Is Hatton Mayweathers best opponent yet?

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

If not, who was? DLH was past his prime. Maybe Castillo in their first fight I guess. Judah, probably not.
Has Mayweather actually faced anybody as highly regarded and at their peak with several titles in the bag? I know this is going to be Hatton's toughest fight, but the more I think about it, the more I realise it will also be Mayweather's.

Any other suggestions?

I ask myself: if that was Hatton fighting a 166 lb Oscar Delahoya on Cinco de Mayo, would he have won?

My answer is no. Oscar would have boxed Ricky up like a Christmas present. And he would be much too strong for Ricky to apply his style. If Collazo had Richard on queer street, Oscar would have booked Ricky a room at the Canvasback Hilton.

The reality is that while that 5/5/07 Oscar was past his prime, he STILL would have beaten Ricky....and EVERYBODY that Ricky has ever fought.

[WelshDevilRob]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

[Tito BHB]

I rank his hardest fought and to fight opponents thus

1, Jose Louis Castillo 1.. Perhaps floyd had trouble with his hands at the time, perhaps not..But he had trouble when it came to Jlc

2.Oscar although names are names, when it comes down to it, You can pick the winner in alot of big fights quite comfortably, This one was not such a easy pick and oscar had his fair share of advantages

3. Hatton, Fit. hungry , has all the hype perfect record, great mind set right now, and a style that some blieve will match up with floyds in such a way it will give him fits, We will only find out come fight night

4.Diego corralesw, Aside from weight problems and personal issues, the underfeated spark out puncher was a great fighter but the styles did not match up well for chico simple as, Chico had the will to win and didnt give up, he was pissed when it was stopped and he kept walking floyd down hoping to catch him big as the later rounds came on but nobody wanted it going that far, but as far as legitimate threat of even signing the contract goes this was real big

5. ZabJudah, There is no doubt that a guy like zab at welter is dangerous to most fighters, he is fast powerful, he has the tools to hang in there and box with the likes of spinks of whom was a pop shot artist also and he has the power and skill to catch elusive targets..
As seen in floyds early knockdown and it was impressive from zab but floyd had his gameplan in the tank and was lucky that his irresponsible game plan worked when zab didnt finish as strong as he started

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

Welsh,

I appreciate and respect your perspective.

If Mayweather soundly beats Hatton, does that mean that Mayweather is much better than you thought?... Or that Hatton wasn't as good as you thought?

[LEGION]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

Welsh,

I appreciate and respect your perspective.

If Mayweather soundly beats Hatton, does that mean that Mayweather is much better than you thought?... Or that Hatton wasn't as good as you thought?

DIOS; may I ask what your opinion of Hatton would be if he did get Floyd out of there on the 8th? Will it change mildly or drastically, and how would you rank him against the top WW's? I personally feel Mayweather will clean house on Ricky, but you seem to have a barely masked disdain for Hatton, so I was curious what your feelings of him would be should he pull off a major upset against Floyd.

[knocbree]

look at Hattons record and that will answer the question !

looking at hattons record will only tell you that mayweather is hattons best opponent-it wont tell you that hatton is mayweather best opponent-which i belive he is

[steady_E]

If not, who was? DLH was past his prime. Maybe Castillo in their first fight I guess. Judah, probably not.
Has Mayweather actually faced anybody as highly regarded and at their peak with several titles in the bag? I know this is going to be Hatton's toughest fight, but the more I think about it, the more I realise it will also be Mayweather's.

Any other suggestions?

I ask myself: if that was Hatton fighting a 166 lb Oscar Delahoya on Cinco de Mayo, would he have won?

My answer is no. Oscar would have boxed Ricky up like a Christmas present. And he would be much too strong for Ricky to apply his style. If Collazo had Richard on queer street, Oscar would have booked Ricky a room at the Canvasback Hilton.

The reality is that while that 5/5/07 Oscar was past his prime, he STILL would have beaten Ricky....and EVERYBODY that Ricky has ever fought.

