ALADDIN
FREEMAN - I think Floyd wins on points; there is a reason he
brought Hatton up to welterweight. The last time Hatton was at
147 lbs. he should have lost to Luis Collazo, who, I also may add
was never considered a big puncher but had Ricky hurt badly a
couple times in the fight.
Mayweather
Jr. has to start faster in this fight than he has in his past
two. If he allows Hatton to get it going early then it could be
a long, rough night for him. However, if he uses his legs then it
can be an easier fight for him.
Floyd has
shown signs of slowing down and now hearing him publicly say
that he is wearing down only leads me to believe that there is
some self doubt in his mind maybe not about this fight but about
his boxing career.
GEORGE ELSASSER -
Mayweather by unanimous decision or late stoppage via cuts.
Hatton expected to make it interesting over stanzas one thru
six - but the slick, cool, calm, collected in demeanor
Mayweather, will pick and choose to victory.
For more on Geo's pick, please go
here
KENNY PERRAULT - I'm having a tough time picking a winner
for the upcoming Mayweather Hatton fight. I can see the fight
going a lot of ways for both men. But in the end I'm going with
Hatton. I don't think Mayweather has the power to hurt him and
Hatton isn't afraid to take a punch. So my prediction is Hatton
wears down Mayweather for a late round knockout.
STEPHEN JONES - This has to be one of the most highly
anticipated events that I can remember between a British fighter
and a P4P claimant in my years in the game.. The last one of
note that I really can remember is either Bruno- Tyson I or Honeyghan v Curry.
Without a doubt Floyd has to be where the smart
money is at, and if he fights in accordance to his potential and
engages his brain he would fight his own game and win a fairly
solid decision ala movement and fast hands .. BUT! That is in
a perfect world.
In a perfect world he would have Jeff in his
corner and staying focused and humble, listening to good advice
and not getting involved. The problem being, Ricky is the kind
of pressure fighter who can get to you if you stand in front of
him and any show of machismo from Floyd in the middle rounds,
playing up to the crowd to satisfy his ego, may be where the
mistakes will happen. If that be the case, Ricky may have been a
little overlooked and in a physical fight of any kind Hatton
will have won the war of tactics and he will take Floyd to places that
he hasn't been to before. Corley showed us how Mayweather can be
hit and if Ricky gets the chances that 'Chop Chop' got, it could
spell Floyd's demise and he wont yet have realized it.
Hatton
has the potential to win this fight inside the distance if the
fight suits him, and if Floyd is stupid enough to fight Hatton's
type of fight trust me, he will go the same way as Castillo.
The bottom line: I can't yet split these two and will sit right
on the fence because it's my birthday come Saturday and I am
allowed to. God bless.. It's going to be a magnificent fight..
TOM DICKEY - It's hard to bet against
Pretty Boy, and I'm not going to be the one to do it. I think
Hatton will keep the pressure constantly on Floyd, making it a
better fight than Mayweather vs Oscar de la Hoya. But, Floyd will be able to outbox
and out quick the aggressive Hatton. I just don't think Hatton's
seen anything like Floyd, and as much as I would like to see him
win, I just can't see it happening.
Floyd by unanimous decision.
OLEG BERSHADSKY -
The clear media favorite in this fight,
not surprisingly, is Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is the best
pound for pound boxer in the sport, with superior hand
speed, and natural talent rivaled by no one. If these
advantages weren’t enough, he will also be fighting on his
home turf of Las Vegas, Nevada, and not having to adjust to
the time difference may be another advantage he has over
Hatton. So does Hatton even stand a chance with all this
stacked against him? How can he hope to beat a better boxer
with tremendous defense, away from his home town of
Manchester?
For answers to these questions, read
here
CHRIS ACKERMAN - I like Ricky Hatton's personality. He's
funny and seems like a genuinely nice guy. Too bad he is going
to get beat up on Saturday night. There is a real buzz in the
air about this fight and the reason is because Hatton is seen as
potentially a stylistic nightmare for PBF. He is gritty,
active, tireless, presses the action, rough and quicker than he
gets credit for. I have even heard a lot of talk recently about
Floyd's first clash with Jose Luis Castillo and how that is
somehow a blueprint or template on how to beat the number one
pound for pound fighter in the world. That fight is ancient
history and, in my opinion, about as relevant as Floyd's fight
with Gatti. My prediction for this one falls roughly in between
those two. I think people just want to see Floyd lose to a good
fella like Ricky. He won't though.
