Hatton v Mayweather - how the fight would go

ALI · Post by **ALI** » 26 Jun 2007, 15:17

Lets assume its on for October....... how would you see the fight going?

Its impossible to say right now wether the fight would be at 140lbs or 147lbs, wether it would be in the US or in Manchester, so i ask that we leave these factors out of our asessments for now. Lets just get down to the fight itself and how it would pan out.

Personally, i see Mayweather outclassing Hatton. I think he would land on him often and stop him late or win a clear UD. His speed and accuracy would be the key. Hattons defence is open, its not been talked about much since the Tyszu fight but there's no getting away from it, Floyd would be getting through often. He would look to keep this off the ropes and he would look to get at Hatton early, make him think twice about marching in (like the Magee fight) and slowly break him down round by round. Hattons pressuring style might win him a few rounds, but not enough to get him the points verdict (he will never KO Mayweather). I dont think Hatton would be on top at any part of the fight and my money says this would not be a good night for him.

This comes from a big Hatton fan but i'm a realist and will tell it as i see it. I'd be behind Hatton 100% on the night and i'd be hoping my predictions were very wrong. If he did manage to win i'd bring the house down.

I would not look for to many answers from Castillo's performances against Mayweather. Hatton/Castillo's styles are quite different i think. Castillo slugged it out against Mayweather but i dont see Hatton fighting that kind of fight. However, you may wish to tell me otherwise?

Twinkle Toes · Post by **Twinkle Toes** » 26 Jun 2007, 15:28

I would have picked Mayweather as a sure fire bet to beat Hatton a couple of years ago, but now I am not so sure.

Hoya showed the way to beat Mayweather, and if he hadn't of ran out of steam he would have won that fight comfortably.

Hatton can fight the way Hoya did, and sustain it - It makes you wonder.

the patriot · Post by **the patriot** » 26 Jun 2007, 15:38

I agree, Hatton will be able pressure Mayweather for the full 12 rounds. I dont think he'll have the time to pick his shots with Hatton on top of him all the time.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 26 Jun 2007, 16:30

Twinkle Toes wrote:I would have picked Mayweather as a sure fire bet to beat Hatton a couple of years ago, but now I am not so sure.

Hoya showed the way to beat Mayweather, and if he hadn't of ran out of steam he would have won that fight comfortably.

Hatton can fight the way Hoya did, and sustain it - It makes you wonder.

Mayweather wouldn't have to deal with a 5'11 fighter with a 72 inch reach if he fought Hatton though

I think its hard to say how this fight goes, pressure and taking away room to work does give Mayweather problems. But he is excellent defensively in close, will beat Hatton to the punch.

1 thing to remember about Mayweather is the more offensive a fighter he faces the more shots he can get off on them.

If Mayweather manages to start controling the distance, pace and tempo then Hatton is screwed.

Hatton will try to quickly close the gap, jab to the body, throw loads of bodyshots and keeping trying to work Mayweather over.

Very interesting match up.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 26 Jun 2007, 16:31

Interesting tip bit, Castillo supposedly broke 2 ribs against Hatton, Mayweather fought against Castillo with broke ribs and a damaged hand in the first fight. 1 thing people underestimate abotu Mayweather is his toughness he took flush shots in that fight too.

mattym · Post by **mattym** » 26 Jun 2007, 16:40

Hatton wouldn't tire. My opinion is Hatton to win on scorecards in the region of 116-113 sort of region or by stoppage depending on how Floyd copes on the ropes.

states · Post by **states** » 26 Jun 2007, 16:44

As much as I like Hatton, I'd have to tip Mayweather to win on points. I think he'd have a few hairy moments along the way though.

Coco · Post by **Coco** » 26 Jun 2007, 17:40

Pretty boys wins widely by UD in a boring fight where he runs all nite

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 26 Jun 2007, 18:03

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:
Twinkle Toes wrote:I would have picked Mayweather as a sure fire bet to beat Hatton a couple of years ago, but now I am not so sure.