A 166lb Delahoya is a slower fighter than Ricky Hatton. Also I dont agree that Delahoya would have beaten Hatton. I think it would have been a tip top Hatton making Delahoya look very old.

[El Gamo]

Going by names,Oscar is first,I mean look at his accomplishments. Going by toughest fights,JLC and then Hatton or vice versa. Oscar was a part time fighter when Floyd got to him.He still gets credit for the win,but he's no pressure fighter,never has been and didn't have what it took to box with Floyd(as he may have done had he been younger)

[SweetPea]

If not, who was? DLH was past his prime. Maybe Castillo in their first fight I guess. Judah, probably not.
Has Mayweather actually faced anybody as highly regarded and at their peak with several titles in the bag? I know this is going to be Hatton's toughest fight, but the more I think about it, the more I realise it will also be Mayweather's.

Any other suggestions?

I ask myself: if that was Hatton fighting a 166 lb Oscar Delahoya on Cinco de Mayo, would he have won?

My answer is no. Oscar would have boxed Ricky up like a Christmas present. And he would be much too strong for Ricky to apply his style. If Collazo had Richard on queer street, Oscar would have booked Ricky a room at the Canvasback Hilton.

The reality is that while that 5/5/07 Oscar was past his prime, he STILL would have beaten Ricky....and EVERYBODY that Ricky has ever fought.

A 166lb Delahoya is a slower fighter than Ricky Hatton. Also I dont agree that Delahoya would have beaten Hatton. I think it would have been a tip top Hatton making Delahoya look very old.

If the fight were at 154, DLH would beat Hatton handily.

[donnydarkoIRL]

We may well find out next year who will win a DLH HATTON FIGHT...

[GAME]

Going by names,Oscar is first,I mean look at his accomplishments. Going by toughest fights,JLC and then Hatton or vice versa. Oscar was a part time fighter when Floyd got to him.He still gets credit for the win,but he's no pressure fighter,never has been and didn't have what it took to box with Floyd(as he may have done had he been younger)

In terms of names yeah Oscar is the best but in terms of who brings what to the fight then Hatton is quite considerably the best Floyd has ever fought .

He's not been inactive . He's not coming of losses . He's not going to prison , he's not having trouble with teh weight . He's not washed up or old. Basically everything Floyds opponents have been , Hatton isnt . For teh 1st time he is fighting a live opponent and I dont think Floyds up to it . Hatton pts

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

Welsh,

I appreciate and respect your perspective.

If Mayweather soundly beats Hatton, does that mean that Mayweather is much better than you thought?... Or that Hatton wasn't as good as you thought?

DIOS; may I ask what your opinion of Hatton would be if he did get Floyd out of there on the 8th? Will it change mildly or drastically, and how would you rank him against the top WW's? I personally feel Mayweather will clean house on Ricky, but you seem to have a barely masked disdain for Hatton, so I was curious what your feelings of him would be should he pull off a major upset against Floyd.

I'll try to address the points in your post:

a) I have a fairly low opinion of Hatton's overall skills package. I believe that he feasted on older fighters. I do not think that it is a coincidence that he looked his worst against the younger and fresher fighters who can match his physicality and energy. Yeah, I know. he only had six hours notice for Collazo. He hasd leukemia for Urango.

I believe that he would have lost a rematch with Collazo. The rematch he promised and then ran back to 140.

b) I believe that Hatton - LIKE SOME OTHER FIGHTERS - is "hiding" at a lower weight. It is said that Hatton is not a natural welterweight. Huh? He turned pro a decade ago at 140. Is it unreasonable to expect an athletic man who works out for ten years to gain seven pounds? He is 154 on fight night. As high as Shane Mosley, and higher than Mayweather and Judah. How is that not a Welterweight?

c) If Hatton beats Floyd, then Mayweather's status ("modern great") will be diminished in my mind. Great fighters DO lose to middling fighters (see Barrera-Junior Jones), but not to one-note fighters of Hatton's calibre.

