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Ricky Hatton can beat Floyd Mayweather
But not if he just 'jumps all over him'.
You don't beat the most schooled boxer in the game by just 'jumping all over him' and hoping for the best, Mayweather's talented enough to simply step back and throw a lead right at the same time and never miss - and Ricky's under-estimating Mayweather's punch if he thinks Mayweather 'wouldn't be able to keep him off him', with Ricky just steaming in (as he says he'd do) he'd quite simply be giving Mayweather double velocity to his shots! Unless Ricky uses some sort of method, instead of madness, he'd be picked off and cut up and lose every round until the referee waves it off. Mayweather is a cleaner puncher than anything Hatton has known, and although Hatton probably closes the distance quicker than anybody Mayweather has fought - Mayweather can get his shots off quicker than anything Hatton has seen.
First and foremost, Hatton needs to lose some muscle. Kayes put 7lbs of muscle onto Ricky's frame in just six weeks for the Collazo fight, and it showed as Ricky appeared extremely slow (compared to his usual sharper, faster self) and unflexible on the night.. weighing 158 on a 5ft6 frame is quite hideous to be honest. If Mayweather won't move back down to 140, then Ricky should simply prepare for a 140 fight (even if he's taking the fight at 'welterweight') because he's naturally bigger than Mayweather anyway.
To beat Floyd Mayweather, you need to force him to make mistakes (because he won't make mistakes on his own), which is easier said than done. To force him to make mistakes, you need to use tactical maneuvering. Ricky Hatton is the one fighter who has the tools to make Mayweather make mistakes. Firstly, he needs to box his way in. Hatton has a quick, darting jab in his toolbox that looks difficult to counter with the right hand, he doubles and triples it into your face and it leaves him in position to get his shots off and his opponent in position to be hit. As or after Ricky's got his shots off, he'd need to be moving out of punching range, and then out-thinking Mayweather (which only Ricky Hatton can do, he has such a good boxing brain between his ears - if only he'd believe in himself).
He can give Mayweather angles, he can give him feints, he's the one guy who can throw Mayweather off. He knows how stay in range to draw leads, but while being in position to become slightly out of range with just one shift of the feet. Mayweather is a counter-puncher, and Hatton is the guy who can make him lead. And I believe Hatton is actually at his best when he's counter-punching -
working off opponents leads and threading punches through small gaps. He can punch when Mayweather punches by rolling with Mayweather's punches while letting his own shots go at the same time. Hatton can do this. But he can't roll with any shots or counter anything if he's just going 'jump all over him' with no pre-thought.
Ricky is quick-witted, as well as quick-footed and quick-handed, and much cuter than he's ever been given credit for. And he has a large variety of shots to keep Mayweather thinking, and the more you make Mayweather think the more likely it is that he's going to slip up, and if he slips up then Ricky Hatton is the fighter to make him pay, quite honestly.
Mayweather can roll his shoulders all he likes, but that's not going to avoid a left hook placed just behind the elbow. Hatton also knows how to step around and shift his position to open Mayweather up and be able to shoot a shot to the solar plexus (slowing Mayweather down for a few rounds).
Ricky Hatton's 'boxing' ability is under-estimated. We've seen his 'boxing' skills in the gym often enough and back in the amateurs, but believe me we have never seen the best of Ricky Hatton's 'boxing' ability in professional boxing. Hatton simply hasn't needed to use his 'boxing' skills, because he's always been able to overwhelm opponents. Against Mayweather, though, he'd need to use all his skill if he wants to stand much chance of winning the thing, and then with his more notable advantages (eg strength, power, stamina, workrate, chin, infighting, pressure) on top of that it would = victory! But he needs to live with Mayweather in terms of boxing (and he can, trust me) before he can think about bringing out his main advantages (when Mayweather is more frustrated), he can't try to throw Mayweather off by 'jumping all over him' from the start because it will not work IMO, he needs to try to throw Mayweather off with tactical maneuvering before possibly jumping on him later in the fight.
Anybody doubting Ricky's 'boxing' skills should consider that he was actually the best on the planet in his category in the amateurs. For a kid with short arms, that alone proves he must of been able to box abit!
Watch Hatton against Thaxton, Magee and Tackie and you see such rythm and balance. I know Thaxton, Magee and Tackie aren't in Mayweather's league, but then again who is? You can show skill on a punching bag though, and Hatton has certainly showed flashes of his class in the pro ranks. Watch the Pendleton fight closely and you see Hatton doing a lot of side-stepping to load up his punches. The Oliveira fight shows accurate output from all sides, and saw Hatton reduce a guy who had set CompuBox records with ammounts of punches he throws to barely being able to get any shots off - Hatton thoroughly dominated that fight without even needing to throw one jab!
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Originally Posted by yoitsdan
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