Hoya showed the way to beat Mayweather, and if he hadn't of ran out of steam he would have won that fight comfortably.

Hatton can fight the way Hoya did, and sustain it - It makes you wonder.
Mayweather wouldn't have to deal with a 5'11 fighter with a 72 inch reach if he fought Hatton though

I think its hard to say how this fight goes, pressure and taking away room to work does give Mayweather problems. But he is excellent defensively in close, will beat Hatton to the punch.

1 thing to remember about Mayweather is the more offensive a fighter he faces the more shots he can get off on them.

If Mayweather manages to start controling the distance, pace and tempo then Hatton is screwed.

Hatton will try to quickly close the gap, jab to the body, throw loads of bodyshots and keeping trying to work Mayweather over.

Very interesting match up.

It's worth noting however, that Oscar is a lightweight who grew into a Welterweight, if you look at him when he was young, his legs were like pipe cleaners.

Hatton, mad it it might sound, it probably physically stronger than Oscar, though his punches lack the snap that Oscars do at his best.

Hatton would be far better at closing the gap quickly than Oscar, as I believe he has better footwork, is fresher, has far better stamina and workrate, and I don' think he would give Mayweather as much room.

The problem would be that Hatton would of couse lack the height and reach, and would get tagged on the way in most likely.

I think Hatton has the tools to give Mayweather a really hard night's work, but think Mayweather nicks a boring fight in which he smothers most of Hatton's work with his defence.

Dirk Kelly · Post by **Dirk Kelly** » 26 Jun 2007, 18:09

For some reason I go for Hatton, as previous posts say, Oscar showed the way and I think Oscar knew (or thought) he had Floyd so was content to chase him round the ring playing peek a boo with his defence as he knew Floyd wouldn't hurt him.

I see much the same with Hatton, expect Hatton won't be content, he'll push Mayweather all the way, grab him, lean on him, get inside and blast him, push him and generally bully him till he tires and Hatton takes a UD or probably a split decision or late KO.

Fingers crossed.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 26 Jun 2007, 19:00

I think the way to beat Mayweather is just punch him anywhere. People often forget that punches to the torso are adjudged to be scoring punches. Punch him to the chest, the arms, the shoulders, anything to keep Floyd off balance, and whack him to the solar plexus and chest.

Oscar did that at points in the fight with great success, but he couldn't maintain the workrate, and once the workrate slowed, he got badly picked off by Mayweather.

Loading up on shots against Maweather is a bad move, he likes the gaps that leaves to counter or move.

Shirow · Post by **Shirow** » 26 Jun 2007, 19:25

I was surprised how little Floyd used his feet against Oscar choosing to roll his shoulder on the ropes instead.

I think that if you could superimpose the Hatton performance against Castillo over the DLH that lost to Floyd then Hatton wins. Mayweather was waiting for the flurries to subside to poke a few accurate shots of his own. Ricky won't leave those gaps he'd either be punching or clinching and mauling.

Saying that though Mayweather has a way of unfailingly coming up with the perfect game plan after 3 or 4 rounds which pile up the points all the way to the final bell.

Hatton will definitely get tagged on the way in but once his there he may be able to score more and could possibly scrape a decision.

ArtOfWar · Post by **ArtOfWar** » 26 Jun 2007, 19:51

Floyd wins clearly on points for me.

Hatton is not Oscar. What people seem to forget is Oscar has a very defense and blocked a whole lot of Floyd's punches. Hatton blocks punches with his face and he doesn't have the same size, speed, power or defense as Oscar.

It's not out of the question that Hatton could win, but it's a whole lot more likely that he'd lose. The only way I'd see him winning is if he mauled Mayweather and Floyd didn't do enough to move away from him. That however is unlikely considering Floyd has a history of moving away from pressure fighters. Hatton would just have an insanely tough time landing clean punches and I can't picture him putting Floyd under enough sustained pressure to make the decision go his way.

Cannibal · Post by **Cannibal** » 26 Jun 2007, 20:07

Round 1

Feeling out round. Ricky probably takes it on work rate.