d) If Floyd wins, that does NOT elevate FMJ in my mind. It is an expectation, and I'm still mildly disappointed that FMJ chose the easy fight for money. He pissed away a year of his (fading) prime by taking this fight. Cotto or Mosley was the fight to make. Especially Cotto. Miguel showed that he has a blend of boxing and pressure that is truly a stepchild of Duran/Chavez. He was impressive moving backwards vs SSM.

e) My disdain is MUCH less for Hatton than it is for Hatton's unreasonable fans. The Hattonettes have displayed a bottomless capacity for hyperbole: "Ricky broke four of castillo's ribs!!"... "Ricky will knock out Mayweather in 5 rounds!!"...etc. Additionally, the Hatton groupies (SOME) have instigated a distinct racial tinge. Doubt that? See YouTube comments.

f) Ricky and his camp have been dishonest in their comments to the public and media. Example?

From SecondsOut:

But Hatton knows just how difficult it will be to defeat the Pretty Boy. "He's got amazing skills," Hatton admitted. "He's pound-for-pound the best in the world, he's great to watch, skilful, lightning fast, I always watch his fights. But I don't think he's the biggest fighter in the world. I don't think he's got much physical strength. When I went to see him fight Gatti, I saw him at the weigh-in and asked myself the question whether or not he was big enough or tough enough to hold me off for 12 rounds. And that'll be the big question once the fight comes along."

Now... didn't I hear Hatton laud his four rounds with Castillo as "more excitement than Mayweather's whole career"?

Another example? Sure. This is what Ricky said this week:

Ricky Hatton: “I’m jumping out of my skin (waiting for this fight). It is a fight I’ve always wanted. You’ve spoken to Billy, he’ll tell you it is a fight we’ve always fancied style wise. We’ve fancied this fight for years and when the fight came about we knew it was going to be a huge fight. We wanted it (the fight) years ago but in the meantime Floyd’s become (a) bigger (name). I’ve become (a) bigger (name) and the time is right.”

But this is what Team Hatton said previously:

Father and business manager openly admitted they turned down the chance to at least negotiation for a Mayweather fight in 2004. "That was the one fight, style wise, which I thought we needed a few more fights before taking," said father Ray Hatton.

Stevie Wonder can see the contradiction.

g) I'm a Latino. Maybe I have a bit too much of that latin-macho-thing, but here goes:

Floyd was in Ricky's face calling him "a bitch", a pussy, etc. He told Ricky that he would buttfuck him. Ricky said nothing. This was in LA and in New York. OK, fine. Ricky is taking the high road. I can respect that.

But then they get to London and manchester, and Ricky starts talking and cursing. Huh? Wait- where was this Hatton on the first few legs of the tour? Either you have taken the high road...or you haven't. Ricky said that the insults had no effect. But for two months running, he has been talking about how FMJ "disrespected" him and he has taken many shots at FMJ on 24/7.

Floyd talks alot of shit. But how can you disagree with this:

"When have you ever heard Ricky Hatton talk trash before? He won't say it to my face but in front of the cameras he is really acting up. We did a five-city tour and the only time he talked tough was when he was home in Manchester. Now he's talking on HBO's 24/7 too. You know what I call him—a camera gangster. If I'm going to talk about you I am going to do it to your face, right in front of you."


I know that the British are kind of fey. Personally? If I have something to say ABOUT a man, I'm going to say it TO the man. Man Law.


Finally...h) If Hatton loses - and heaven help the Hattonettes if he is stopped - then that validates my opinion that RH is "B minus" level fighter. I will be INTOLERABLE to the Hatton groupies if Hatton loses.

....it'll be interesting to see how many SC's I get for speaking the truth.

[boozeboxer]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

Welsh,

I appreciate and respect your perspective.

If Mayweather soundly beats Hatton, does that mean that Mayweather is much better than you thought?... Or that Hatton wasn't as good as you thought?

