it will happen until both men are in the ring.
This is a fight that we’ve been talking about for the last two years, ever since Mayweather ripped the WBC 140 pound title from an overmatched Arturo Gatti in June 2005.
Just three weeks earlier, Hatton himself became a title holder, defeating long serving champion Kostya Tszyu.
Much has happened since that night to both men. Hatton has changed promoters while Mayweather’s threatened retirement.
To be honest, I never really took Mayweather’s promise to retire after defeating De La Hoya in May, seriously. If anything, I thought he would be fighting the Golden Boy in a rematch.
Certainly, the fight in Las Vegas in which Mayweather won his fifth title was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Surely, financial sense would had been to make a rematch. However, it wasn’t to be.
As for Hatton, he split from long time promoter Frank Warren after winning the 140 pound title from Tszyu. He has also won a second title at welterweight, none too convincingly, against Luis Collazo. His stock has considerably rose however, after a fantastic performance against Jose Luis Castillo.
Hatton knows that he will have to produce yet another top notch performance if he is to be victorious against Mayweather.
Although I’m surprised the fight is taking place, I also feel that now is the best time.
Although there has been words exchanged between the two men, I don’t for one second feel that Mayweather will take Hatton lightly. Mayweather stays in condition between fights, too.
Logic states that Mayweather will start a favourite against the Hitman. However, call it misplaced patriotism, but I think Hatton’s is the style that will cause Pretty Boy the most problems.
My opinion on this fight has not changed in the last two years. Hatton will have to fight the bout of his life, but one thing is for certain; Mayweather will be in for a rude awakening if he thinks he’s in for an easy night.Comment
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I personally thought it was the best 24/7 episode to date. Im a much bigger mayweather fan but I'm glad ricky is entertaining on his part. Everytime oscar came on 24/7 I didnt even want to watch to be honest, it was boring. Hatton said he wasnt going to trash talk or let it get to him but he is trash talking more than hatton. Floyd was hilarious with the therapy stuff and the hospital stuff and 0-43 stuff. Hatton is hilarious as well. You can tell both are getting down to business. Mayweather seems to be really getting back to business. I'm glad hatton is trying to convince himself theres no way mayweather will hurt him or beat him. Its a good mentality but everyone else has had that same mentality against mayweather. Yall know the rest.Comment
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15.11.07 - By Matthew Hurley: As his fight with Floyd Mayweather for the WBC welterweight title creeps ever closer Ricky Hatton is not only supremely confident of his chances against the “Pretty Boy” but is convinced that he will be the fighter leaving the ring with his perfect record in tact. Hatton weighed in this week at a primed and muscular 148 pounds before his daily workout.
In the past several weeks HBO cameras have been following the amiable British fighter around for the reality series 24/7 and his jovial disposition has become a perfect counterpoint for Mayweather’s brash, expletive filled personality which was first revealed for all to see on HBO’s last 24/7 documentary leading up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton, three weeks before the opening bell, finds himself a significant underdog in the bout, but sees that very attitude that Mayweather has been tossing at him as a potential weakness.
“During the press tour I’ve had to suffer through his rants,” he says with a shrug and a smile. “He’s ridiculed me and aggravated me but I just laugh it off because it’s nothing but talk and I understand that. He’s trying to get under me skin. He tries to wind you up so you get charged up before the fight and that gets you to expend energy. It drains you in the fight because you want to knock his head off. Then after you’re frustrated he ups his own game. It’s all (head) games.”
Floyd Mayweather has also become something of a psychological puzzle. Is he the supremely confidant, tremendously gifted athlete he portends to be? Or are the fissures in his psyche that were revealed in an emotional breakdown after his fight with Carlos Baldomir or the silent reticence he revealed on the HBO replay of his victory over De La Hoya more indicative of a very fragile ego? Floyd loves to play to the camera – preening, bragging, screaming obscenities and even dancing at the initial press conference announcing the fight with Hatton. He’s a man who feels he is so far elevated above not only other boxers but, dare I say it, the world in general, that he sometimes reminds me of a hollow chocolate Easter egg. It looks good, even tantalizing on the outside, but crumbles when you sink your teeth into it. All the bravado sometimes comes across as the posturing of a very insecure individual. His fighting style, brilliant as it can often be, is such that he rarely, if ever lives up to his pre-fight boasts. He is not the tough sonofabitch his myth making mouth constantly perpetuates. He is a careful, calculating boxer. In the ring he is more business man than fighter. If he would only admit to that instead of insisting he’s the greatest fighter who ever lived he wouldn’t turn so many people off. But as Floyd contends, he “keeps it real”, whatever that means.
Floyd’s bluster led Hatton to recently comment, “I suppose Floyd is like his fighting, all style and no substance.”
Hatton’s everyman personae is easier to digest than Mayweather’s ego driven grandiosity, but it will account for nothing if Mayweather boxes circles around him on December 8th. That said, Hatton insists that Floyd will not be able to withstand the constant pressure that he will be applying for three minutes of every round.