Round 2

Mayweather starts to get a bit of a rhythm going. Hatton employs holding tactics when in close and tries to rough up Mayweather. Depending on the ref you might get a constant clinch-break mess routine. Hatton probably edges this by making the round ugly.

Round 3

Mayweather starts to figure the style out and starts landing with regularity, taking the round.

Round 4

Hatton keeps trying to get in but Mayweather keeps him at a distance.

Round 5

Another Mayweather round. Hatton desperately looking for a way to close him down, Billy Graham tells him to settle down a bit more.

Round 6

Hatton makes a big push and narrowly takes the round

Round 7

A pretty even round but Mayweather rebounds to take it. Could be scored either way

Round 8

Mayweather round

Round 9

They inject some urgency in the Hatton corner, Hatton comes out like a man possessed and some good body shots, managing to keep Mayweather on the ropes for a period in this round.

Round 10

Another big effort from Hatton takes the round.

Round 11

Mayweather gets his second wind as Hatton starts to tire.

Round 12

Hatton comes out like a man possessed and Mayweather looks to coast to points whilst showboating. Hatton takes the round.

A draw - Big money rematch, ka-ching.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 04:08

ArtOfWar wrote:Floyd wins clearly on points for me.

Hatton is not Oscar. What people seem to forget is Oscar has a very defense and blocked a whole lot of Floyd's punches. Hatton blocks punches with his face and he doesn't have the same size, speed, power or defense as Oscar.

It's not out of the question that Hatton could win, but it's a whole lot more likely that he'd lose. The only way I'd see him winning is if he mauled Mayweather and Floyd didn't do enough to move away from him. That however is unlikely considering Floyd has a history of moving away from pressure fighters. Hatton would just have an insanely tough time landing clean punches and I can't picture him putting Floyd under enough sustained pressure to make the decision go his way.

LOL. and Oscar isn't Hatton. DLH - an ageing fighter - seldom fought a solid 12 rds in his life and isn't a good come forward fighter.

Hatton's whole game is energy and cutting off the ring, closing the distance fast. I think there is this complacent assumption that Floyd can just turn his shoulder inward, throw a love tap and then sidestep (then repeat for each round) to win.

Floyd is becoming less slippery as he moves up in weight. He's been around a long time and isn't the quicksilver he once was. How will he looks when he fights someone younger, who's one of the best p4p in the world?

The problem would be that Hatton would of couse lack the height and reach, and would get tagged on the way in most likely.

this doesn't seem to be a huge issue with Hatton. Because he has fast feet and always gets his feet in position before he punches. I don't thik Mayweather's fought a pressure fighter with his attributes and see a hard night for Floyd.

CB · Post by CB » 27 Jun 2007, 04:23

Coco wrote:Pretty boys wins widely by UD in a boring fight where he runs all nite

What he said................unfortunately! :(

black panther · Post by **black panther** » 27 Jun 2007, 04:28

Floyd all the way for me though I'd love to be proved wrong. People forget Oscar is a world-class LIGHT-MIDDLEWEIGHT whereas as hatton is a light welter and not all that big for a LW either. Oscar was a lightweight when he was still basically a kid - he grew into a fully fledged lightmiddle and the size difference between him and mayweather was what made it such a close fight IMO. Hatton wont have that size advantage though he may well be stronger than mayweather but thats only an advantage if hatton can make it a physical kind of fight - when is the last time you mayweather in a fight of this nature? Remember the Tzsyu fight was very clsoe until the stoppage but Tzsyu just didnt have the legs to keep away from Hatton(though Hatton unrelenting pressure will have had something to do with that) whereas has Mayweather's conditioning is second to none.

Goz · Post by **Goz** » 27 Jun 2007, 05:51

I would go for a PBF points win but some of you are talking me into believing Hatton does have a chance.

The fight happening at 140 would be crucial to Hatton's chances though...

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:06

Autobarn wrote:
ArtOfWar wrote:Floyd wins clearly on points for me.

