Ricky Hatton

Its not long now until Ricky Hatton fights Floyd Mayweather on 8 December i hope Ricky knocks him out in the first,i cant stand Mayweather and i dont rate him as a fighter,Ricky is in a different class and Mayweather wont know what has hit,Floyd is not going to know what to do when Hatton brings so much pressure. He'll be so scared.

I hope Hatton knocks him out as well

Are you watching mate?

man mate i havn't got sky.

Thats a shame,you will just have to watch the highlights on BBC 1,my uncles going to the fight he goes to most of the major fights,he saw Lewis v Tyson in Vegas ive seen Nassem Hamed fight three times but i aint seen Hatton yet im hoping to soon we will have to see who he fights when he knocks this clown out

Cool.The other guy is too cocky for my liking,ive seen him on one clip flash all his cash about.prick

He was lucky to win against De La hoya,even his own father said he lost,he was lucky it wont happen again

lol. He wasnt lucky to beat DLH, he was to much for him and was the better fighter. And plus, he has some of the fastest hands I've ever seen. Floyd wins this fight.

Yeah, I say Floyd wins too. Although I'll be rooting for Ricky and it's always fun to see some of the Brits come out and chant during his fights.

Thats so true. His last fight was kinda meh but his fans made it so much fun to watch. Hearing them chant for pretty much the whole fight was awesome.

I think Ricky will knock him out in the first actually i dont think i know! Ricky is in the best form of his life and Mayweather is past his prime

This is gonna be such a great fight!
floyd is the best in the world but the big fights always bring out the best in Ricky and British boxing is on such a high just now...
Ricky to win!

Hopefully he will put some pride back in england

Win,lose or draw he will put pride back because he does'nt know any other way than giving it his all!

LOL. You must be joking. Mayweather past his prime? Mayweather = 30 years old, Hatton = 29. And Hatton has not fought the level of fighters Mayweather has. Thats just crazy talk if you think he'll win in a first round KO.

What about Joe Calzaghe, who's probably the best pound-for-pound fighter today? (Or do you literally mean England as opposed to UK)?

Floyd's a classy boxer, but Hatton's a regular killer. If Ricky gets anywhere close to Floyd, he'll knock him out.

Joe Calzaghe is the pound for pounder at present Turnbull. Hopefully Ricky will be challenging him for the title in a few weeks time

as ive said Hatton first round,and mayweatther to start blubbering like a little girl when he eventually regains conciousness

I have trouble with deciding this fight. I'm a huge Ricky Hatton fan, he is world class and can cause trouble to anyone for prolonged periods of time. But I feel he's going to have it hard getting close to Floyd. Luckily he is persistant and the pressure isn't going to stop but Floyd is just going to dance the whole fight. Floyd isn't a power puncher so he isn't going to knock out Hatton.

The only way Mayweather wins is over 12 rounds frustrating Hatton and getting a decision on points. Or by cutting Hatton, which he has been prone to, and the fight gets prematurely stopped.

Hatton will only win by fighting his relentless 12 round pressure fights.

Whatever happens I reckon it's going 12 rounds.

Had he not taken up snooker, Mark Williams (good friends with Calzaghe) would be World Champion by now.

If I hadn't stopped, so would I.

BTW, earlier this month Miguel Cotto decisioned Shane Mosely in a terrific fight. Like Mayweather, Mosely is a classy, fast boxer. Like Hatton, Cotto is tough, persistent and fearless. A harbinger of things to come?

I agree Mosley is a terrific fighter,i actually missed the cotto mosley fight,How old is Mosley?

He's 36.

Thanks

Ricky Hatton believes Flyod Mayweather is already getting the excuses in before the duo collide in their welterweight super-fight on December 8.

Hatton has been surprised by the American's casual attitude towards training and sees the American's recent reference to his hands as already making excuses for a potential defeat.

"From what I've seen there has been a lot of training in the comfort zone," said Hatton, a man renowned for his for his dedication in the build-up to a fight.

"Simply hitting the speed ball, working the bag and the pads very lightly with very little power.

"He is already saying he has trouble with his hands again and I'm just wondering from my point of view if Floyd Mayweather loses I hope he doesn't blame the defeat on his dancing or on his hands."