The beauty part is that no matter what happens, we are going to
see Floyd fight because Ricky Hatton is going to force him into
it. No rest, no respite...he'll ask Floyd if he can handle the
pressure. Floyd will reply in the affirmative in what I suspect
will be a performance that will have more than a few dazzling
moments. The other beauty part is all the wild cards: maybe
Floyd has been distracted of late (fat chance), maybe Hatton
will get cut and fight even more aggressively, maybe Floyd's
hands are hurt again (pffft...), maybe Ricky has gotten in
Floyd's head. In the end, I can't help but believing Mayweather
is gonna take Hatton's virginity...but I can't decide if I hope
I'm wrong.
Mayweather UD or late on cuts.
ED LUDWIG
- The
dancing outside the ring is over for Floyd Mayweather and now
it’s back to business. I do not expect this fight to be a
thriller by any means as Ricky Hatton is tailor made for
Mayweather.
Hatton will come out strong and rush Mayweather for the first few rounds and then
he will be gassed and it will be downhill for him after that.
Mayweather is as close to the complete package as you are going to get and Hatton is more one
dimensional than anything.
I feel counter punching will be the key as Hatton will be the one forcing the fight and taking the
initiative but Mayweather is just too smart to trade and put himself at risk. Counter punching will be the key for
Mayweather. For every shot Hatton lands Mayweather will answer
back with two or three shots of his own.
Mayweather wins by a very lopsided unanimous decision.
DARREN YATES -
I haven’t had much
luck picking winners recently. I picked Kessler to beat Calzaghe
and Mosley to beat Cotto. I am picking Mayweather to beat Hatton
easily by 12 round decision in what will be more than likely
another boring display of brilliance from Floyd, totally
undeserving of the money he is paid. If the fight is exciting,
it will be because of Ricky Hatton’s efforts. I am hoping my
shocking form of picking winners in recent times continues as
there has NOT been a fighter since Roy Jones Jnr. who so
desperately needs to be humbled by a loss as Floyd Mayweather
Jnr. does.
I couldn’t see Ricky Hatton being able to beat Kostya
Tszyu, I hope the Hitman surprises me again!
FRANK GONZALEZ JR. -
I think Ricky Hatton can win this fight by employing the kind of
pressure he applied on Kostya Tszyu. If he keeps the pressure on
continuously and forces Floyd to fight Ricky's style of brawl
instead of Floyd's type of box and move fight, it could end with
Hatton winning by late TKO.
Mayweather will score points during exchanges and has sneaky
power that can be dangerous, if he can land that triple left
hook. But Floyd has always had hand problems and Ricky looks to
be in the kind of shape that he will happily let Floyd land
three to deliver one.
Hatton is unquestionably athletic and his level of activity
could frustrate Mayweather enough to put him in a position he
doesn't want to be in. The common wisdom might be that Floyd
will win because of his superior boxing skills and defense, but
I like Hatton to win this fight on sheer aggression and
intelligent use of his fight mentality. He has the ability to
keep Floyd very busy round after round until late in the fight.
If Ricky can handle what power Floyd does possess, he will win
the fight. There will be exchanges and Floyd will get hit. Who
has the chin will win.
As a fan, I like certain fighters, respect others and outright
can't stand some. I like Hatton, he's a good natured kid who
brings respect to the sport. Floyd gives a poor impression of
himself with his worship of material things and constant
bragging. I've seen that type get humbled before.
But who knows what will happen? That's why they fight the
fights. Speculation has limited value in fights between
legitimate champions.
DAVID L. ROSS
- Too much speed, although Hatton’s grit will not allow him
to falter too much. I see it going the distance with Mayweather
winning via unanimous decision.
Mayweather via decision.
RIZWAAN ZAHID - Mayweather vs Hatton is probably the
biggest fight of this year for many boxing fans. Neither
fighter has ever been defeated and both have been dominating
nearly all of their opponents in the recent years. Now... on to
the prediction.
