Hatton Awestruck by Mayweather.

Ricky Hatton was left stunned by a dazzling array of blows from Floyd Mayweather – and that was from the sanctuary of his ringside seat. Hatton watched spellbound as his light-welterweight rival captured the WBC crown from Canada’s Arturo Gatti inAtlantic City. Mayweather, touted as a future opponent for Britain’s 140lb kingpin, produced a masterclass to force Gatti to retire on his stool at the end of the sixth round. The American, already a former world champion at super- featherweight and lightweight, dominated from the off with his superior hand speed.

Gatti was floored by a left hook in the first round while his hands were dropped as he complained about a previous blow on the break.

The challenger then dazzled his opponent with stinging shots from both hands to leave Gatti marked up around both eyes by the end of the third

Battle-hardened Gatti tried to push forward but was mercilessly picked off by Mayweather’s precision counters.

The 28-year-old just could not miss the target as he turned up the heat in the sixth and Gatti’s camp wisely waved the contest over before the start of the seventh.

Hatton was at ringside to witness what he believes was a masterful performance and knows he’ll have to be at his best should he enter the ring with Mayweather.

The 26-year-old, holder of the IBF title after beating the great Kostya Tszyu earlier this month, added: ‘You have to say that was absolutely masterful what he did there.

‘Gatti is obviously no mug but that’s just what Mayweather made him look like. He just seemed to be in a completely different league

‘I’ve said all along, even before my win over Tszyu, that I’m scared of no one and that hasn’t changed – I’ll still fight anybody.

‘But that was a masterful performance by Mayweather and being a boxing fan, you have to say he may do a lot of talking and a lot of bad-mouthing, but he’s pure class and that’s why he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.’

Hatton’s trainer Billy Graham, like his pupil, also did a spot of evangelising on Mayweather.

He said: ‘That performance was breathtaking.

‘He doesn’t always deliver the goods like he says he will but this time he was punch-perfect and didn’t put a foot wrong.’

The build-up to the fight had been marred by some unsavoury comments from Mayweather but the new champion was quick to pay tribute to Gatti, claiming he had merely been trying to boost ticket sales.

Mayweather said: ‘All I did was take my time, listen to my corner, not get too big-headed and stay focused.’

And after taking his professional record to 34-0, with 23 of those wins coming inside the distance, Mayweather added: ‘I’ll leave it up to my promoters who I fight next but if me and Hatton could get it on at Madison Square Garden, that’s what I’d liketo do.’ All did not go to plan for another possible Hatton foe, however, as Colombia’s Carlos Maussa pulled off a sensational upset by claiming the WBA light-welterweight title with a seventh-round knockout of Guyana’s Vivian Harris.

Maussa was caught with a barrage of heavy shots early on but Harris faded badly as the fight progressed and was eventually sent crashing to the canvas after a solid left hook.

Harris had been lined up to fight Hatton last year before a breakdown in negotiations but was made to look very ordinary by an opponent who had lost two of his previous three fights.

Hatton said:’I’m speechless, I can’t really believe it. Obviously Harris is an opponent I’ve been watching with regards a future fight and his two wins against Oktay Urkal were very impressive, but I can’t believe what I’ve seen here.’

Joking, Graham added: ‘I’m devastated, I’ve just seen a big pay- day go out of the window.

‘It was diabolical. I was expecting to see a big improvement in Harris.

‘His opponent moved like he had a rupture but he kept in there

Source: Scottish Daily Record.