“It’s going to be about pressure,” he says. “I’m not going to give Floyd a chance to get away. I think he’s a fighter who fights in bursts. He doesn’t fight for the whole round. He fights just enough to win the round on the judges’ scorecard. I’ll be in his face constantly and I’ll break his rhythm. I also won’t allow him to tire me out because I won’t be missing. It’s the missed punches that sap you of your energy. That’s what he does. He lets you wear yourself out early trying to catch him and then he comes on and wins the later rounds convincingly. De La Hoya fought well but he tired at the end. I think it was because of all the effort he put in the first half of the bout. When Floyd noticed the fatigue he turned it on. He’s a master at it.”
Hatton’s game plan sounds perfect coming out of his mouth and his aggressive, grappling style will most certainly cause Mayweather some problems. But Hatton has had only one fight at welterweight, a controversial decision victory over light punching but talented Luis Collazo and Hatton did not close the show with a wealth of energy. In fact, in the twelfth round Collazo’s aggressiveness led many to believe he’d pulled off the upset.
Talking a good game is much different than successfully setting that plan in motion when fighting Floyd Mayweather. However, it would be foolhardy to discount Hatton’s chances in this fight. If any fighter is going to live up to his pre-fight hyperbole it will be Hatton. He will fight for three minutes of every round and the underdog role suits him just as well now as it did in the weeks leading up to his junior welterweight title victory over the favored Kostya Tszyu.
“No one gives me a chance now,” he says, smiling. “Well, no one gave me a chance against Tszyu either. He was a pound for pound fighter when I beat him. It brought out the best in me. Now, I’m ready to take the pound for pound title from Floyd in Las Vegas.”Comment
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THat could be true. But not the point. For THAT particular excercise, the point is to work on the form of his punches and his ability to keep throwing that punch, later in a fight. I don't think any smart person assumes he'll throw a 75 punch combo to the stomach. Just like no smart person assumes Mayweather would block 75 punches in a row, at that fast of a rate.
Unless, Hatton does that combo, then Floyd could potentially do that, lol.Comment
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Boxing Betting - Hatton & Mayweather to Make Boxing History
60% Better Boxing Betting Odds at PinnacleSports.com
Boxing Betting - Preview of Ricky Hatton v Floyd Mayweather (Dec 9 - 1am GMT)
Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather and Ricky “the Hitman” Hatton meet on December 9th (GMT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, in a WBC Welterweight world title fight billed as the ‘Undefeated’. Between them the pair have fought 81 times without loss, and this keenly anticipated contest, bringing together two of the best fighters in the world, is set to become one of the richest bouts, and most intriguing betting contests, in boxing history.
Mayweather is priced 1.415 favourite, with leading boxing oddsmaker, PinnacleSports.com, who make Hatton 3.210 to steal his crown. Judged on pure boxing ability that seems a fair assessment, given Mayweather is rated ‘pound-for-pound’ the best fighter around.
Styles Makes Fights
In boxing, styles make fights, and many pundits see this contest conforming to the classic slugger (Hatton) versus pure-fighter (Mayweather). Pretty Boy is favourite with Pinnacle because he possesses the superior boxing skills, but though the Manchester Mexican is known for his courage, stamina and relentless punching, he has been astute enough to adapt his tactics in recent fights, as he has faced higher class opposition, and is likely to do so again for the most important fight of his career.
Mayweather’s last bout saw him move up seven pounds (from 147 to 154) to take the Super Welterweight title from Oscar De La Hoya. ‘Pretty Boy’ won on a split decision with Compubox numbers (which record all the key fight metrics) showing that despite throwing half as many punches as De La Hoya, Mayweather landed considerably more. Nevertheless, the judges’ unanimous decision was roundly jeered by a crowd disappointed at Mayweather’s incredibly defensive approach to the supposed ‘super-fight’.
The fight was watched by a record 2.18 million households earning Mayweather $38million. Following that enormous payday Mayweather retired, stating that he wanted to spend quality time with his family and move into entertainment. It could be that the boos where still ringing in his ears when only three months later, he reversed his decision to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Ricky Hatton.
Mayweather’s Retirement Short-lived
Mayweather is renowned for his huge ego, and Hatton and his management pushed all the right buttons with their scathing criticism of the defensive tactics he employed in the De la Hoya fight. Such verbal exchanges are however, part-and-parcel of boxing, and behind the hype Hatton appears to have the greatest respect for his opponent. Mayweather’s arrogance in contrast seems genuine, and it is important for bettors to decide whether it provided the motivation for Mayweather to change his mind about retirement, having barely had enough time to get comfortable with his pipe and slippers.
Boxing is littered with embarrassing comebacks that make Rocky 6 seem reasonable. ‘Retirement’ in boxing has a different meaning than you will find in the Oxford English Dictionary, normally motivated by money, or the fame and adulation that being at the top provides. Tyson, Holyfield and even the greatest of them all - Mohammad Ali – all made ill-considered comebacks driven by these demons.
Mayweather will have barely had time to count the $38 million from the De la Hoya fight before deciding to head back into the ring, and his purse for this fight will be even bigger, so money doesn’t seem to be the issue.
This isn’t a ‘comeback’ either because he ended his career undefeated, but the nature of the victory over De La Hoya may have left him feeling that he hadn’t signed-off gaining the recognition he felt his abilities deserved. For Mayweather, this fight might therefore, be about restoring his pride, and carving a place for himself in the boxing hall of fame alongside the sport’s greats. The danger is that pride often comes before a fall!
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