Mayweather is a slow starter and expect the first six rounds to
be close, if not in favour of Hatton. Hatton's key will have to
be going to the body and as we have seen in the 24/7 clips, he
has been practicing that. However, Mayweather has experience
with people trying to target his body but his precision and
speed is overwhelming. Mayweather does not throw a lot of
punches per round. He may only throw 45, but he usually lands
25 of those. Although Mayweather has a jab he doesn't often use
it, in this fight he may.
After the first six, expect Mayweather's lead right hand to
become a big factor, especially when countering a left hook by
Hatton. In the end, Mayweather's skills and speed will help him
a lot down the stretch.
Mayweather UD 12, in a close but deserved decision.
MARTIN WADE - I
like Mayweather by embarrassing SD.
Floyd isn’t fighting a part-time celebrity, a wannabe rapper, neither a journeyman nor
an action figure. Ricky Hatton is a FIGHTER with underrated
speed and footwork. Floyd actually surprised De La Hoya with his
strength but let’s face it if Ricky comes in light (142-143 lbs)
he can be a BULL. Both of these guys are the elite at 140 lbs,
both of them are too small for real welterweights and it will be
more entertaining than most think. Mark my words, Floyd will
tweak that right hand on the first guy in years to make him use
it. Ricky will parlay the moral victory into a bout with Oscar
and Floyd may take his traveling villain act to MSG in June
2008.
JOCELYN SAURINI -
Okay, I'm a girl, and that means that in addition to watching
boxing, I also watched every single episode of "Dancing With the
Stars," including all the ones that Floyd Mayweather was on.
It's this simple; in a big fight where many things seem equal,
I'll always go with the fighter who seems more focused on the
fight. On Tuesday night, Mayweather was in LA to appear on the
"Dancing With the Stars" finale show. On Wednesday, he came back
to Vegas to train, but to train in front of media, which we all
know isn't real training. I think the fight could honestly be a
toss up, and in a situation like that, I'll take the fighter who
didn't spend the week before the fight putting on his best LA
sunglasses and expensive shirt and playing it up for the cameras
on national TV. But what it tells me when a
fighter is doing a reality TV show while also preparing for a
big fight is that the fighter is either a) bored, or b)
unfocused, or c) both.
I take Hatton in a close one.
SCOTT SANDERS -
People are making two mistakes regarding Ricky Hatton. First they are
assuming this match will be a replay of the Mayweather-Gatti fight. There is
no comparison between Gatti and Hatton. Gatti started as a featherweight and
when he fought Floyd he already had a lot of boxing mileage on him and nothing
close to the speed and skills of Hatton. The other mistake people are making
is dismissing Ricky after seeing his fight against Luis Collazo at 147 lbs.
Hatton took that fight on short notice when he was training for a fight at
140. Knowing he didn't have to make weight against an obscure opponent,
Hatton eased off his training and underrated the gritty Collazo. This time he
has been pointing for Floyd for months now and will be a finely tuned 147 lbs
on 12/8.
Of course Mayweather is miles better than Collazo.
However, he isn't a true welterweight, while Hatton has been at 140 since he
was boxing as a teenager. Mayweather has the blazing speed and an airtight
defense, but styles make fights. Ricky has the tenacity and conditioning to
keep Floyd off his game and make him work harder than he wants to.
If I had to bet my life on this fight I'd probably go with
Mayweather. But if I'm getting odds I'll go with Hatton to win a hotly
disputed fight that will trigger a huge rematch. Put me down for Hatton by
split decision.
RICKY RAY TAYLOR
www.BoxerDRILLZ.com
- As much as I'd like ANY loudmouth in Boxing (or in any
sport) to be STOPPED, I truly don't think it'll happen to Floyd any time
soon. I'm not one of the trumpeters leading the HATTON bandwagon. For one
thing we all must understand the vast difference in a fighter's arsenal that
exists when he's backed by 15 to 20,000 screaming fans as compared to being
backed by maybe a few hundred. Keep in mind that I was probably as shocked as
anyone to watch Kostya be steamrolled by Hatton.
However, as Kostya spent a week in Manchester preparing for his showdown, I
didn't have the opportunity to understand the full flavor of what was going
down behind the scenes. We can rest assure that the hungry BRITS taunted him
at every corner planting seeds of doubt and utterances of defeat. I didn't
see them do it, neither did you or the bookies in Vegas but Kostya saw them
and heard them and evidently listened to an entire country's confidence in
their up and coming hero. Have you ever been in a country where everyone
knows you and basically wants you to die?