DIOS; may I ask what your opinion of Hatton would be if he did get Floyd out of there on the 8th? Will it change mildly or drastically, and how would you rank him against the top WW's? I personally feel Mayweather will clean house on Ricky, but you seem to have a barely masked disdain for Hatton, so I was curious what your feelings of him would be should he pull off a major upset against Floyd.

I'll try to address the points in your post:

a) I have a fairly low opinion of Hatton's overall skills package. I believe that he feasted on older fighters. I do not think that it is a coincidence that he looked his worst against the younger and fresher fighters who can match his physicality and energy. Yeah, I know. he only had six hours notice for Collazo. He hasd leukemia for Urango.

I believe that he would have lost a rematch with Collazo. The rematch he promised and then ran back to 140.

b) I believe that Hatton - LIKE SOME OTHER FIGHTERS - is "hiding" at a lower weight. It is said that Hatton is not a natural welterweight. Huh? He turned pro a decade ago at 140. Is it unreasonable to expect an athletic man who works out for ten years to gain seven pounds? He is 154 on fight night. As high as Shane Mosley, and higher than Mayweather and Judah. How is that not a Welterweight?

c) If Hatton beats Floyd, then Mayweather's status ("modern great") will be diminished in my mind. Great fighters DO lose to middling fighters (see Barrera-Junior Jones), but not to one-note fighters of Hatton's calibre.

d) If Floyd wins, that does NOT elevate FMJ in my mind. It is an expectation, and I'm still mildly disappointed that FMJ chose the easy fight for money. He pissed away a year of his (fading) prime by taking this fight. Cotto or Mosley was the fight to make. Especially Cotto. Miguel showed that he has a blend of boxing and pressure that is truly a stepchild of Duran/Chavez. He was impressive moving backwards vs SSM.

e) My disdain is MUCH less for Hatton than it is for Hatton's unreasonable fans. The Hattonettes have displayed a bottomless capacity for hyperbole: "Ricky broke four of castillo's ribs!!"... "Ricky will knock out Mayweather in 5 rounds!!"...etc. Additionally, the Hatton groupies (SOME) have instigated a distinct racial tinge. Doubt that? See YouTube comments.

f) Ricky and his camp have been dishonest in their comments to the public and media. Example?

From SecondsOut:

But Hatton knows just how difficult it will be to defeat the Pretty Boy. "He's got amazing skills," Hatton admitted. "He's pound-for-pound the best in the world, he's great to watch, skilful, lightning fast, I always watch his fights. But I don't think he's the biggest fighter in the world. I don't think he's got much physical strength. When I went to see him fight Gatti, I saw him at the weigh-in and asked myself the question whether or not he was big enough or tough enough to hold me off for 12 rounds. And that'll be the big question once the fight comes along."

Now... didn't I hear Hatton laud his four rounds with Castillo as "more excitement than Mayweather's whole career"?

Another example? Sure. This is what Ricky said this week:

Ricky Hatton: “I’m jumping out of my skin (waiting for this fight). It is a fight I’ve always wanted. You’ve spoken to Billy, he’ll tell you it is a fight we’ve always fancied style wise. We’ve fancied this fight for years and when the fight came about we knew it was going to be a huge fight. We wanted it (the fight) years ago but in the meantime Floyd’s become (a) bigger (name). I’ve become (a) bigger (name) and the time is right.”

But this is what Team Hatton said previously:

Father and business manager openly admitted they turned down the chance to at least negotiation for a Mayweather fight in 2004. "That was the one fight, style wise, which I thought we needed a few more fights before taking," said father Ray Hatton.

Stevie Wonder can see the contradiction.

g) I'm a Latino. Maybe I have a bit too much of that latin-macho-thing, but here goes:

Floyd was in Ricky's face calling him "a bitch", a pussy, etc. He told Ricky that he would buttfuck him. Ricky said nothing. This was in LA and in New York. OK, fine. Ricky is taking the high road. I can respect that.

