Ricky Hatton - Floyd Mayweather Live at The MGM Grand December 8th - Live on Sky Box Office
Mayweather-Hatton on the Level
By Chris Murillo 07/12/07
Floyd Mayweather proclaims he is the greatest of all time.
Billy Graham says Hatton is comparable to Henry Armstrong.
Both are set to meet hours from now in Las Vegas.
Are we set to witness one of the greatest welterweight bouts in history?
I think not. Any semblance of history and common sense should tell us we're in for a disappointment, if judging by such standards of greatness.
The hype surrounding this bout, starting with the propaganda of Mayweather and Hatton partisans, to the build-up by network executives, to the exaggerative aura surrounding a bout of "lineal significance" has led many to believe this bout will actually crown a true welterweight king, or at least a dominant force at 147.
The truth is, this fight will accomplish neither, and the best we can hope for is a competitive bout with some semblance of entertainment for the faithful viewership.
Mayweather-Hatton is a spectacle of 140-lb fighters campaigning at a weight neither is ideally suited for other than for the potential prosperity of their bank accounts and further paydays against some of the hottest fighters in the sport. Mayweather-Hatton pits overblown junior-welterweights battling over supremacy over each other, not over their battle mates at 147. Neither is proven at 147 against established competition at the highest levels of the sport.
Hatton fell short in his bout with Luis Collazo, arguably losing against the unheralded southpaw, while Mayweather has bested no one of significance in his campaign at welterweight. These men should be fighting at 140 lbs, where they belong, and where they could at least defend their titles against prospective lightweights moving up in class, or to at least cement their accomplishments in the weight class. Instead we will be witnessing a clinch-ridden mauler battling a tap-dancing boxer at a weight where the boredom of the style match up cannot justify its supposed significance.
In any case, if one is to make a pick, this writer has to go with Mayweather by a boring decision. Hatton does not have the speed, size, or power to force Mayweather to play his game, so he'll have to resort to wrestling and mauling his way through the bout. It may be enough to take a few rounds against the P4P claimant, but ultimately Floyd will manage to dance and tap his way to a unanimous decision.
Good Lord, bring on Miguel Cotto. PLEASE.
