The Wannabe Welterweights

[nikalektik]

Here is an article I am going to publish on my website. I wanted to get your opinion's on the matter.

Sunday March 14, 2006

By: Nick Fariabi

After Ricky Hatton's narrow victory against Luis Collazo on Saturday at the TD Bank North Garden, one thing became clear: there are now too many wannabe welterweights.

At 5'6, Hatton is a vicious body thrower with superb power, that is, at 140 pounds. Now, making the jump to 147 like the pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr., his shots don't seem to have the same strength and his rough-house tactics don't seem to give him the same leverage that they did at the lighter weight.

The same goes for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who seems to be the one behind the steady gravitation of fighters to the higher weight class. Now that Hatton follows, Miguel Cotto seems to be lurking at the footsteps.

Ricky Hatton almost learned the hard way on Saturday how much seven pounds can matter against a seemingly stronger, and even faster, Luis Collazo. Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself has two fights at the welterweight level, but don't let that fool you. His two bouts are against two fellow wannabe welterweights: Sharmba Mitchell and Zab Judah. He has yet to face a formidable opponent with the size and strength of the likes of a real welterweight, i.e. Antonio Margarito.

These pseduo-welterweights should move back down in weight to the junior welterweight division. There are exciting fights to be made between Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Floyd Mayweather, Jose Luis Castillo, Joel Casamayor, and several other strong fighters, including Paul Malignaggi. There is no need for everyone to jump up a division where they do not belong especially with the number of great fights that can be made at the 140 pound level.

After the fight on Saturday, Ricky Hatton said: "It wasn't just the 12th round, he hurt me several times in the fight. He hits a lot harder. I still believe that I am a junior welterweight and I moved up to welterweight. I did notice the difference. He hit me several times. He hit me and hurt me in the last round and I was able to stay close, smother him, and keep my wits about me."

Collazo, in turn, said: "He should go back down to 140 pounds because I believe if he gives me a rematch, I will knock him out."

I agree. Hatton and the rest of these new welterweights should move back down before they learn the hard reality of how much seven pounds can make a difference. Until their age pushes their natural weight limitations, as is the case with Arturo Gatti, there is no reason for these great fighters to chase the higher weight class for a bigger payday when in fact the 140 pound division can provide live matchups.

NOTES ON HATTON-COLLAZO FIGHT:

- Hatton might have had his troubles with his first fight at the new weight, but let that not be considered the sole reason Collazo gave him a tough time. Being a southpaw might have helped. Hatton had trouble with southpaw Eamonn Magee in a fight several years back and the nonconventional style leaves less body shots open for a fighter that thrives on just that.

- Hatton-Mayweather is a fight I would love to see. Hatton is very one-dimensional, you know what you are getting before you enter the fight, and to me, a fighter as smart as Mayweather would come up with a game plan to figure his style out. That is, if there is a way to deal with the nonstop pressure and agonizing tactics (dirty or not) of Hatton.

- Hatton proved against Collazo that he has a good chin. He tooks some hard shots in the 12th round.

- If Hatton decides that 147 pounds is the weight class he wants to stay at, I say forget fighting a rematch with Luis Collazo and instead take on the Tijuana Badass Antonio Margarito. That would be a live fight with two pressure fighters meeting in an intense battle. Margarito would have the edge in power, but Hatton's straighter shots and better technique could make up for the difference in power.

- Floyd Mayweather Jr. has now two pressure fighters to deal with in the welterweight division: Ricky Hatton and Antonio Margarito. For a guy whose only real victory against a pressure fighter was Jesus Chavez, many years back, he will have his hands full with either guy.

[mokele]

Hatton should move back down

As far as Floyd Mayweather Jr. is concerned, I think that he can be a good welterweight because of his height and reach. Arturo Gatti is another current "wannabee welterweight" although he apparently has the power and basic size for it. However, Hatton is only 5'6" and has a small reach of 65" for a welterweight. The simple laws of bio-mechanics suggest that he will have way too much trouble against the bigger, broader, taller guys like Margarito, Cintron and Mayweather.

In the past there were a couple of other well-known "wannabee welterweights" : Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor. Both men were nearly invincible at lightweight, outstanding at 140 lbs., and just very good at 147 lbs. It's the same old story. Fighters get older and move up in weight whether it's a good idea or not. Roberto Duran did it successfully (sort of) and so have many great fighters (De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Shane Mosley) but in my opinion, the key is how big their frame really is, and how much punching power they have. Duran had the punch of a welterweight while he was still a lightweight, so he could move up quite easily. De La Hoya has a big frame and was quite skinny as a lightweight so he could move up. Pernell Whitaker was an all-time great defensive specialist, and although he could win at welterweight he had little power. Shane Mosley has moved up successfully from 135 lbs. to 154 lbs., but in my opinion he's an all-time great with skills that far exceed that of most fighters of his size. He's also 5'9" and has a long reach of 74".

In any case, Hatton got a very lucky win over Collazo, a true welterweight but not a big puncher, a guy who hurt Hatton several times and came close to stopping him in round 12. Hatton is very, very lucky to get a wakeup call without getting seriously hurt or losing a fight. Let's see how he reacts to the message.

