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Hatton Interview: Ricky talks about Floyd
New Hatton interview where he talks about why he hasn't looked to Fight Mayweather up until this point. Very good read. Ricky comes across as a class act.
FF: Ricky lets talk Floyd Mayweather. He’s widely regarded as one of the top fighters in the world, as are you. There’s no dis*****g that you’re the man at 140lbs, and Floyd left the division to campaign at Welterweight.I sometimes see criticism heaped on Floyd for not fighting you, but I seem to recall you saying shortly after the Tszyu fight that you didn’t want to fight him until 2006, and now again that you’re taking a few fights before you’re ready to fight Floyd. Can you speak on why this is, and why you haven’t been anxious to see this fight happen sooner?
RH: Well the decision isn’t just mine, the decision belongs to my camp also. The problem is that in America not a lot of people have seen my on the telly or live in the flesh so the idea is to take a few fights in the US to build the fight up and make it bigger. After the Carlos Maussa fight I had to take 6 months off to heal cuts I had to have plastic surgery to repair and that’s taken us into 2006.
But you know a lot of people say I’m stalling in fighting Floyd Mayweather but Floyd is the one who moved out of the weight division. Mayweather moved up to Welterweight having won a title, but it wasn’t from ‘the’ man at Junior Welter, and that’s me. I won the belt from ‘the man’. Floyd Mayweather is the one who moved up to Welterweight. I think that you could make the argument that he’s the one who’s avoiding me, because he moved up to Welterweight before facing me. If we’re going to get testy, that’s what I could say, but honestly I don’t think I’m avoiding him, and I don’t think he’s avoiding me. The fact is it’s a big fight and one everyone wants to see. You know I’ve been fighting in England for god knows how many years and everyone keeps telling me I need to go to America and I want to get a few fights in to see what it’s like and raise my profile there. Then we’ll fight Floyd. I think it will be a good fight when it happens and with me moving up to Welterweight it’s obviously a step in the right direction. When we both have titles it makes the fight that much more attractive.
And you know when I do fight him I feel I’ll beat him. I’ve always felt that and even more so after watching him fight the other night. In watching his fight with Judah I didn’t get the impression he’s a guy that should have me shivering in me boots. Floyd is what he is and I didn’t learn anything different in watching him again. He deserves to be where he is at the top of the pound for pound with what he’s done in several divisions and with Hopkins losing to Taylor. But as far as I’m concerned he’s keeping that spot warm for me because I wasn’t overly impressed in seeing him the other night.
FF: Do you have a preference as to where you’d like that fight to occur? At 140 or 147?
RH: It doesn’t really matter to me. I met Floyd very briefly at the Taylor Hopkins fight and we shook hands and stood side by side and I was surprised at how small he was. Whether the fight is at 140 or 147 I’ll be bigger and stronger than him. He’s not a big Welter and not really even a big Junior Welter. I don’t think Floyd would have trouble making 140 again so that’s something that when the time comes we’ll sit down and decide. It doesn’t matter to me because I can fight comfortably at both weights.
FULL INTERVIEW
FF: Ricky lets talk Floyd Mayweather. He’s widely regarded as one of the top fighters in the world, as are you. There’s no dis*****g that you’re the man at 140lbs, and Floyd left the division to campaign at Welterweight.I sometimes see criticism heaped on Floyd for not fighting you, but I seem to recall you saying shortly after the Tszyu fight that you didn’t want to fight him until 2006, and now again that you’re taking a few fights before you’re ready to fight Floyd. Can you speak on why this is, and why you haven’t been anxious to see this fight happen sooner?
RH: Well the decision isn’t just mine, the decision belongs to my camp also. The problem is that in America not a lot of people have seen my on the telly or live in the flesh so the idea is to take a few fights in the US to build the fight up and make it bigger. After the Carlos Maussa fight I had to take 6 months off to heal cuts I had to have plastic surgery to repair and that’s taken us into 2006.
But you know a lot of people say I’m stalling in fighting Floyd Mayweather but Floyd is the one who moved out of the weight division. Mayweather moved up to Welterweight having won a title, but it wasn’t from ‘the’ man at Junior Welter, and that’s me. I won the belt from ‘the man’. Floyd Mayweather is the one who moved up to Welterweight. I think that you could make the argument that he’s the one who’s avoiding me, because he moved up to Welterweight before facing me. If we’re going to get testy, that’s what I could say, but honestly I don’t think I’m avoiding him, and I don’t think he’s avoiding me. The fact is it’s a big fight and one everyone wants to see. You know I’ve been fighting in England for god knows how many years and everyone keeps telling me I need to go to America and I want to get a few fights in to see what it’s like and raise my profile there. Then we’ll fight Floyd. I think it will be a good fight when it happens and with me moving up to Welterweight it’s obviously a step in the right direction. When we both have titles it makes the fight that much more attractive.
And you know when I do fight him I feel I’ll beat him. I’ve always felt that and even more so after watching him fight the other night. In watching his fight with Judah I didn’t get the impression he’s a guy that should have me shivering in me boots. Floyd is what he is and I didn’t learn anything different in watching him again. He deserves to be where he is at the top of the pound for pound with what he’s done in several divisions and with Hopkins losing to Taylor. But as far as I’m concerned he’s keeping that spot warm for me because I wasn’t overly impressed in seeing him the other night.
FF: Do you have a preference as to where you’d like that fight to occur? At 140 or 147?
RH: It doesn’t really matter to me. I met Floyd very briefly at the Taylor Hopkins fight and we shook hands and stood side by side and I was surprised at how small he was. Whether the fight is at 140 or 147 I’ll be bigger and stronger than him. He’s not a big Welter and not really even a big Junior Welter. I don’t think Floyd would have trouble making 140 again so that’s something that when the time comes we’ll sit down and decide. It doesn’t matter to me because I can fight comfortably at both weights.
FULL INTERVIEW
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