Hatton was also encouraged by Mayweather's choice of sparring partner, Carlos Baldomir, a journeyman whom the 'Pretty Boy' defeated in a unanimous points victory in November 2006.

"His choice of sparring partner is also interesting," he added. "He certainly isn't the quickest and plods forward rather than moves forward.

"If they've brought him in to emulate me that is a very good sign because I think Baldomir, even when he was in the best shape of his life and fought Floyd, he was far from fit or quick enough so I don't know what he's going to be like when he's out of shape."

I hope so. Although one big difference stands out: Mosely is past his prime and hasn't been in the ring much in the last few years.

Cotto is the young blood with a great future ahead of him, he's finally getting a few big names on his CV, which had previously hurt his credability (something Hatton has had to deal with), and looks to be getting bigger and stronger with maturity. He'll probably go on to be a multiple weight world champion.

Cotto reminds me a bit of the great Roberto Duran..
For us UK chaps next Saturday is going to be a great night for fights
Amir Khan vs Graham Earl on ITV at about 10pm.
Definitely Khans toughest task so far and don't be surprised if Earl does him over
Then Jamie Moore fights for the European title (to my shame i forget who he is fighting) but this will be a good scrap also,Moore is a nice guy and an under-rated boxer.Anyone see his scrap with Matthew Macklin last year?
Classic!
This one is on normal Sky Sports i believe...
Then over to the US for the big one...but before then on the undercard,Jeff Lacy vs Peter Manfredo. 2 of Calzaghes recent victims. Does Lacy have anything left? Manfredo has something,his fight with Joe was a premature stoppage i think!
Intriguing match this!
Then onto Ricky beating the shit out of Floyd ..and then i can go to bed

Crikey i love boxing

I rarely watch boxing, but every once in a while a fight comes along that gets me interested again. I honestly didn't know who Ricky Hatton was until a couple of days ago when I heard an interview on one of the local sports talk radio stations. I am already a fan of his just because he sounded so intelligent and like-able. Just going by his voice I pictured him in a sweater vest, knitted by his grandmother, and smoking his pipe with a monacle about to start reading classic literature on the radio.

Does anyone know how to watch the fight in the U.S.? Is it Pay-Per-View only?

He always takes his monocle out before a fight...
Can be dangerous in the ring

I think its £14.95 for pay-per-view in UK, they normally show aroung 5-6 fights before the main fight.

Dead right DN :cool
I have already purchased my package and will be sitting up through the night

Today's Wall Street Journal has a good article on the resurgence of boxing in Europe, with focus on Hatton/Mayweather. Good quotes from both fighters. Writer gives the impression that Mayweather's the fave because he has a long record of making opponents not use their left jab. But I still think Floyd has never been up against anyone like Hatton.
Heaven only knows what US pay-per-view will want for this event. But I'm pretty sure HBO will have it a week later.

I have a couple of friends, who usually break down and buy it the day of the fight. I then bring a case of beer or a few pizzas and watch the fight there. I've seen Mayweather several times and he's always impressive. I thought he clearly won the fight against Oscar de la Hoya, and was surprised by the split decision. I've only seen bits of Hatton, and he intrigues me.

Not long till Hatton ko's that prick mayweather


Come on Ricky!!!!!!!

i think they had to be pulled apart yesterday,mayweather thinks he a gangster or something, i hope he loses.

Mayweathers a proper cock,i like to see confident fighters but this guys way to over the top,i just hope Hatton ko's him ive paid for the fight today £14.95 like you said De Niro

hopefully,ive not got sky

Go to mates who's got it

my dads paying for it,but its on 4.30 in morning,F that,im not really a boxing fan anyway to be honest

not much point in stopping up then is there?

i hate all the build up to it,takes hours,and it could be over in 2,3 rounds, i dout it though..this ones going all the way

Amir Kahn fighting as well,so im looking forward to that also

he a special talent that man.

reminds me of Nassem Hamhed only not as cocky,ive seen kahn fight,the guys awesome and he's getting better

Floyd Mayweather must have wondered if he was at the correct venue. The sign above the door said the MGM Grand. Inside, the Las Vegas branch of the Ricky Hatton supporters' club were rattling through a chorus of the Hatton family anthem, Blue Moon. It might have been Hatton's local in Hyde.