[DLT]

I think some is good and some is B.S.

How can you say that Floyd only has the Chaves win? What about Castillo, Chico, N'Dou, and others.

There are alot of fighters in the lower divisions but none of them fight eachother so thats why they move up. People like to blame Floyd for this but I will ask them this: Who could Floyd have fought that he didnt? He wanted Hatton but he said not yet, he wanted Cotto but he was too green, and he's already fought the big guns at 135.

You say Floyd hasnt fought a real 147 pounder but then the only name you can come up with is Margarito. Why is that? Because there is no one who is a real 147 pounder that is better then the lesser guys except for "maybe" Margarito. People like to bring up Callazo now but no one thought about him before the Hatton fight and now people try to act like he is the best thing since slice bread.

Both Hatton & Floyd should probally still be at 140 but when has that meant anything in boxing? From day 1, alot of guys fought at heavier weights then they belong and I say you should get credit for that if you look good. Floyd handled 147 better then Hatton.

[LondonRingRules]

In general the piece was well written. I disagree about Hatton being a wannabe welt. Any fighter in shape starting his career at jrwelt should be able to move up a division. Reach in boxing is the most overrated stat. Plenty of HOF greats with short reaches. It's all about style.

Hatton was more than a match physically against a bigger man, and I don't think he was lucky, he outslugged and outmuscled his man and kept him in reverse the bulk of the fight.

The writer is also mistaken about Margarito. The guy has a variety of straight punches that he throws from every angle. What I saw from Hatton last night was a hooker primarily, with little jabbing mixed in with some lead and straight rights. Hatton uses some clever footwork to leverage his power and move in range whereas Margarito is a big welter and has a more plodding style.

I say Margarito would clean out the division if everyone had a box off, and Hatton, Cotto, and Floyd would all be competitive with each other, but of course Cotto won't move up until next year.

[DLT]

In general the piece was well written. I disagree about Hatton being a wannabe welt. Any fighter in shape starting his career at jrwelt should be able to move up a division. Reach in boxing is the most overrated stat. Plenty of HOF greats with short reaches. It's all about style.

Hatton was more than a match physically against a bigger man, and I don't think he was lucky, he outslugged and outmuscled his man and kept him in reverse the bulk of the fight.

The writer is also mistaken about Margarito. The guy has a variety of straight punches that he throws from every angle. What I saw from Hatton last night was a hooker primarily, with little jabbing mixed in with some lead and straight rights. Hatton uses some clever footwork to leverage his power and move in range whereas Margarito is a big welter and has a more plodding style.

I say Margarito would clean out the division if everyone had a box off, and Hatton, Cotto, and Floyd would all be competitive with each other, but of course Cotto won't move up until next year.

I disagree. Margarito does swing wild and throws looping punches. Thats how guys like Santos was catching him. He throws wild wide punches and has no defense. I still say Floyd beats this guy easily and makes him look like a amature in the process

[nikalektik]

I think some is good and some is B.S.

How can you say that Floyd only has the Chaves win? What about Castillo, Chico, N'Dou, and others.

There are alot of fighters in the lower divisions but none of them fight eachother so thats why they move up. People like to blame Floyd for this but I will ask them this: Who could Floyd have fought that he didnt? He wanted Hatton but he said not yet, he wanted Cotto but he was too green, and he's already fought the big guns at 135.

You say Floyd hasnt fought a real 147 pounder but then the only name you can come up with is Margarito. Why is that? Because there is no one who is a real 147 pounder that is better then the lesser guys except for "maybe" Margarito. People like to bring up Callazo now but no one thought about him before the Hatton fight and now people try to act like he is the best thing since slice bread.

Both Hatton & Floyd should probally still be at 140 but when has that meant anything in boxing? From day 1, alot of guys fought at heavier weights then they belong and I say you should get credit for that if you look good. Floyd handled 147 better then Hatton.

Point of clarification: Floyd does have wins against a number of tough opponents: chico, castillo, genaro, etc. But, that was not my point. Floyd's, and I challenge someone to prove me wrong on this, only true fight against a "Pressure Fighter" was against Jesus Chavez.

Please do not tell me that Chico or Castillo are pressure fighters. Castillo comes close but he has a much more methodical approach. Chico just follows you around the ring and is characterized more by a boxer-puncher style. Neither guy rains down your neck from the moment the first bell is rung to the last second of the fight, like Hatton or Margarito.

As for the other stuff you say, how I can only name Margarito as a true welterweight, that is partly true. There really aren't that many true welterweights with skill. The only ones that come close are margarito, cintron, rivera, and collazo. Floyd, in my estimation, can handle all of these guys. So, yes, you are right.

But does that mean he should be at 147? If it means he will take on Oscar De La Hoya, yes. I want to see that. But if it means we have to see him against mitchell and judah, then go back down to 140 where you belong. Joel Casamayor would be a stiff test for Floyd, and Hatton/Cotto are lurking in the shadows and would be ready to fight by the end of this year.