But then they get to London and manchester, and Ricky starts talking and cursing. Huh? Wait- where was this Hatton on the first few legs of the tour? Either you have taken the high road...or you haven't. Ricky said that the insults had no effect. But for two months running, he has been talking about how FMJ "disrespected" him and he has taken many shots at FMJ on 24/7.

Floyd talks alot of S***. But how can you disagree with this:

"When have you ever heard Ricky Hatton talk trash before? He won't say it to my face but in front of the cameras he is really acting up. We did a five-city tour and the only time he talked tough was when he was home in Manchester. Now he's talking on HBO's 24/7 too. You know what I call him—a camera gangster. If I'm going to talk about you I am going to do it to your face, right in front of you."


I know that the British are kind of fey. Personally? If I have something to say ABOUT a man, I'm going to say it TO the man. Man Law.


Finally...h) If Hatton loses - and heaven help the Hattonettes if he is stopped - then that validates my opinion that RH is "B minus" level fighter. I will be INTOLERABLE to the Hatton groupies if Hatton loses.

....it'll be interesting to see how many SC's I get for speaking the truth.

I SC'd you. TO be honest you have one of the dumbest post I have ever read. I stopped after you said that Hatton was hiding at 140. YOu fight at the wieght division that is best for you. It isn't fucking brain surgery. Whenever you can't make wieght you move up. That is why they have different divisions.
If a fighter moves up, like PBF did, so much the better. His height, ability, reach, and athleticism allowed him to move up and that is great for him. HIs body can carry the jump in divisions. But I would have NEVER dissed him for staying at a wieght division and unifying..

[Dizaster]

I was contemplating the question and it really depends on how you look at it...

If look at the opponent totally seperate to Floyd, you would have to say Oscar...
Think of before the Judah and castillo fight and even Gatti, people were tipping those guys to beat Floyd.. But Gatti was destroyed and Castillo did really well...


So if the question is which opponent has been the toughest for Floyd to beat,,,, which is the important thing,,, we will only now if Hatton was the best after 8th of December.... Of course it will still depend on how you look at that question..... You will still say Oscar is 'better' than Hatton.. No one is going to argue with that..... But you could also say Hatton was Floyd's best opponent...

Ahhh, my head is twisting in a knot now..


I just can't wait for December 8 so all these questions are mute and we can start the post fight analysis threads...

[Dizaster]

Hatton is not only Mayweathers best opponent so far but will also prove to be too good for Floyd.

Welsh,

I appreciate and respect your perspective.

If Mayweather soundly beats Hatton, does that mean that Mayweather is much better than you thought?... Or that Hatton wasn't as good as you thought?

DIOS; may I ask what your opinion of Hatton would be if he did get Floyd out of there on the 8th? Will it change mildly or drastically, and how would you rank him against the top WW's? I personally feel Mayweather will clean house on Ricky, but you seem to have a barely masked disdain for Hatton, so I was curious what your feelings of him would be should he pull off a major upset against Floyd.

I'll try to address the points in your post:

a) I have a fairly low opinion of Hatton's overall skills package. I believe that he feasted on older fighters. I do not think that it is a coincidence that he looked his worst against the younger and fresher fighters who can match his physicality and energy. Yeah, I know. he only had six hours notice for Collazo. He hasd leukemia for Urango.

I believe that he would have lost a rematch with Collazo. The rematch he promised and then ran back to 140.

b) I believe that Hatton - LIKE SOME OTHER FIGHTERS - is "hiding" at a lower weight. It is said that Hatton is not a natural welterweight. Huh? He turned pro a decade ago at 140. Is it unreasonable to expect an athletic man who works out for ten years to gain seven pounds? He is 154 on fight night. As high as Shane Mosley, and higher than Mayweather and Judah. How is that not a Welterweight?

c) If Hatton beats Floyd, then Mayweather's status ("modern great") will be diminished in my mind. Great fighters DO lose to middling fighters (see Barrera-Junior Jones), but not to one-note fighters of Hatton's calibre.