Bottom line, ask any rival soccer team - fighting in one's "hometown" cannot
even begin to brush the magnitude of being swarmed by an entire country of crazed Brits while preparing for a sporting event.
With this in mind, let's understand a few intangibles about this match up:
-Hatton is fighting Floyd in VEGAS - Floyd's adopted hometown for the last few
years.
-Hatton's
last four fights: He beat up an "elderly" 60+ fight veteran
Castillo, a young & untested Urango took him 12 rounds, another young &
untested Collazo damn near beat him in 12 rounds and an overly hyped Maussa
went 9 with him.
-Mayweather's last five: Regardless of what fight Roth & Kaczmarek saw, I had
him winning all but two rounds with Hoya, he made Baldomir look like a
punching bag, he outclassed and out sped lightening Zab Judah, and he
put a severe whipping on Sharmba Mitchell five months after the Commissioner
had to jump into the ring to resuscitate Gatti.
FINAL TAKE: I really don't think I'll eat my words here but I am gonna go out
on a limb and say that not only will Mayweather DESTROY Hatton, he'll knock
him OUT within 6 rounds.
GARY TODD -
I’m still going for a TKO for Hatton in the 7th round.
For more on Gary's pick, please click
here
DAVID TYLER - Floyd Mayweather Jr. has the hand and
foot speed of a young Ali. Mayweather has mastered the art of
throwing punches and using his foot speed to evade any
returning punches from opponents. Mayweather also uses his
quick wit combined with insults to entice his opponents into
wasting energy by going for the early knockout. He has called
Ricky Hatton a coward, cheater, Ricky Fatton (whatever that
means), and a pussy, (I know what that means).
...All of these questions and more will be answered
this Saturday, December 8th, in Las Vegas. This fight could quite possibly make
December 8th stand for something other than the anniversary of John Lennon’s
murder.
HARDCHARGER - Mayweather.
Unanimous decision. Too much class and speed.
ELISA HARRISON - Who gave Ricky
Hatton a chance against the mighty Kostya Tszyu? Who would have
believed he'd make him quit on the stool? Not many people,
right? Well, history seems to be repeating itself as not many
people feel Hatton has what it takes to take down Mayweather Jr.
once and for all.
I found it telling that Mayweather Jr. is
already making excuses about his hands, his body breaking down,
etc. (If he is having so many health issues perhaps he can bow
out gracefully now, there is still time). Hatton has been
fighting for as long as Floyd has and I haven't heard or read
any excuses coming from him. Sorry, but I am not buying into
Mayweather Jr.'s supremacy.
I think Hatton is being overlooked and
underestimated, and there is going to be a price to be paid for
that. I don't believe he is naive enough to leave the decision
to the judges, either. Let's face it, hanky panky happens all
too often in Las Vegas.
It is my belief that Hatton is going to
lay it all on the line, and Mayweather is going to have to bring
his A game plus a Louisville slugger to beat this kid.
Oh, and if Floyd Jr. thinks he is going to
dance and pirouette his way around the ring tonight, he better
think again. The fans are not going to go for it, they are not
going to buy it, not this time around. Too much talking, too
much fronting, too much posturing; he is going to have to live
up to his own hype and in doing so, he will be stopped by a
vicious, ruthless and powerful Ricky Hatton.
I can't wait.
OTHER BOXING EXPERTS...
I think Ricky
Hatton is a great champion and fighter. He has beaten a lot of
tough boxers including Kostya Tszyu. Floyd Mayweather is pound
for pound the best fighter in boxing. I think the match will go
the entire 12 rounds.
Floyd Mayweather
can not knock out Hatton; the match will go to the judges score
cards.