As the song has it, Pretty Boy Floyd was standing alone without a love of his own as he entered the Strip's rapidly expanding British quarter. The bookies' favourite Mayweather may be, but on the casino floor Hatton is King.


Fans' favourite: Las Vegas has taken to Britain's Ricky Hatton
That standard prop of global celebrity, the mobile phone, was put to rapid use as Mayweather stepped from the passenger seat of his sober Mercedes. A team of minders piled dutifully out of the obligatory SUV at the rear, creating the illusion of necessity, but the lack of fanfare was an early sign that the 'fight of the century' might not pass as planned.

Once through the doors chants of 'who are you?' drowned out the public address. Mayweather tried to rally with an adaptation of the terrace chant "there's only one May-weather". In doing so he revealed at least one weakness; he can't sing. Round one to the Hitman.

Delusion is the lubricant that oils the Vegas machine. A thousand dreams a second disappear down the throats of avaricious slot machines as blue collar America pursues ad infinitum its hopeless get-rich-quick schemes. As good a fighter as he is, Mayweather's hold on reality appears no more convincing than the gambler's.

What was demonstrably a partisan gathering of British stock come to pay homage to one of their own came out the other end of flawless Floyd's mental prism very differently. He claimed that everyone had come to see him and the fantasy continued as he made his way from the lobby to the boxing arena.



A wall of hotel security staff threw themselves across the thoroughfare to protect Mayweather from unwanted attention. Apart from his eager retinue and accredited media, there was no attention. Hatton-mania aside, Vegas was still in bed, sleeping off the night before. The passage was deserted.

Hubris comes as standard with the Mayweather model. If Hatton is lucky, the Mayweathers might consent to a sparring role for him after the fight. "He ain't got no jab, no head movement. He would not be in the America top 100 if he fought over here," uncle Roger said. "This is going to be a car wreck, a blood bath."

Tracing a finger across the lower lids of both eyes and the bridge of his nose, uncle Roger added: "He going to cut here, here and here. He's going to need more than plastic surgery."

The Hatton response is humour. Serving punters in The Vault, the Hatton family pub on the east Manchester housing estate of Hattersley, was training of a sort, according to Hatton Snr, Ray, who claimed Richard's (always Richard) skills are inherited from his mother.

In the manner of a comedian at the Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, Ray rolled out the repartee: "Blokes were always leaning over the bar saying, 'oh Carol, what I could do for you', to which she would answer, 'I want the ship not the wreck'.

"Once, I saw this bloke come flying across the table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this bracelet flashing. I knew it was Carol's. Afterwards I asked her, 'it was you who hit him weren't it?' She said she thought he was coming for me from behind. I know where Richard gets it from."

Apart from his clichéd arrival in a black cab - every Englishman hails from London in the American imagination - Richard's choreography was foot perfect. The welcome as he took to the temporary stage will have re-inforced the belief that something special awaits when Saturday comes. "I want to thank all my fans from Manchester, from England, from the United States. On December 8 come and watch me take that belt from this clown," Hatton said, releasing another wall of noisy approval across the lobby.


Hatton believes he will win this fight. The conviction is honestly felt. And not only by Hatton. The Golden Boy himself, Oscar De La Hoya, who is both promoter and prospective opponent, is the latest to throw critical mass behind the Mancunian challenge.

"I've been in with Mayweather. It was like a sparring session. He doesn't come to fight. If I had not made the running, there would have been no fight. Absolutely Ricky can win." De La Hoya conveniently overlooked the two right hands that stiffened his legs and Mayweather's resolve. A younger De La Hoya would have been a different proposition. Hatton, so obviously at his peak, will be.


40,000 English fans to be in Vegas,makes you proud to be English

It will be like a football game with all the chanting,the Yanks won't know what hit them..

They wont know whats happning,theres no other fans in the world like the English when we get going,ive just read the MGM has had to order more beer as the 20 thousand English that are already there are drinking them dry

How much does the arena hold?

Im not sure but i know alot of the English fans havent got tickets

I think the more relevant inquiry is how much beer do their bladders hold?

Nothing against Hatton, but I have to root for Floyd.

That goes without saying Kyl

"There's only one Ricky Hatton
One Ricky Hatton
Walking along,
singing a song,
Walking in a Hatton Wonderland".

