Does Hatton really want Mayweather?

ALI · Post by **ALI** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:00

To me, its obvious that Mayweather is more than willing to fight Hatton. I dont think he will be trying to put any spanners in the works at the negotiating table, he will be looking for the bigger purse etc, but he has the right to.

I'm not however convinced that Hatton or his team want this fight. I certainly dont think they were expecting this kind of reaction from Mayweather and i believe they are probably a little stunned by it. I believe if this deal is not done and Hatton goes on to fight somebody else, it will be his own doing!

Personally, i voted on the 'maybe - 50%' option, i'm really not sure Hattons up for this fight. I think the very recent public pressure post Castillo may make Hatton sign the contract, but i'm not convinced its really what he wants! Hatton has mentioned many names of late, De La Hoya has been dropped many many times but i am 99% sure that Hatton would never sign to fight him, its only talk. I think it was a similar situation with Mayweather, the name was being mentioned, maybe because it had to be? but i think Hatton always has envisioned himself fighting Mayweather 2 or 3 fights down the road, never now in the moment. But who knows, maybe i'm reading this all wrong, what do you think?

Grilling Machine · Post by **Grilling Machine** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:17

Neither man wants Mosley, I'm pretty certain about that. Mayweather would sign up for a big enough payday, because he thinks it's a fairly comfortable win. Ricky - I'm sure - would also agree, but with a lot of reservations. Can he hurt Floyd? Can he even catch him with a meaningful shot?

They'd both fight, but it's Hatton who goes into training the more worried I'd say.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:32

If he can take a fight with the FEARED Tszyu, why wouldn't he want an even bigger money fight with the TRICKY Mayweather.

Grilling Machine · Post by **Grilling Machine** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:36

Autobarn wrote:If he can take a fight with the FEARED Tszyu, why wouldn't he want an even bigger money fight with the TRICKY Mayweather.

Reputation maybe. Losing to the feared man is easier to get over than failing to get close to the tricky one. The Ali loss destroyed Foreman for a while.

ALI · Post by **ALI** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:52

Autobarn wrote:If he can take a fight with the FEARED Tszyu, why wouldn't he want an even bigger money fight with the TRICKY Mayweather.

Styles make fights and i think most people expected Hatton would give Tyszu a run for his money. At the time i remember saying that Tyszu was the man at 140lbs, but that Judah & Cotto were both far more dangerous fights for Hatton... styles make fights and i always thought that, no matter how good Tyszu was, Hatton's style would give him a very good chance of wining! Win or loose though, i was sure he would come out of the fight with his respect in tact!

With Mayweather however, Hatton could be embarressed for as long as it lasts. He stands a good chance of being trounced, i personally think that worries him more than the actuall thought of taking Floyd's punches. Its the humiliation factor that could get to Hatton here, the 'what if' factor. He has really hit the heights with his win over Castillo but he would come thundering back down if Floyd boxes his head off. I think that will be somehwere in the back of his mind!

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:55

He's not lost to anyone yet.

I think he wants big fights but at the same time knows what works for him, especially with weight and so on.

Also, I don't want Hatton to jump into 1 megafight after another because his career could be over with his style and the size/power of some of these welters (not tlking of Mayweather here).

Every fighter has to pace himself - i.e. Mayweather between the 2nd Castillo (2002) and Gatti (2005) - a pretty bad patch incl identity crisis, lack of meaningful action and so on...

Longevity needs accounting for. In 3 years for instance, how big would Hatton-Khan be? Most light welters, the best ones, are too big for 135 and too small for 147. Chavez, Pryor, Tszyu. They all won acclaim for beating back their contenders and rival title holders.

I can't help but feel that evryone wants him to do everything straight away.

states · Post by **states** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:23

I went with 'probably'. Hatton has been talking about Floyd a lot recently, and it was either because a: he figured Floyd was retired, so he didn't have to worry about it, because a fight would never happen, or b: he wanted to rile Floyd and tempt him back.

