Floyd Mayweather vs Ricky Hatton
Undefeated Champions Fight for Pound for Pound Title
On December 8, 2007 Floyd Mayweather Jr. puts his welterweight and pound-for-pound titles on the line against British junior welterweight sensation, Ricky Hatton.
On December 8, 2007 Floyd Mayweather Jr. (38-0, 24 KO's) puts his WBC Welterweight Championship on the line against Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton (43-0, 31 KO's). The fight, billed as "Undefeated" will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be shown on HBO Pay-Per-View at a suggested retail price of $49.95. The MGM box office reported that tickets for the event sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale.
Mayweather Among the Pound For Pound Best
Mayweather (30) is one of those rare fighters who is presumed to win every fight he enters. Like Pernell Whitaker or Roy Jones Jr., both pound for pound champions in their respective primes, defeat seems impossible and perfection becomes their greatest enemy. When winning is too easy for a fighter, critics slip out of the crevices to feed on any morsel they can find, no matter how stale and perfection is a boxing critics favorite food.
Hatton Throws More Punches
For Hatton (29), perfection has never been an issue. If anything, he has exceeded expectations--outside of his native England, anyway. Hatton wins by simple arithmetic--he throws more punches than his opponents throw back. Not that Hatton doesn't have talent, he does--reasonably fast hands and above average power, especially to the body--but even he knows that he loses any talent comparison with Mayweather.
"You can't deny his talent," Hatton told Suite101 during a September 17 press conference in Universal City, CA. "But I feel that I have the perfect style to beat him."
That "style" is relentless pressure. It's the one thing that slick boxers like Mayweather are supposed to fear.
"I ain't worried about no pressure," said Mayweather. "I'm already ranked among the best ever in the sport. I'll do what I do."
And what Mayweather does is, well, everything. His reflexes get him out of the way of trouble, his smarts help him set up opponents for counterpunches, and although he has knocked out only one fighter at welterweight (former World Champion Sharma Mitchell in 2005) the 147 pound fighters he has faced since then--Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, and Oscar De La Hoya--are among the most durable fighters in the sport.
Since Sugar Ray Robinson (the first fighter to be given the ethereal pound-for pound designation) the pound-for pound label has gone to slick boxers who could hit and not get hit. Back-alley brawlers need not apply. Hatton is applying anyway.
Hatton Beat Kostya Tszyu
A natural 140 lb fighter, Hatton is moving up in weight, and hoping that he can catch lighting. He did it once before at 140 when he beat a likely first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in Kostya Tzsyu by TKO in 11 rounds. Since then, he tried 147 against Luis Collazo and won a close decision--close enough that he dropped back down to 140 for his next two fights-- a decision over Juan Urango and an impressive fourth round KO, via bodyshot, over Jose Luis Castillo.
Hatton's victory over Castillo is notable because the last person to give Mayweather any real trouble in the ring was Castillo in 2002. Castillo pressured Mayweather for 12 rounds, forcing him to trade punches, and never allowing him to use his athleticism to control the fight.
Mayweather a Stronger Fighter
Hatton will try to apply the same kind of pressure on Mayweather by cutting off the ring and drowning him in punches. Mayweather figures to be the naturally stronger fighter and expects to discourage his opponent with whistling counters. As far as he is concerned, doing what he always does should be enough.
The fight is presented by GoldenBoy Promotions in conjunction with Mayweather Promotions.
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