Hello once again my armada of sober & drunkenly batches!

The weekends almost here once again & once again...I shall come to the aid of those who either have no time for boxing on the weekends, don't have cable, or just suffer from prior engagements...either way...wer'e here with one more round of drunken coverage.

It's time to crack open a few colds ones & sink several shots. Hell...if need be...push your little paper umbrella's to the side & chug down your girly assed mixed drinks...for the weekend is almost upon us & it's time to seperate the boys from the menzes!

First up...we get the replay of the Oscar Mayorga fight...which to Wacko's surprise was a thing of beauty & a wonderful treat in the realm of the unexpected.

For those that didn't tune in or turn out for last weekend's fight or your fulltime drunken commentators grasp on the situation...you'll be pleased to know that HBO aint squeezin you for a cool fiddy. It was worth it though...Oscar showed up in fine form & dismantled Ricardo Mayorga quite splendiferously & also...quite easily...but you can be the judge of that after you watch the fight.

Either way...no matter what any haters say...Oscar put on a show & he also took home another strap...which has put him one step closer to the retirement that he apparently is eager to embrace.

Being a fan of Oscar...I can honestly state that this outting was one of his better showings...but then again...I've always thought that Mayorga was weak opposition...so I'm not really sure that everyone will let this one go down as smoothly as some Oscar fans have...especially Mayorga's many fans.

That being said...they (Mayorga's fans) always say that above all else Mayorga is exciting & entertaining...he certainly was this weekend...but generally...in any scenario it takes two to make excitement happen...& I am proud to say that Oscar refused to play best supporting actor in what played out like a horror film starring Ricardo Mayorga...but again...I'll stop applauding Oscar...& let you all be the judges once again...never mind...there really is no need for judges in this fight...heh heh heh. Okay...I'll stop...seriously...no more Oscar banter.

On to the main event!!! Ricky Hatton's coming stateside!!!

This Saturday May 13th, 2006 the Drunken Round by Round will be tuned in live for HBO's World Championship Boxing at 9:45PM. I'm assuming that HBO will replay the Mayorga Massacre (as Wacko so fondly refers to it!) at the hands of Oscar De La Hoya. As most of you know...this was Oscar's first comeback fight in almost two years...& again...even I was surprised with the outcome...but we shall get into the magnifimamics of that one later. Let's focus on the Hatton Collazo fight.

This Saturday...British boxing Light Welterweight & soon to be Welterweight hopeful Ricky Hatton (40 wins with 30 ko's) comes state side in an attempt to sway the American boxing public as he has those of Manchester, England. That's a big feat...not to mention that he's also here to take the WBA Welterweight strap away from Brooklyn southpaw Luis Collazo (26 wins with 12 ko's & 1 loss).

It's hard for me to make a prediction regarding the outcome of a fight when I know so very little about the opposing fighter. I'm not saying that I have a wealth of knowledge regarding Hatton...but I have done my fwockin homework.

I'm not going to sit here & say that Hatton is going to come right out & destroy Collazo (even though I think that he will...just because he is Hatton...because that would be wrong...right?) nor am I going to gon on record & state that Hatton's going to have an easy night (even though I think he will!) with the defending WBA Southpaw Welterweight champion Luiz Collazo...but I will say that this is going to be a good fight...but then again...there are a lot of variables to the outcome of this fight.

There are many variables or whatever you want to say along the way that could possibley contribute to a Hatton loss (which I doubt) thus derailing the express train to a possible Mayweather fight & more lucrative fan salivating match ups.

Variable 1: Hatton has never fought at 147lb before. He may get fat, walk around plump a bit, & then train down to fighting weight...but there's a difference there my friends. Can he effectively move & work the way that he does at 140? I think so...but we shall have to see. It's possible that this could factor into his speed, his stamina, & his over all abilities in the ring.

Variable 2: Collazo has fought at 147lbs his entire career. From what I have read he's been heavily underestimated. He's fast & apparently...he's got a bit of a punch. He's maintained his fighting weight of 147 for 9 or 10 years. That could also be a huge factor to a man that is coming up from 140lbs.

