Boxing Interview: Billy Graham

“We’ll Be Going After Mayweather!”

Having completed his final day’s training, former two-division world champion Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton needs only to keep an eye on his weight as he counts down the hours to Saturday night, when he will cross swords with unbeaten IBF junior welterweight champion Juan Urango.

His trainer Billy Graham has unwavering faith in his fighter, and speaking from his suite in the famous Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, predicts a thrilling performance from the ‘Hitman’.

He said: “Today (Wednesday) was the last day in the gym, but it’s really been winding down from the 15 rounds he did on the weekend.

“Ricky feels fantastic at the moment and can’t wait for the fight. Urango has never been in with a guy like Ricky Hatton before, he’s used to being the stronger man in the ring and bullying his opponents, but Ricky is just as strong, but has much more than that.

“As well as being strong Ricky is also fast and very clever in the ring, I don’t think Urango will be able to deal with him. We’ve been working on using the angles, and we’ve got a bit of nice stuff planned for him.”

Having spent some time visiting the sites around the gambling city in the middle of the desert, meeting Laila Ali and training at the Top Rank gym, Hatton is now under strict orders to keep his mind focused on the fight.

“The Vegas crowd will absolutely love Hatton,” Graham continued, “and I think his exciting style will swing it for him. The Hispanics, who are clearly the biggest audience that boxers have to win over will like the way he fights, and this appearance in Vegas will make him a superstar among the biggest boxing audience in the world.

“We’ll be hoping that Castillo comes through his fight too, because if he does that’s going to be the next fight for Ricky, and then we’ll be going after Floyd Mayweather.”

Sharing this weekend’s Sky Sports pay-per-view bill with Hatton will be compatriot and long-time antagonist Junior Witter, who is defending his WBC title against the relatively unknown Arturo Morua at London’s Alexandra Palace. Having been exchanging barbs with one another for years, an all British showdown between the two may now be on the cards if both prevail on Saturday. Graham, though, is not in favour of the meeting.

He said of the Bradford fighter: “I don’t know why people are still talking about this guy, he has nothing at all to bring to the table in terms of making a fight with Ricky.

“There is surely no way that Witter can believe what he is saying, just because he won the WBC belt against DeMarcus Corley he thinks that he is a big fighter. At the end of the day there are so many belts about, the WBC is no bigger than any of the other bodies that are about.

“Ricky has much bigger fish to fry than Witter, and if it were ever to happen, and it never will, Ricky would kick the shit out of him.”

Courtesy www.frankmaloney.com