Mayweather by
split decision. - NONITO 'THE FILIPINO FLASH' DONAIRE, IBF
AND IBO Flyweight champion
Mayweather, unanimous
decision - EDISON
'PANTERA' MIRANDA, super middleweight contender,
www.panteraboxing.com
Mayweather by decision - ANDRE BERTO, NABF welterweight
champion, WBC and IBF contender
Hatton stops him. -
JOEY GILBERT,
WBO NABO and WBC USNBC middleweight champion
I think Mayweather wins the fight by decision. He's
fighting the same style of fighter like Carlos
Baldomir. Except the only difference is Hatton is
stronger and a lot busier. Mayweather fights at
his best against guys that pressure him. Hatton has a
good chin and will make the fight exciting at times,
but won't be able to handle Mayweather's speed and
intelligence. Mayweather in my opinion pound for
pound, the best! - RAUL 'EL DIAMANTE' MARQUEZ,
former IBF light middleweight champion
Mayweather all the way! - AARON 'THE HAWK' PRYOR, 1996
International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee,
http://www.hawktime.com
Mayweather STOPS Hatton in 9th or 10th round
because Hatton can't see out of his left eye! Too many
combinations from Mayweather throughout the fight! Ricky becomes
frustrated with Mayweather, begins to use DIRTY tactics! :-(
Ricky will be game; but, just TOO much speed and sharp shooting from
Floyd!
Somehow Ricky's will and determination keeps him up on his
feet. However, Hatton's corner throws in the towel and he's
able to fight again! That's how I see the fight going.
Enough Said,
enjoy the show!
- DaVARRYL 'TOUCH OF SLEEP' WILLIAMSON,
heavyweight contender
Mayweather... 12 round decision - JOHNATHON BANKS, WBO NABO
cruiserweight champion, www.johnathonbanks.com
Mayweather wins, fight goes the distance. - PAULY AYALA, former WBA bantamweight champion
I gotta go with Mayweather just because the man is the pound
for pound king. While people might not like his attitude and the
way he talks about his opponents what no one can take away
from him is his absolute skill, and his ability to break down
his opponents, to dissect them like a surgeon, so I'm going with Floyd. I
think it will be an excellent fight with Hatton really trying to
force the issue, and possibly rattling the champion for a
moment. But the hardest training pound for pound king will come
back to pick Hatton apart and get the win. - STEVIE FORBES, former USBA and IBF super featherweight champion
Mayweather will win the fight. -
DeMARCUS 'CHOP CHOP' CORLEY, former WBO light welterweight
champion
As much as I want Hatton to win, I think Mayweather is
unstoppable now at the top of his game. Floyd by majority or
split decision! - VANES 'THE NIGHTMARE' MARTIROSYAN,
undefeated light middleweight contender, www.VanesBoxing.com
Mayweather by a unanimous decision. I would like nothing more
than to see Mayweather get a loss and a beat down, but I don't
think it is in the cards. However, in boxing anything can happen
and everybody is one punch away from getting knocked out. Floyd
is just to fast and too smart to let Hatton ruffle his feathers.
It is very possible Floyd even stops Hatton but most likely, he
wins a unanimous decision. PETER 'SWEET PETE' FRISSINA,
former WBO NABO and USBA bantamweight champion
I like Hatton and his no nonsense approach to boxing, but if
Mayweather does what he does best, which is box, I think Hatton
gets frustrated and loses on points. Keep the Faith. - ROSS PURITTY, former WBC International heavyweight champion
Easy work for Mayweather on Saturday - ASHLEY 'TREASURE'
THEOPHANE, Global Boxing Council jr. welterweight champion
This is going to be a great fight. Hatton has power and
Mayweather has speed. I think if Ricky catches him early--he
has a chance to stop Floyd. But I predict a decision. Winner:
Mayweather - JACKIE KALLEN
Mayweather vs. Hatton should be a very
interesting fight. Both fighters are undefeated and both have
proved their class in the ring. Hatton was fantastic against
Kostya Tszyu and José Luis Castillo.
Mayweather, has been fantastic against
everybody. He's the fighter pound-per-pound in the world today,
therefore, "The Pretty Boy" should be the winner, probably by
TKO in the later rounds. - OSCAR BORRAS, 20 de Mayo Spanish
Newspaper
Mayweather wins an easy unanimous decision. The only way anyone
can beat Mayweather is to slow him down early, and you need
either a lucky punch or a solid combination of speed and power
to take the wind out of him. Mayweather can be beat, but it
isn't easy as Hatton will find out. Of course if Ricky lands
hard and early all bets are off, but I don't see that happening.
