..Willy Dettloff's take on Hatton/Mayweather...

[THe TRiNiTY]

Bill's a true gent but he's also often wrong in his predictions and he freely admits it! I think he's underestimating Hatton's ability based on two fights which happened to be the two worst nights of Ricky's career, and I also think he misunderstood the urango fight which had less to do with Juan's body shots and more to do with Hatton being sick. I'm basing this on the fact that Urango landed monster body shots against Hatton in the fifth, yet Hatton had his best round in the sixth.

Decent points. However, it JUST SO HAPPENS that Hatton has had his two worst nights, in 2 of his last three fights. That shouldn't bode well with Haton supporters. Not to mention that Mayweather, even if you think he lost the Castillo fight, has never had a night as bad as Hatton had against Collazo.

However, I think Hatton has a chance. I just HONESTLY can't see it happening.

[squealpiggy]

However, it JUST SO HAPPENS that Hatton has had his two worst nights, in 2 of his last three fights. That shouldn't bode well with Haton supporters.

At the same time he had his two worst nights in his first two fights in an unfamiliar country, had a very disruptive training camp for the first of these and fell victim to the Vegas climate in the second one. He came storming back from those two performances with an incredibly sominat knockout win over Jose Luis Castillo in a fight that most observers had as 50-50 going into the bout.

Regardless of whateher you want to call Castillo "shot" (past his prime is more like it, unless he comes back to lose against a Contender "star" like Gatti did) Hatton was back on his A game and he's going to be even better on Saturday.

And I still think that Hatton is being overlooked by those in the know in the US. And that includes Roger and Floyd.

[THe TRiNiTY]

At the same time he had his two worst nights in his first two fights in an unfamiliar country, had a very disruptive training camp for the first of these and fell victim to the Vegas climate in the second one. He came storming back from those two performances with an incredibly sominat knockout win over Jose Luis Castillo in a fight that most observers had as 50-50 going into the bout.

Regardless of whateher you want to call Castillo "shot" (past his prime is more like it, unless he comes back to lose against a Contender "star" like Gatti did) Hatton was back on his A game and he's going to be even better on Saturday.

And I still think that Hatton is being overlooked by those in the know in the US. And that includes Roger and Floyd.

Well, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY surprised if Hatton puts on a great performance and happens to win. But, like I said.. it's not the likely thing to happen.

[squealpiggy]

Well, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY surprised if Hatton puts on a great performance and happens to win. But, like I said.. it's not the likely thing to happen.

You know that was my prediction from the moment the fight was announced but from the press tour onwards there has been a noticeable reduction in Floyd's bluster and an increase in Hatton's. The last press conference really shows me that Hatton wants to hurt Mayweather and Floyd isn't so sure he can stop him from doing so any more.

[Mozza]

"HBO’s Mayweather/Hatton 24/7 documentary has done a superb job of selling the fight. Which is to say it’s done a superb job of convincing viewers (see: potential pay-per-view buys) that Ricky Hatton stands a reasonable chance of winning. Between watching him hammer that gargantuan body ball that’s strapped to trainer Billy Graham’s torso, and listening to him, steely-eyed and resolute, predict dire things for Mayweather, you’d think the two are easily on the same plane.

On paper at least, they are not. It’s not close.

Long forgotten is the hellish time Hatton had with Luis Collazo in his only other bout against a top-ranked welterweight. In the wake of Hatton’s immense affability and popularity, most were more than willing at the time to forget that the decision could quite readily have gone the other way. Hatton did not; he dropped right back down to 140 pounds where he belonged.

Only that return to junior welter didn’t go as planned. Juan Urango’s bodyshots so discomfited Hatton that Graham had to nurse him through the early rounds with between-rounds counsel along the lines of, “All fighters have days like these and you are obligated to suck it up.” Suck it up Hatton did, even if over the last two rounds doing so required him to hold on to Urango like he held the tap to the last keg of Guinness in Manchester.

Mayweather has never been as close to losing to anyone as Hatton was those two nights, even against far better competition. It is commonly accepted that Jose Luis Castillo, when he was young and fresh, came closer than anyone has to beating Mayweather. And in my view, he didn’t come very close at all.

Still, Hatton has the right style to beat Mayweather. Generally, swarmers like Hatton do better against classical boxers than do other boxers or big punchers. Without a lot of trouble, one can envision Hatton’s whirlwind, mauling style wearing Mayweather down over the course of a long, grueling bout. Indeed, as I write this, the poll on this very site shows 34.1 percent of respondents picking Hatton by kayo.

I don’t see it. Mayweather wins this. Hard or easy, but he wins it. Too fast, too skilled, too good."

Taken from the Ring's website.

Thoughts?

I think there are some reasonable points but alot of rubbish and the line that says Castillo didn't come close to beating Mayweather is quite ridiculous.

[THe TRiNiTY]

I think there are some reasonable points but alot of rubbish and the line that says Castillo didn't come close to beating Mayweather is quite ridiculous.

The first fight should have gone to Castillo, but it WAS close. Either way you look at. For him to assume Mayweather got the right call, isn't that far-fetched. To say he didn't come close is a bit of a stretch, I'll say. But it might have been said to prove a point.

[THe TRiNiTY]

You know that was my prediction from the moment the fight was announced but from the press tour onwards there has been a noticeable reduction in Floyd's bluster and an increase in Hatton's. The last press conference really shows me that Hatton wants to hurt Mayweather and Floyd isn't so sure he can stop him from doing so any more.

I really, personally, didn't see any doubt in Mayweather. He just seemed confident. To be quite honest. Hatton looks geeked. It's his first HUGE fight, I can understand why. Mayweather looks like, "its go time."

[Mozza]

I really, personally, didn't see any doubt in Mayweather. He just seemed confident. To be quite honest. Hatton looks geeked. It's his first HUGE fight, I can understand why. Mayweather looks like, "its go time."

I don't know where you get that from. Hatton was as cool as a cucumber throughout the press conference right up until the end.

[SkillspayBills]

At the same time he had his two worst nights in his first two fights in an unfamiliar country, had a very disruptive training camp for the first of these and fell victim to the Vegas climate in the second one. He came storming back from those two performances with an incredibly sominat knockout win over Jose Luis Castillo in a fight that most observers had as 50-50 going into the bout.

Regardless of whateher you want to call Castillo "shot" (past his prime is more like it, unless he comes back to lose against a Contender "star" like Gatti did) Hatton was back on his A game and he's going to be even better on Saturday.

And I still think that Hatton is being overlooked by those in the know in the US. And that includes Roger and Floyd.

Pigs, are you going to bet with me budd?

[THe TRiNiTY]

I don't know where you get that from. Hatton was as cool as a cucumber throughout the press conference right up until the end.

I mean attitude-wise. As in, he's siked. New experience, kind of thing. Ready to go, can't wait for the fight. I don't mean it in a bad way.

I think both are confident and ready to go.