By James Blears
Manchester legend Ricky Hatton believes WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0, 26KOs), the recognized pound-for-pound king, is improving with age and he doesn't see anyone on the current horizon being capable of defeating him. Hatton himself faced Mayweather in 2007 and was stopped in the tenth round. Although he admits Amir Khan would be a heavy underdog, Hatton would like to see him fight Mayweather in the near future.
"No one seems to have discovered the formula to beating Floyd. He's a very versatile fighter who always seems to find a way to win. But....anything can happen on the night [of a fight]. I threw him out of his rhythm for maybe five or six rounds, but then he started pulling away from me," Hatton told BoxingScene.com.
"I don't think the referee was great for me in that fight. I'm not going to be an idiot, stand here and say that was the reason I lost the fight, but he certainly didn't give me a fair crack of the whip. You certainly need a fair crack of the whip, to have half a chance of beating him (laughs heartily). To be honest, I can't see anyone beating Floyd."
Ricky says Floyd is not a hard puncher, but he's very accurate. Hatton admits he tired badly down the stretch of that fight and got caught by a big, accurate shot on the button.
"It was the timing of the punch. He let the storm blow itself out, and showed that he knew when it was time to put his foot on the gas...as they say," Hatton said.
