Mayweather: no conditioner

Is it worth making such a change at this stage? I don't think so. Billy Graham couldn't tighten Ricky Hatton up in 11 years, so how is Floyd Sr going to in five weeks?

Glenn McCrory
Quotes of the week

Also see

• Hatton back on Box Office
• Golden Boy keen on Hatton
• Floyd Snr blasts Graham

Guess who's coming to Britain on Friday?

In case you didn't know Floyd Mayweather Sr is arriving to start working with Ricky Hatton. It will no doubt be entertaining and no-one will go short of a quote, but is it a good move? I'm not so sure.

Time and time again we see fighters looking for some sort of magic wand to wave, usually when they've lost. Time and time again they go for the big-name trainers, the ones with the reputation, thinking they are going to change them.

Well I'll tell Floyd Snr one thing for nothing: Ricky Hatton is Ricky Hatton. You ain't going to change anything mate!

I know Ricky has spoken of working on his defence more and yes his new trainer is known for that, but I am not entirely sure that is going to do much. He might get Ricky to concentrate a little more on the defensive side and the tactics might vary, but it will be nothing more than a tweak.

But it's not the tweaking that worries me, because it might only be 10 per cent. What worries me is the other 90 per cent, because that other 90 per cent of Ricky Hatton is very, very good. But with these changes, is it still going to be that good?

And is it worth making such a change at this stage? I don't think so. Billy Graham couldn't tighten him up in 11 years, so how is Floyd Sr going to in five weeks?

Ricky needs a conditioner not a technical trainer. Maybe that's where Lee Beard comes in, but to tell the truth, I don't know enough about him to make a judgement.

In my opinion Ricky needs come fight time is to go back to his corner and find a mate there. I think that is what his mind reacts to best.

I paid particular attention to Mayweather's corner work with Steve Forbes when he fought Andre Berto at the weekend and from what I could tell all he was telling him to do was "kick his ass".

Respect

If I'd have been Forbes, I'd have been asking "I know that. But how exactly? Can you put that in layman's terms?" I wasn't that impressed.

You have to respect Mayweather for what he's done - although it was brother Roger who did all the work with Floyd Jr recently - but if a fighter wants to know how good they are, what they can do and how deep they can go, there is only one place they need to go looking - the mirror.

As I've said before, I just think it might be too much change at this stage for Ricky.

I hope I am wrong because I'll say this now: if he gets beat by Paulie Malginaggi - and it is not an easy fight by any means - that will be it, all over. Get beaten by Floyd Mayweather and it's no problem. Everyone expected him to and after all, he was in with the best in the business.

I hope I am worrying too much for Ricky because the talk this week has increased about fighting Oscar de la Hoya at Wembley - unless Oscar can find himself a bantamweight to take on after Manny Pacquiao!

Perspective

In all seriousness, watching Andre Berto against Steve Forbes (pictured) told me one thing: that the Golden Boy is far from finished. He is still shining brightly, believe me.

I thought he looked sharp in beating Forbes, I really did. But to see Berto, an emerging star, a real banger, taken the distance and not really put Two Pounds under pressure puts De La Hoya's performance in perspective.

Forbes has never been stopped but it is going to happen sooner or later and I just thought Berto might be the first to do it. Oscar didn't do it, but he looked a class above Berto.

Prospect

Finally at the other end of the scale, well done to young Paul Appbleby, who was named Best Young British Boxer of the Year this week. Paul is a lad who has trained with us at Northumbria ABC and is in fact coming down in a couple of weeks, and he is a real prospect.

He's a cracking little fighter. He still looks like he should be in school, but he's a tough little Scot, he always comes to fight and doesn't really do a lot wrong. He will make mistakes as he's so young, but we saw him tough it out against John Simpson to win the British title, so he can think on his feet as well.

Paul has a cheeky little grin and is a very likeable lad. In many ways, he reminds me of a young Ricky Hatton...