I doubt that Hatton is scared of Floyd, although I'm sure he knows he'd have a mammoth task on his hands, and I'm sure Ricky also realises he'd get a huge payday out of it, not to mention the kudos he'd get if he actually won. So I'll say yes, he'd take it. What makes me less than 100% sure is the fact that the fight could probably have been made a few years ago if Hatton wanted it to. However, perhaps Ricky is now thinking, 'Well, I've made my money, I've headlined in America, and now I've won a big fight in Vegas. Now is the right time.' Who knows? It could be that Floyd was never serious about coming back, and pulls the plug next week, saying they couldn't get a deal done in the time-frame he wanted.

Shirow · Post by **Shirow** » 27 Jun 2007, 20:51

I think Hatton feels that he has arrived now and wants the biggest fights for the biggest purses right now. I don't believe he has any intention of being around in 3 years time.

He'll take the biggest paydays out there and be out in 3 more fights.

ArtOfWar · Post by **ArtOfWar** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:07

Autobarn wrote:I can't help but feel that evryone wants him to do everything straight away.

No offense, but where have you been? We've all been waiting for an eternity to see Hatton face Mayweather or Cotto. He's hardly doing it straight away now is he. The Hatton/mayweather fight should have been made right after the Tszyu win when Hatton's stock was highest. Instead Team Hatton chose to go after a few payday's which shows how much confidence they had in Hatton beating Mayweather at the time. Unfortunately nothing much seems to have changed since then and I can say it will be an absolute travesty if those two don't fight each other.

I went for the 25% option myself. It's clear as day that Team Hatton hasn't really wanted Mayweather up to now, because they no how big an underdog Hatton would be. Floyd is not gonna beat Hatton up, but he certainly could humiliate him badly and in the process dent Hatton's reputation massively. For that reason Team Hatton wants as much money in the bank before they fight Floyd. Some may say that's the smart thing to do, but from a boxing fans point of view it just shows a lack of confidence. Even now after saying he wanted Floyd in his Castillo after fight interview, I still think Hatton will be more likely to fight Malignaggi next. The fight will happen Hatton has loaded up his bank account some more and/ore gets big big offer to fight Floyd, that's the bottom line.

Grilling Machine · Post by **Grilling Machine** » 28 Jun 2007, 00:30

Seems to be a pretty common opinion that Hatton fears humiliation more than a hard-fought loss. That's true of all boxers. Ricky was sensible to put some coins away first, but it's time now for his twilight fights. The fact Oscar couldn't hurt Mayweather must be a massive worry for him, despite his enthusiasm to rough things up against Floyd.

For contrast, I think guys like Mosley and Margarito would jump at the chance to take on PBF. I should say I mean no disrespect to Ricky, it's just a different weight class with taller opponents. He's better off cleaning up at 140 and then retiring. Malignaggi next, then the Witter-Harris winner, and finally Hopkins. Juan Diaz for his last match perhaps.

chesh · Post by **chesh** » 28 Jun 2007, 00:37

I think Ricky does want the fight, but should not concede every advantage to Floyd. Floyd is probably now only a natural 140-pounder, but retains his speed at 147. Ricky, on the evidence of the Collazo fight, does not. Simply put, in a stadium in the UK at 147 or in Vegas at 140 Hatton could pull it off and this should be his negotiating stance. In Vegas at 147, it's probably Mayweather's fight, though I'm sure Ricky would put in a valiant effort.

STP · Post by **STP** » 28 Jun 2007, 00:41

If he wins in Vegas at 147, though, there are no excuses. He doesn't want to give the Americans excuses.

Plus I'm sure Ricky wants to fight at the MGM, which is thee place to fight of the last 15 years.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 28 Jun 2007, 04:38

Hatton definately wants it, he'd be a fool not to want it. He'd be involved in the biggest fight in boxing at the mo, he'd be fulfilling a childhood dream, hes got a shot at being the P4P #1 and he gets a(nother) HGV full of pennies.

I think Rickys (finally) realised hes got enough moula in the bank and now I reckon its all about the legacy he leaves, although I'm sure he won't let PBF take the piss in the negotiations

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:03

We'll see if he wants it in the next few weeks. Mayweather is the biggest fight out there money and legacy wise (unless he takes on Delahoya).

Everyone thought the ship had sailed on the possibility of a Mayweather fight. No the contracts on the table, the opportunitys there, if Ricky lets the ship sale again that will have made it 6 offers in 2years with no counter offers.