There will be a few verses of this belted out over the weekend no doubt

Can't wait for this. I'm not watching it. Unless I can find a live stream on the 'Net.

Come on Ricky.

Prior to the Beatles, most of us Yanks thought that "Liverpool" was a digestive.

I really hope Ricky knocks that smug Mayweather out.

The PPV channels want $54.95 here. That works out to 27 pounds sterling. You guys are way ahead here.

And its on your turf as well.

I've decided that, if Hatton wins, I'm jumping through my bedroom window - through it, glass and all! - with excitement.

And what will you do if he loses?

I'm rooting for Hatton big-time. I can't stand that Mayweather.

Get your video camera ready.

Okay, my English friends. I'm with you guys tonight. Go Hatton!

But I just found this classic on Youtube. Most of you boys would be too young to remember, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It's your boy Alan Minter getting his ass kicked by the American Marvin Hagler back in 1980.

Check it out: Hagler-Minter

I'm actually getting quite nervous now. I was watching the press-conference from Wednesday, and Floyd's dad was talking with a kid on his lap, and he said "fuck(ed)" several times. In the presence of the kid, it lent a nasty tone to things, and I didn't like it. All flash, all gloss.

In short, I hope Hatton beats the fucking shit out of the whole entire Mayweather camp.

He will don't worry..

I remember this fight well PB...but perversely i was wanting Hagler to win!
He was one of my main boxing heroes as a kid

Minter was a good honest fighter but Hagler handed him a whupping....

GO RICKY

Yessir! Floyd by TKO. Woooo

Better man won, definitely.

uh... Did I say I was rooting for Hatton? Just kidding! GO U.S.!!!

That was a very good fight until the last two rounds. I hope they fight again, I'll pay to watch.

I didn't have much background to go on -- I'm not a big boxing fan, tho I do appreciate a good fight. I didn't watch the HBO series "24/7" building up to this until tonight to catch up a bit before the fight. After watching that, I saw Hatton as "one of us" (well, at least one of ME -- a guy who does what he has to do, but also likes to eat and drink and party like the rest of us, and with a terrific sense of humor, as well as being a seemingly good Family Man). I really had no opinion against Mayweather, despite the flashing of "bling" like an idiot who got too much money too quickly and has to flaunt it. But, watching them both train, Mayweather was definitely the most disciplined.

I figured Mayweather would probably win, but Hatton would put up a decent fight. And that's what happened -- in a great fight!

Congrats to both for a great fight -- and perhaps next time I'll talk about how embarrassed I felt for the human race in the pub I went to tonight. I had NO idea how many racists there were in NJ... NJ!!

Hatton still my man,but mayweather deserved to win thats all im saying about it apart from im gutted

Im sure Ricky will come back stronger.

Yes,Mayweather deserved the win,he is a class act in the ring....
Hatton and the Brit fans did us all proud though
He will be back!

Did you see the Khan fight that was a joke and was over in 72 seconds..The ref should have carried on for at least another minate.

Yeah it was poor!
Still not sold on Khan.....

I really hope Floyd isnt talking two years off like he said he was. I would love to see him vs Cotto.

That would be a great fight!

Which Floyd would win i reckon....

The fans did us proud in turning up in great numbers but what was with the anthem booing crap?
I hate that....its such bullshit!

Was they booing the US anthem was they?

Indeed they did!
The only smirch on a great night...apart from the fight itself of course

Well, thats the English for you.

There's a great, witty article on the week in Vegas and the fight itself here.

Duran, don't get me started with him, I'm a huge fan.

I got it completely wrong with Amir's fight too Yogi - I though Earl would provide a tougher test than he did. Maybe Khan IS that good. Earl is a top fighter - or maybe WAS a top fighter.

Yup I remember the Moore Macklin fight from last year. That was one of the greatest fights I'd ever seen.

And on the actual fight the topic is based on - I'm proper gutted. I awoke with a little help from my alarm clock to listen on the radio. Bouncing a few texts to Capo and back in a half dreamy state. I've been a huge fan of Hattons for quite a long time now and still think he's a legend and one of the best ever British boxers. The only person to have beat him is the phenomonal talent of Mayweather. If he sticks to his light welter weight I don't think anyone else can beat him. But unfortunately that rules out a superfight against De La Hoya.