-
RUSTY RUBIN, Editor in Chief of Ringsports.com
I think it
is a very competitive and close fight with Mayweather boxing
and moving to a split decision. Hatton will be working to the body to
try and slow Floyd, but to no avail. - J.D.
BROWN, William
Joppy's manager
Floyd Mayweather should win an easy twelve round decision if he
uses his superior speed and boxing skills. If Floyd wants to get
into a war with Ricky, then anything could happen and we would
get to see a good fight. -
JAKE HALL, Indiana Boxing Commissioner
I know a lot
of people have been bringing up all the ways that Hatton can and
will win this fight. Many have talked about his relentless
pressure, his awesome body punching and his will to win to go
along with his dogged determination as factors in why they will
pick him to defeat Mayweather. And while I believe that Hatton
is a warrior and a very determined individual who always comes
to fight and is probably much more skilled than most give him
credit for I also believe that Floyd is one of those guys, like
a Ray Leonard, who has all the tools and gifts at his disposal.
I have actually trained in the gym out in Las Vegas when he was
also training and while I am sure Hatton works hard in the gym I
would find it hard to believe that he trains any harder than
Mayweather. I also think that Floyd, like Ali and Leonard before
him, is a guy who has the image of a boxer and a personality
first but like those two guys did countless times, I think when
the going gets tough, Floyd will respond like a champion. If
Hatton thinks he is just going to bully Floyd with no resistance
coming back at him then I think he will be terribly mistaken.
I
also think that the majority of people that count all the ways
that Hatton will win this fight also happen to be people who do
not personally like Floyd and their opinions are more wishful
thinking than anything. As much as I think Floyd is very,
very immature in his bragging about how much money he has, as
much as I think his friend Leonard Ellerbee talks way too much
trash for a guy who never fought before and doesn't fight, and
as much as I think Floyd probably will not be remembered -for a
variety of reasons- as a true and revered legend of the game many years after his final fight like Leonard and Ali are now, I
do think he is far and away the elite of today and everything in
this equation points to his winning December 8 in a very
convincing performance.
Putting
it another way, the night before James Toney and Roy Jones
fought out in Las Vegas back in 1994 Roy's lawyer asked me for
my honest opinion and I told him this: "James Toney is a very
good, maybe even a great, fighter but all the things that make
him great will never come into play -stylistically- against a
Roy Jones."
Substitute the names Mayweather and Hatton and you have my same prognosis for
December 8. -
JOHN "ICEMAN" SCULLY, trainer/retired boxer
Easy Night for P.B.F. Hatton looks sloppy trying
for KO. Mayweather wins 12 UD - KENNY BARRETT, gym
owner/trainer,
www.barrettboxing.com
Mayweather by decision. Floyd's much too fast for Hatton and
possesses superior boxing skills. Since he doesn't punch hard
enough to crack an egg, he'll simply out box the English
challenger, much like he did against Oscar de la Hoya, but
probably a little easier since Oscar is a better boxer than
Ricky. -
ED KAPLAN, 560 WQAM Sports Radio, Show Host, Miami,
Florida
Mayweather by unanimous decision or
late round TKO 11 - DAMON FELDMAN, promoter
Who I want to win: Hatton
Who I think will win: Mayweather by decision.
I don’t see Floyd as having the power to knock Ricky
down, let alone KO him. - MELISSA DeVOLENTINE,
Publicist, Alfonso Gomez Team
I believe Hatton will end the domination
that Floyd has had on opponents... Hatton in a decision... might
even knock him out. - ELMO ADOLPH, boxing referee
Pretty Boy will pitch a shutout
against The Hitman – or close to it. Floyd is simply too fast
and can box too well to allow the spirited brawler to get close.
Hatton may resort to fighting in the grey area of the rules of
sanctioned pugilism by using some of his old tricks… but you
better believe if Floyd even thinks he was fouled at all, he
will make sure that the millions of people watching know about
it.
Pretty Boy Floyd Joy
Mayweather Jr. by unanimous decision - TERRY LANE, CEO Let's
Get It On Promotions
I have to go with Floyd here. Too much talent. But I think
Hatton tries to rough him up. He has to if he hopes to have any
chance. Could be close early, but PBF pulls away and wins a
unanimous decision. - RUSS AMBER, Host TSN In this Corner
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11-27-2007