If thats the case NO he doesn't want it. I voted 25%

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:11

I can't think of a good reason Hatton would not want the fight.

He would get paid enough for 3/4 fights against other opposition, it would be a super-fight, even if he lost it's extremely unlikely he'll get hurt badly and to be honest I don't think it would harm his legacy much either.

If Hatton lost on points to PBF in say November, I think there would still be plenty of interest and $$$ in a Hatton-Cotto fight the following May or June for example.

Because Mayweathers star is so bright and beyond everybody elses a defeat to him doesn't really make Hatton any less marketable in my opinion. If it does it's minimal and for such little risk!

No lose situation for Hatton. He wants it 100%.

fried bread · Post by **fried bread** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:14

Hatton wants money and lots of it. Mayweather is a big name since beating Gatti and Oscar. When you fight Oscar it lifts your name into a different league. It doesn't make you Oscar but it gives a certain seal of approval and guarantees a big stage. Ricky would be nicely set up with such a big payday. I don't believe it happens in November though.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:16

If Hatton left it 18 months I'd still believe he wants it. But there are moderate(relatively) fights that he can earn well from and Paulie or M'Baye would be a crucial tune up, for example, because Mayweather is excurciatingly hard to nail.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:59

Of course he does, this is the biggest fight out there for him, and if he loses to Mayweather, it does virtually nothing to his reputation. He could still bounce back for megafights against Cotto and Mosley.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 28 Jun 2007, 06:20

Autobarn wrote:If Hatton left it 18 months I'd still believe he wants it. But there are moderate(relatively) fights that he can earn well from and Paulie or M'Baye would be a crucial tune up, for example, because Mayweather is excurciatingly hard to nail.

Hattons tuned-up to fcuk IMO

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 28 Jun 2007, 06:33

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Of course he does, this is the biggest fight out there for him, and if he loses to Mayweather, it does virtually nothing to his reputation. He could still bounce back for megafights against Cotto and Mosley.

Exactly. If he pushes Mayweather close then he gets a fat cheque and his stock doesn't really diminish.

henryscat1 · Post by **henryscat1** » 28 Jun 2007, 06:44

I can't see why he would fear Mayweather.

Mayweather won't hurt him physically. He will take some shots, but nothing like he has had in the past.

If Mayweather wins by stealing rounds as he usually does, as long as Ricky tries hard to make it interesting for 12 rounds, has some success and is the aggressor, the American public will probuably gain more interest in Ricky than they currently have.

They already believe no-one can beat Mayweather and Ricky's loss would be put down to a clash of styles and the fact Mayweather has height and reach advantages. Ricky would easily go on to other big fights. Outside the UK the boxing public are not as interested in unbeated records. They want good fights.

If Ricky can catch Mayweather, hurt him and even stop him, Ricky would be proclaimed a Manchester Mexian god and Vegas would love him.

No risk gamble from Ricky's side imho.

DAVE2005 · Post by **DAVE2005** » 28 Jun 2007, 07:15

of course he wants the fight its the biggest fight out there imo.and he wont be goin in there thinking of the payday,he'll be goin in there to knock maywethers f£*&ing head off!

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 28 Jun 2007, 10:57

Hatton cant duck this one, that would damage his reputation too much - If he lost in a close decision it would do him no harm at all and likely a lot of good - Hatton would fight tooth and nail all the way and I think he could hurt Mayweather but he would give so much he would never be able to perform the same ever again - So should Ricky win I think he should quit straightaway - Billy Graham says Ricky has made his money so why go on and on and maybe lose to Cotto - Go out on a high, beating the unbeatable and becomming a legend - Cotto and Witter could say whatever they wanted but it wouldnt mean a lot if Ricky was to get the win over Mayweather - It would silence most without a doubt - If he did go on I think you would see Ricky on the slide, past his best and getting beaten - I dont want to see him do that, if Ricky puts in the performance of a lifetime and wins he should listen to Graham and not be tempted by DLH or Warren or anybody else.

Does Hatton really want Mayweather?

How much do you believe Hatton wants the Mayweather fight next?

Does Hatton really want Mayweather?