d) If Floyd wins, that does NOT elevate FMJ in my mind. It is an expectation, and I'm still mildly disappointed that FMJ chose the easy fight for money. He pissed away a year of his (fading) prime by taking this fight. Cotto or Mosley was the fight to make. Especially Cotto. Miguel showed that he has a blend of boxing and pressure that is truly a stepchild of Duran/Chavez. He was impressive moving backwards vs SSM.

e) My disdain is MUCH less for Hatton than it is for Hatton's unreasonable fans. The Hattonettes have displayed a bottomless capacity for hyperbole: "Ricky broke four of castillo's ribs!!"... "Ricky will knock out Mayweather in 5 rounds!!"...etc. Additionally, the Hatton groupies (SOME) have instigated a distinct racial tinge. Doubt that? See YouTube comments.

f) Ricky and his camp have been dishonest in their comments to the public and media. Example?

From SecondsOut:

But Hatton knows just how difficult it will be to defeat the Pretty Boy. "He's got amazing skills," Hatton admitted. "He's pound-for-pound the best in the world, he's great to watch, skilful, lightning fast, I always watch his fights. But I don't think he's the biggest fighter in the world. I don't think he's got much physical strength. When I went to see him fight Gatti, I saw him at the weigh-in and asked myself the question whether or not he was big enough or tough enough to hold me off for 12 rounds. And that'll be the big question once the fight comes along."

Now... didn't I hear Hatton laud his four rounds with Castillo as "more excitement than Mayweather's whole career"?

Another example? Sure. This is what Ricky said this week:

Ricky Hatton: “I’m jumping out of my skin (waiting for this fight). It is a fight I’ve always wanted. You’ve spoken to Billy, he’ll tell you it is a fight we’ve always fancied style wise. We’ve fancied this fight for years and when the fight came about we knew it was going to be a huge fight. We wanted it (the fight) years ago but in the meantime Floyd’s become (a) bigger (name). I’ve become (a) bigger (name) and the time is right.”

But this is what Team Hatton said previously:

Father and business manager openly admitted they turned down the chance to at least negotiation for a Mayweather fight in 2004. "That was the one fight, style wise, which I thought we needed a few more fights before taking," said father Ray Hatton.

Stevie Wonder can see the contradiction.

g) I'm a Latino. Maybe I have a bit too much of that latin-macho-thing, but here goes:

Floyd was in Ricky's face calling him "a bitch", a pussy, etc. He told Ricky that he would buttfuck him. Ricky said nothing. This was in LA and in New York. OK, fine. Ricky is taking the high road. I can respect that.

But then they get to London and manchester, and Ricky starts talking and cursing. Huh? Wait- where was this Hatton on the first few legs of the tour? Either you have taken the high road...or you haven't. Ricky said that the insults had no effect. But for two months running, he has been talking about how FMJ "disrespected" him and he has taken many shots at FMJ on 24/7.

Floyd talks alot of shit. But how can you disagree with this:

"When have you ever heard Ricky Hatton talk trash before? He won't say it to my face but in front of the cameras he is really acting up. We did a five-city tour and the only time he talked tough was when he was home in Manchester. Now he's talking on HBO's 24/7 too. You know what I call him—a camera gangster. If I'm going to talk about you I am going to do it to your face, right in front of you."


I know that the British are kind of fey. Personally? If I have something to say ABOUT a man, I'm going to say it TO the man. Man Law.


Finally...h) If Hatton loses - and heaven help the Hattonettes if he is stopped - then that validates my opinion that RH is "B minus" level fighter. I will be INTOLERABLE to the Hatton groupies if Hatton loses.

....it'll be interesting to see how many SC's I get for speaking the truth.

I think I agree with Boozer on this one.... and disagree with you for the most part.. But i'm CC'ing you just for speaking your mind and typing a long ass post with use of italics and colour which must have taken you a while.... I'm sure their will be more SC snipers that are going to outweigh anything I contribute though