Hatton is not Oscar. What people seem to forget is Oscar has a very defense and blocked a whole lot of Floyd's punches. Hatton blocks punches with his face and he doesn't have the same size, speed, power or defense as Oscar.

It's not out of the question that Hatton could win, but it's a whole lot more likely that he'd lose. The only way I'd see him winning is if he mauled Mayweather and Floyd didn't do enough to move away from him. That however is unlikely considering Floyd has a history of moving away from pressure fighters. Hatton would just have an insanely tough time landing clean punches and I can't picture him putting Floyd under enough sustained pressure to make the decision go his way.
LOL. and Oscar isn't Hatton. DLH - an ageing fighter - seldom fought a solid 12 rds in his life and isn't a good come forward fighter.

Hatton's whole game is energy and cutting off the ring, closing the distance fast. I think there is this complacent assumption that Floyd can just turn his shoulder inward, throw a love tap and then sidestep (then repeat for each round) to win.

Floyd is becoming less slippery as he moves up in weight. He's been around a long time and isn't the quicksilver he once was. How will he looks when he fights someone younger, who's one of the best p4p in the world?

The problem would be that Hatton would of couse lack the height and reach, and would get tagged on the way in most likely.
this doesn't seem to be a huge issue with Hatton. Because he has fast feet and always gets his feet in position before he punches. I don't thik Mayweather's fought a pressure fighter with his attributes and see a hard night for Floyd.

I'm with you there. Oscar lacked the energy to execute his game plan and got picked off.

I also agree that Floyd's movement doesn't look as good as it was, he spends a lot of time on the ropes these days, and Hatton is very effective at winning a fight which goes to the ropes, and likes to keep his opponents there for long stretches.

A lot could depend on a choice of referee, Hatton likes to work in the clinches, and an overly fussy referee could make it very hard for Hatton to work, because he isn't going to be effective if the fight is at centre ring with Mayweather scooting around.

I don't think the weight would be a big issue, I reckon Hatton should just come in at his normal weight for Floyd, he will be 154 on the night anyway, no need to come in bigger. Just train without having to drain himself for the weigh in, and come in at a healthier and better hydrated 154 than he normally does.

People often don't notice just how good Hatton's footwork is, because he is a come forward aggressive fighter. They tend to think of footwork as being something that is an attribute of a fancy dan like Michael Nunn, but it's possibly the most important thing which seperates Hatton from your average one paced pressure fighter. Hatton closes the gap faster than anyone else in the division.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:06

black panther wrote:Floyd all the way for me though I'd love to be proved wrong. People forget Oscar is a world-class LIGHT-MIDDLEWEIGHT whereas as hatton is a light welter and not all that big for a LW either. Oscar was a lightweight when he was still basically a kid - he grew into a fully fledged lightmiddle and the size difference between him and mayweather was what made it such a close fight IMO. Hatton wont have that size advantage though he may well be stronger than mayweather but thats only an advantage if hatton can make it a physical kind of fight - when is the last time you mayweather in a fight of this nature? Remember the Tzsyu fight was very clsoe until the stoppage but Tzsyu just didnt have the legs to keep away from Hatton(though Hatton unrelenting pressure will have had something to do with that) whereas has Mayweather's conditioning is second to none.

Oscar is a natural welter. It's not like he filled out into an outstanding 154 - he just got oler and it was easier to make the bigger weight after years of fighting in divisions too small for him - 130, 135, 140. That's how I see it.

The fight happening at 140 would be crucial to Hatton's chances though...

good to see Hatton sort of acknowledging this by sayng we can fight a catchweight!

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:12

jamesmcdonnell wrote:
Autobarn wrote:
ArtOfWar wrote:Floyd wins clearly on points for me.

Hatton is not Oscar. What people seem to forget is Oscar has a very defense and blocked a whole lot of Floyd's punches. Hatton blocks punches with his face and he doesn't have the same size, speed, power or defense as Oscar.