Variable 3: Hatton is riding high off of his wins over Kostya & Maussa & he's also got a record of 40-0 that he's going to be fighting tooth & nail to keep.

Variable 4: Hatton has never fought in the U.S. before. He's going to be geared up to impress the Yanks as much as he is set to please his hometown crowd that shuttled over to see him stamp his mark on the American stage. How will this factor in to the fight? Who knows for sure...but it can go one of two ways: There could be too much pressure & too little time to adjust to the climate or he could be so hyped up that he just comes out to a blowout & Collazo eats leather all night long...we won't know till the first bell rings. I'm going to speculate that he'll be feelig more pressure to show out in front of us Yanks than he will for the hometown crowd...could be wrong...but I'm pretty sure that I'm right.

Variable 5: Collazo aint here to just hand over the strap that he ripped from Rivera's waist. Anyone that thinks that...well your'e probably going to be shocked. Collazo is set to defend his title for the second time only & he's taking on a monster as he matches his slickster skills to the power of one of the most talked about fighters in the game today. Again...I can't really say anything for sure concerning this kid...but he aint gonna lay down...I know that much.

Variable 6: This is the main one that I think a lot of us have overlooked. Hatton hasn't exactly had a grand run with his new promoters in Fight Academy & there have been quite a few distractions along the way to this fight. Sure...they got him a fight in the U.S. & they did broker the deal...but against Collazo? He's a bit of a mystery & he aint that easy of a nut to crack from what I have read. Again...I have never seen the kid...so I can't really say...but if the camp has been off & this kid Collazo does have a funky style...then this gent spells trouble with a captial T!

You folks know me...I always look at the downside even when I think positively...& those are just a few of the thoughts rumbling around in me brain in conjunction with this fight. In the end...I think that it should be a great fight...& Hatton will make the statement that so many want him to make...then again I've got this drunken rule that you never count your fwockin chickens before they hatch...you might just end up with a buncha cracked shells.

Hatton's record seems to be the more...impressive...but admittedly...Wacko don't know boatloads about Collazo other than the kid is fast & awkward. The thing that can possibley spell an upset is the fact that Collazo works the ring quite effectively. He's a mover & if Hatton can't tame Collazo's stick-and-move skills down the stretch of the fight, he'll either lose the fight or have a p!ss poor showing his first time out in the states...the Hitman needs neither of these options on his plate. The thing that I have seen from the small amount of footage that I saw is that the kid is fast & he can take a punch. Question is...can he take Hatton's punch? Doubtful.

I hate to focus on Hatton for this crap that I like to think of as my setup...or analysis...or whatever...but here goes.

Hatton is an aggressor...a brawler, IWO. Every single fight that I have ever seen of Hatton...he comes forward & he comes throwing...non stop. I just don't think that this kid has ever seen anything like Ricky Hatton. Unless Hatton is just out of shape, reeling from too much pressure, not used to the climate stateside, or something along those lines...Collazo is getting TKO'd.

Although I am not a die hard fan of Hatton...although I am a Yank...although brawlers don't do shat for me...I have grown to enjoy Ricky Hatton. He's fun to watch & he's a good gent & that's good for boxing. I won't jump in with both feet concerning Hatton...nor will I climb on the bandwagon...but I will say that true boxing fans generally warm to the fellow & there is no shame in that. That being said...he could gain Gatti-esque stature in the United States provided that he can adapt to his surroundings & settle in for some grand competition.

Hatton's style & seemingly endless tank of gas will win fans over from start to finish...but the thing that will never stick me to Hatton is the record...but I'm open. Let him beat Collazo, then a Gatti, Baldomir, Margarito, or "insert other 1/2 assed marque name here" & I will be impressed. The Kostya win did a lot for a lot of people...but I want to see a bit more before I roll over & say that he can compete with the best in the West.

Prediction: Hatton 6th TKO.

Once again I say to you all...the very same...predictable...alcohol drenched words that I so often say with the coming of fight night: Break out the chips & salsa, crack a few cans open, toss the shots down the hatch, & let's see what we got in store for the evening.

As always...cheers & koneechewa bitches!