Saturday night: undefeated Ricky ”The Hitman” Hatton will discover exactly where he stands in the world of boxing, when he climbs through the ropes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to battle unbeaten WBC welterweight champion ”Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather.
Hatton will find himself in the unusual position of being the underdog, with odds at +190. Even with the thousands in attendance and millions watching around the globe, he will be reminded the role of puppy is the loneliest of all. But there’s a big payday awaiting Hatton.
Ricky Hatton, at 29 the younger man by a year, has won all 43 of his professional bouts with 31 knock outs. He’s a down to Earth Brit who quietly goes about his business, unlike the brash American Mayweather who proclaims loudly he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
In his last fight, Hatton took on the highly-regarded Mexican warrior Jose Luis Castillo. A savage shot to the liver, in round four, earned Hatton his biggest victory to date and a shot at Mayweather.
Mayweather has more impressive names on his resume than Hatton does, having come out on top against the likes of Castillo (twice), Genaro Hernandez, Angel Manfredy, Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah and Oscar de la Hoya in his latest fight which went the distance.
The champion is blessed with sweeter moves than Sugar Ray Robinson and a motor-mouth to match Muhammad Ali. He’s 38-0-0 with 24 of his wins coming by way of knock out making him the favorite of the two.
Mayweather has won six world boxing championships in five different weight classes, three Golden Gloves titles as an amateur and also claimed featherweight bronze in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
This will be a prime example of a boxer vs. brawler, in the same vain as Ali/Fraiser and Robinson/LaMotta. Mayweather and Hatton are as good at their respective styles as is anything in the sport today, and their difference in personalities will make for a great fight of its own.
The 5′6” Hatton will come at Mayweather for three minutes of every round, but faces a big disadvantage in height. He’s two inches shorter and has a much shorter reach at 65”, which will allow the 5′8” Mayweather to use his jab effectively from a distance. But if the Manchester, England fighter gets his tactics right, the Hitman can take Pretty Boy Floyd out.
Both men bring unblemished records to the ring, but one will leave with his first loss barring a draw. Will it be the boxing style of the quiet Brit as the underdog? Or brawling nature of the inner city Mayweather as favorite?
It’s a night of stellar boxing action and you don’t want to miss it. Stay tuned to SportsCityLine for up to the minute updates.
Some boxing fans might pick this upcoming Saturday’s so called “dream match” as a mismatch. At first, that’s what I thought too. But as the day for this big fight comes closer, and after seeing Oscar de la Hoya’s recent photos, I’m starting to think that Manny Pacquiao has a chance in winning this fight.
