Like most fight fans, I was interested in this fight despite the fact that the outcome seemed certain. This one made me look good:
"As anybody who has watched 24/7 knows, Mayweather has developed some problems with his hands. That being said, Mayweather is a classic boxer, not a knock out artist. His hand speed, footwork, defense, conditioning, and overall superior talent is what has made him arguably the pound for pound champion (although Joe Calzaghe`s recent fight against Mikkel Kessler was a strong arguement for Joe). Ricky Hatton is an entertaining fighter and appears to be a likeable regular guy (based on the HBO series and all other accounts of him that I have read over the years). His most impressive fight in my opinion to date was his TKO victory of Kostya Tszyu. He was able to take Tszyu`s long held belt in front of his home crowd in Australia by swarming him and wearing him down. Tszyu did stand toe to toe with Hatton, constantly stepping forward to battle him. Mayweather will not do this. This fight was also at light welterweight. Hatton has had difficulty in the past at the heavier welterweight at which he will be fighting Mayweather. His decision victory over Collazo at welter was a close call, with many feeling that Collazo had actually won. Recently, Hatton moved back down to light welter to fight Jose Luis Castillo. Hatton caught Castillo with a body shot. Castillo fought Mayweather in the past and came closest in my opinion to beating him, although this was still not close. With all this in mind, Hatton is not the same class of fighter as Mayweather. While his swarming style matches up well historically with a boxing style, I believe that the difference in speed and talent will be too great. If Hatton attempts to swarm Mayweather, he should catch the majority of Floyd`s fast accurate punches. I don`t believe Hatton will be able to inflict the necessary damage to the body that has served him in the past. Mayweather`s ability to stick and move effectively should frustrate and overwhelm Hatton. As with past opponents, this allows Mayweather to eventually land the combinations and successive right hands that impress the judges. As always, this is boxing in Vegas, and Hatton has the "puncher`s chance." Also, I see Hatton`s perceived status as the "good guy" to Mayweather`s "bad guy" influence casual fans to put money on Ricky. I see another decision victory for Mayweather."
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