It's not out of the question that Hatton could win, but it's a whole lot more likely that he'd lose. The only way I'd see him winning is if he mauled Mayweather and Floyd didn't do enough to move away from him. That however is unlikely considering Floyd has a history of moving away from pressure fighters. Hatton would just have an insanely tough time landing clean punches and I can't picture him putting Floyd under enough sustained pressure to make the decision go his way.
LOL. and Oscar isn't Hatton. DLH - an ageing fighter - seldom fought a solid 12 rds in his life and isn't a good come forward fighter.

Hatton's whole game is energy and cutting off the ring, closing the distance fast. I think there is this complacent assumption that Floyd can just turn his shoulder inward, throw a love tap and then sidestep (then repeat for each round) to win.

Floyd is becoming less slippery as he moves up in weight. He's been around a long time and isn't the quicksilver he once was. How will he looks when he fights someone younger, who's one of the best p4p in the world?

The problem would be that Hatton would of couse lack the height and reach, and would get tagged on the way in most likely.
this doesn't seem to be a huge issue with Hatton. Because he has fast feet and always gets his feet in position before he punches. I don't thik Mayweather's fought a pressure fighter with his attributes and see a hard night for Floyd.
I'm with you there. Oscar lacked the energy to execute his game plan and got picked off.

I also agree that Floyd's movement doesn't look as good as it was, he spends a lot of time on the ropes these days, and Hatton is very effective at winning a fight which goes to the ropes, and likes to keep his opponents there for long stretches.

A lot could depend on a choice of referee, Hatton likes to work in the clinches, and an overly fussy referee could make it very hard for Hatton to work, because he isn't going to be effective if the fight is at centre ring with Mayweather scooting around.

I don't think the weight would be a big issue, I reckon Hatton should just come in at his normal weight for Floyd, he will be 154 on the night anyway, no need to come in bigger. Just train without having to drain himself for the weigh in, and come in at a healthier and better hydrated 154 than he normally does.

People often don't notice just how good Hatton's footwork is, because he is a come forward aggressive fighter. They tend to think of footwork as being something that is an attribute of a fancy dan like Michael Nunn, but it's possibly the most important thing which seperates Hatton from your average one paced pressure fighter. Hatton closes the gap faster than anyone else in the division.

absolutely. ppl like me often hail Castillo as the best pure pressure guy of the last decade. there is substance in that. But aguy like Castillo refuses to punch until he knows it'll land. Educated, yes, but also a tad too slow and steady. Whereas Hatton won't stand off. If he can't hit you, he'll throw you around like a rag doll, or pull out and find a body shot or right uppercut...

I believe Hatton can become one of the best pressure fighters we'll ever see in a very long time. Surely that is enough to give Floyd big problems.

I cannpt understand the ppl saying "Hatton has no chance." Every fighter has a day when it all goes wrong and with Hatton;s momentum and Floyd basically achieving his lifelong dream already (multi million payday).

Many are picking Cotto to be able to beat Mayweather. Powerful, well schooled, but slow and sluggish looking in his body. Hatton seems to have way more life in him if he can keep it up at this level.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:25

I think it goes the distance and will be really close on the scorecards.

Hattons quantity against PBF's quality. It'd be a great fight and one I'd love to see after Hatton-Witter

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:46

The way Hatton has already goaded Floyd into a fight (sort of) reminds me of Tarver riling up Roy Jones.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:48

Autobarn wrote:The way Hatton has already goaded Floyd into a fight (sort of) reminds me of Tarver riling up Roy Jones.

Wouldn't it be ironic if PBF chose to ignore Hatton, like Hatton has done to Witter

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 27 Jun 2007, 06:53

Autobarn wrote:The way Hatton has already goaded Floyd into a fight (sort of) reminds me of Tarver riling up Roy Jones.

Not really the same thing given the Hattons by their own admission turned the fight down 5 times from 2005-2006, Hatton can hardly claim to be mr avoided

. Mayweather wanted Hatton and Hatton was happy to avoid him, its almost the reverse scenario