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Nope. Hatton won't win that fight.
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Who offered the fight - Top Rank??? unless your Arum, Frank Warren, or Al Haymon etc you have no idea what was on the table in reality - sorry to state the odvious but anybody can say ''i've made an offer'' etc.
The fight made no financial or career sense for either party back then. Hatton was not a big name in America at that time and had never appeared on HBO etc - and there was no way Floyd was going to come over to fight at the MEN in Manchester. Instead, Ricky and his team said from the minute they beat Tszyu and got rid of Frank Warren the plan was to build a significant profile in the states, then after three/four fights they would take on the Floyd's of this world - they where true to there word.
Bascially had the fight taken place when Floyd was at 140 they would have been looking at very roughly $3 million each instead of the $20 to 30 million gross they got in the end - I no what I would have done.Comment
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Career sense: Yes it did. It was about fighting the best at 140 and that is what Floyd wanted. That is what Hatton wanted when he fought Tszyu.
Hatton in return, would be fighting the best fighter in the game at his best. Although, it would make career sense for Floyd but not Hatton since Hatton would have lost.
Somebody will have to find the articles/interviews, but one of the articles mentioned the first initial talk was just that, talk. It was basically asking if Hatton was interested in a fight. No money, no location, etc. Just: Hey Ricky, let's fight. Hatton’s reply: Sorry Floyd but we are not ready yet. Nothing about money or location, just, Ricky is not ready.
Money: It was wise to wait because the pot increased. I still feel Ricky waited to (one), continue to fill his pockets fighting lesser fighters, (two) waited to see if Floyd would start to slip (which I think the Oscar fight helped get Ricky into the mood to fight him); and (three) a cash out fight against Floyd if need be.
I don't think Ricky was confident back then to fight Floyd after he saw what happened to Gatti. Gatti was past his prime, but I do think that fight weighed in.
If Ricky would have lost to Floyd back then, no telling where he is now.
Right now, he still can claim that he is undefeated at 140.
It's similar in a way with Floyd when he moved up to 147: he was very careful to choose who he fought and for what price.
By the time Floyd got to 147, he already had the praise as a Great fighter and may have felt he didn't have to provef hiimself by fighting someone that the odds say wouldn't all be in his favor.
He wanted Hatton at 140, but Ricky wasn't interested.
He wanted Shane, but Shane wasn't interested at the time.
So, he continued on his chase of Oscar to cash out and wasn't willing to take certain risks against other opponents that were high-risk, low reward (for money).Last edited by Benny Leonard; 03-30-2009, 09:12 AM.Comment
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Can I just say first it was nice to receive a response from somebody who is clearly very knowledgable of the sport rather then some of the idiots on here who make ridiculous comments about elite fighters being bums etc
I agree it should be about fighting the best, but as you know boxing at this level is primarily Business first. It has to make not only sporting but also financial sense for everybody involved. Hatton had beaten Tszyu, and no matter what Floyd did he could not be considered the divisional champion until he had beaten Ricky. Hatton was big business in Manchester which is the reason why he managed to get Tszyu over in the first place –nobody can convince me that Floyd would have been willing to come to England to fight a guy nobody (apart from hardcore fans) in the states new for relatively ‘’chump change’’ as he would have called it. So where is the fight going to happen? Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Floyd only appearing in small arenas until after the Gatti fight? There is no gaurantee that Floyd would have won, and I think you’re being slightly unfair to Hatton by suggesting it was only he who didn’t want to take the fight at the time. If PBF was that desperate to fight Hatton, he could have stayed at 140 and defended the WBC belt to force it to happen. The promoters, TV, sponsors and everybody who play’s a part in a big promotion new that Mayweather/Hatton was a goldmine that if played right by everybody involved would mean major money.
In the end, Floyd moved up to Welter, won a title, got the Oscar fight he’d been chasing for years. Ricky came to America, won a title at Welter went back down and defended his belts against the number 1 contender (Castillo) and then he and Floyd hooked up for a mega event - it’s textbook management from both teams camps.Comment
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This is true.
After many years in the sport, when you get to the top, you want to be rewarded for the many years of training and struggle. Each fight can be your last so why not get paid like it is your last. That side to the sport and the fighter's thoughts on the business side to boxing is understandable. From a fan stand-point, I don't want to really hear or think about it even though I do think they are right and should do it to some extent; so it is mix feelings. But in the end, I'm a fan and I want fights to be made but at the same time I wouldn't want a fighter to compromise to much because it is his career and health on the line.
In today's game it allows fighters at the top of the money tree to not fight as often and avoid fights either for longer periods of time or straight out avoidance. Not a fan of that.
Hatton and Floyd at 140:
Floyd needed Gatti, no question. He needed Gatti to get a belt and boost his audience/popularity. His first big boost in boxing from most of the people I talk to that are not die-hard fans but are fans of the sport, was from beating Diego Corrales. But it was Gatti who had more "Star-power."
Gatti was his ticket to a PPV title fight with Tszyu and also set his increased popularity up for a Oscar fight.
Hatton spoiled that so Floyd wanted Hatton. Plus, in a way, I think Floyd's feelings towards Tszyu was a bit of wanting "get-back" for Tszyu.
I'm not sure where the fight would have been held but it would have been interesting to hear the negotiations as they moved along pass the initial talk stage of saying "Yes" to a fight.
From what I know, there was never any indication from Floyd's part that he wasn't serious about the fight when he was at 140. He did however make jokes as things moved on about Hatton's wrestling tactics and that he wouldn't fight in England because of what he regarded as what Hatton got away with when he fought Tszyu...I think that was it.
I think Floyd's objective was to keep moving or he felt he would lose Oscar. If he stayed at 140, the way things are in boxing with fighters barely fighting and politics involved, Floyd wasn't going to wait around and miss the Golden Boy. Especially with the possibility if Hatton lost before he got to him.
I think Floyd really wanted to cash out and Oscar was that ticket. He wasn't looking at Hatton at the time as being that ticket. Oscar, and if Shane wanted to dance as well, were his retirement checks.
But everything was about keep moving forward to retirement.
What did end up helping boost the Hatton vs. Mayweather fight was Mayweather's fight against Oscar. Oscar did more for Floyd than any fighter before. I don't think it would have been as high if Floyd didn't fight Oscar first. So in the end, Floyd may not have been able to get his second money fight with Shane, he did however get one with Hatton. So it did end up working out Money wise and he topped it off with a KO victory over Hatton to finish off business.
As a fan, I still don't like that the fight didn't happen back then at 140. And, I'm not a fan of what Floyd did while he was at 147, although I don't think Arum was giving him an easy time with regards to a Cotto fight. Margarito, yes, but not Cotto.
There was Williams though.Last edited by Benny Leonard; 03-30-2009, 11:38 AM.Comment
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No..........Comment
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At 140, both fighters are better. Floyd is better than Hatton at these weights, Floyd would still win. Maybe Hatton might do a little better, maybe Floyd would KO him faster, cant really tell.Comment
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No.I'm a Hatton fan,but whilst Cortez had a shocker that night,Floyd really impressed me.I dont think he would KO him again,but he would surely win.Who knows though? I cant see the fight happening.If/when Floyd comes back there are some really tasty fights out there for him against people he hasnt fought before.Whats the point in a rematch if the first fights result wasnt in doubt?Comment
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