Mayweather vs Hatton: Undefeated... Undoubted


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Mayweather vs Hatton: Undefeated... Undoubted

By Julian Kasdin (Dec 7, 2007) Doghouse Boxing

On December 8, at MGM Grand’s Garden Arena, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr, 38-0 (24), will square off against equally unbeaten Ricky “Hitman” Hatton, 43-0 (31), for Floyd’s WBC welterweight title. This is a fight that has truly captured the interest of the boxing world since it was first proposed in 2005, and the atmosphere in the lead-up to Saturday’s showdown is unmatched by anything we have had during this banner year for boxing. Will this fight provide fireworks? Will the tens of thousands of British fans in Las Vegas see their man win? Or will Floyd Mayweather add another elite fighter to

his already sterling resume?

I have been looking forward to this fight more than any other this year, and as the hours tick by, my level of excitement increases exponentially. As I write this, I can feel tingling in my fingertips and the hair rising on the back of my neck in anticipation of a showdown between two undefeated elite fighters in their prime. One can only imagine that the atmosphere in Las Vegas is explosive, as over 15,000 Brits descend on Sin City and countless pints are imbibed from now till the first bell on Saturday. In short, I am excited, and I am sure I am not alone. However, for all my excitement, I must also take a step back and look at this excellent match-up through the eyes of an unemotional analyst.

Mayweather and Hatton both combine tremendous skills with great physical talent. They have each shown heart on several occasions, and have overwhelmed their opposition on others. It can be argued that they will both be facing their toughest foe yet on the 8th, and indeed many see this as an even fight with the winner getting by on the closest of margins.

Hatton, the challenger, is a short (5’6”), stocky pressure fighter, with notable physical strength and underrated speed and skill. He has a knack for making his opponents fight his fight, by bulling in on them, grappling with them, and banging their bodies with powerful hooks and uppercuts. He is quick of both hand and foot, and is adept at closing the distance between himself and his opponents much quicker than they often think he is capable of doing. Ricky has an advantage in the number of fights (43), and is coming off the second biggest win of his career in a dominating fourth-round stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo. Before that, he won two lackluster decisions over Juan Urango and Luis Collazo (the later being his only fight at welterweight). Both of those pedestrian performances followed a dominating ninth-round stoppage of Carlos Maussa, and an eleventh-round TKO of long-time 140-pound champion Kostya Tszyu. All of those wins, regardless of their significance, pale in comparison to a possible win over Mayweather, who is arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Floyd is known to all boxing fans as a combination of professional and showman. Confident boxer and insecure person, a real-life Jekyll and Hyde, Mayweather’s public persona stands in stark contrast to his in-the-ring attitude. Floyd is a masterful technician who combines slick defense with the ability to consistently land on often overmatched foes. At 5’8”, he is taller than Ricky, and he is also possessed of longer reach and faster hands. Those hands, while faster, are also brittle, which adds a bit of drama to any Mayweather fight. Since winning a world championship in his sixteenth fight, he has gone on to win titles in the junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight divisions. A win against Hatton will take Floyd one step closer towards fistic immortality and the recognition he desires as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

What must each fighter do to win? In the case of Hatton it is obvious. He must make this a rough, physical fight, that sees him constantly punching, pushing or pulling Mayweather for three minutes of every round. Mayweather, in my opinion, must turn Ricky’s pressure against him. As Hatton comes in, Mayweather should use lateral movement to catch him out of position, off balance, and vulnerable to pinpoint counterpunches.

While I initially thought this fight would be close, on Wednesday night I had an epiphany. Floyd is great. No ifs, ands, or buts. Floyd Mayweather is a great fighter. He has moved up from one weight division to the next, and, with the exception of his first fight versus Jose Luis Castillo, he has never come close to losing a major fight. Ricky Hatton is a good fighter, a physical and tough fighter, but he is not a great fighter. Floyd Mayweather may go through some rough patches, but I think he will be able to figure out Ricky Hatton with relative ease. While I do not desire to bring down the wrath of England on me, I also cannot ignore what I have seen, and what I have seen in Mayweather is someone who combines the physical talent of Roy Jones Jr. with the technical mastery of James Toney. It is with that in mind that I pick Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. to win via unanimous decision, something along the lines of 117-111, in a fight that adds to the legacy of a great fighter.
Questions or comments,
e-mail

Julian at: Alcaldemb@aol.com