The Panel - Sky Sports Expert

The Pretty Boy plan

Posted: 30th November 2007 13:29

Send an email to The PanelEmail The Panel

mayweather8

Mayweather: Cunning, quick and super fit

HOW TO BOOK THE FIGHT
Ricky Hatton v Floyd Mayweather
Exclusively live on Sky Box Office
£14.95 (UK) and €21.95 (ROI)
Call 08705 800 888 or
Click here for full details

Sky Sports boasts the premier pundits on boxing and for the build-up to Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather they will all be sharing their thoughts with you right here on skysports.com.

That means the insight and analysis of three former world champions and a Commonwealth champion, with 27 world title fights between them, as Jim Watt, Johnny Nelson, Glenn McCrory, Nicky Piper and Wayne McCullough pore over the possibilities and probabilities.

The panel will look at both fighters, where the fight can be won or lost, what they expect and of course, as that first bell draws nearer, we will be asking them for predictions.

This week Messrs Watt, McCrory, Nelson and Piper - McCullough is in training for his own big fight - look at what the Pretty Boy has in his locker that could just be too much for the Hitman....

skysports.com: Gentlemen, if there is one factor that gives Floyd Mayweather the edge over Ricky Hatton, what do you think it is?

JONNY NELSON: It has to be his speed, nothing else. He is that quick he is capable of getting two, three or even four shots off as Ricky comes in. Initially Ricky Hatton is mentally a very strong fighter, but if you keep getting hit before you can get your own shots off and then you are missing with those shots, it will get to you no matter who you are. If you are constantly being hit, your confidence starts to waver and you don't relax when you throw your shots, you lose your speed and accuracy in desperation. Basically you become ragged and Ricky cannot afford that. We say Mayweather has not been in all the situations that Ricky has and it's true, but Ricky has never faced anyone as quick as Floyd. Not even close.

JIM WATT: Just because he is an exceptional talent. He's not everybody's favourite fighter and he's certainly not mine, but his talent, his technique, his reflexes are just out of this world. He's always in great shape as well, so even if there is a danger of under-estimating Ricky Hatton the fighter, physically Floyd will be at his peak. He's so precise with his punches as well, I just have a nagging thought that that he might be just be too good for Ricky Hatton, no matter what happens. Is Floyd as good as he thinks he is and tells us he is? I don't know, but if he is, it could be a long night.

GLENN MCRORY: Everyone rightly goes on about his skills, but it's his cunning that worries me. This is one smart kid. They don't call him the Pretty Boy just because he's handsome, he's too smart to get his face smashed in. You don't just outsmart Oscar de la Hoya by accident and it does worry me that whatever Ricky Hatton will come up with, Floyd will negate. He can work a fight out and he knows what he's got to do to win it. If you'd seen Joan Guzman fight Humberto Soto his trainer told him after seven rounds, that he had done enough and just to box through the rest of it and stay out of trouble. That trainer was none other than Floyd Mayweather Senior. He's not involved but that tells you the way the family thinks.

NICKY PIPER: Floyd Mayweather has tremendous movement and hand speed. He is so fit as well. Hatton can really dominate some opponents with his superior fitness but Mayweather is just as fit. He will be there for 12 round and will be evasive for 12 rounds. He will keep peppering Hatton with lots and lots of shots.

Comments

Dave Waweru says...

People are saying that Hatton will KO Mayweather and thats their opinion,mayweather is not a fool to take Hatton lightly as people are saying ,he says things to intimidate his opponents and backs it up by beating them,he beat d la hoya and Hatton cant get a change againt him.I go for Mayweather on points.

Posted 12:49 7th December 2007

Boxing Fan says...

Everyone's wants Hatton to win not because he's a good fighter but because they think Mayweather is cocky and aragant.. Hatton has fought probably 2 big names Mayweather has fought more than double that.. Everyone is forgetting how good of a boxer Floyd is.. he's fought big punchers before.. Today people are comparing Hatton to Jesus Chavez, but Mayweather beat him.. To all the people that say Floyd cant stop anyone check his record before you open your mouth..20+ knockouts!! he can stop people.. Boxers he has fought have even said he hits harder than what you think. If Mayweather fights his fight its over.. Ye people say he runs around the ring. its called the art of boxing.. So what if the croud dont like it, winning the fight is all that matters.. I hope he humiliates Hatton just like he did to Corrales Then it will shut all the haters up, and make the boxing world stand up and respect him..

Posted 10:07 7th December 2007

Robin Da silva says...

Everybody is talking about how Hatton is going to just walk through Mayweather. People are not taking into consideration about the other aspects of the fight. Like Hatton's defence for example, how is he going to avoid Mayweather's lightning combinations, they might not knock him out, but they will certainly hurt him, with a very strong possibility that he'll get cut. Either way i'm looking forward to it, styles makes fights and this has all the ingredients to be a classic.

Posted 10:55 5th December 2007

Innocent nharaunda Nharaunda says...

Floyd Mayweather is the picasso of boxing. Easy on the on the eye and genuine talent. The way he avoids being hit makes you wonder whether he is using some form of radar. Ricky is an aggressive , bruising fighter but he will need more than that to get close to pretty boy. Floyd can fighter on his back foot anis punches come from anywhere, Ricky wont know what hit him. He will need his big heart to come back into the ring after this encounter.

Posted 15:20 4th December 2007

Leo Willson says...

I am a student currently studying in the USA but I am from England this is a fight i have wanted to see for a long time, because while I think Mayweather is a great fighter and was won good fights. I recently heard that he should have lost to Jose Luis castillo the first time and he got lucky in victory that was accroding to HBO, so I think that Hatton is being understminted by everybody in the USA nobody is giving him a chance, and a believe that gives him a huge advantage what does he have to lose. Hatton is also in the best physical shape of his life, I think this will go the distance and I think Mayweather will have to show all his fine skills to win this. My heart says Ricky hatton, andmy brain says it dpends what each fighter brings to the table.

Posted 06:18 4th December 2007

Allan Snape says...

At last Mayweather has bitten off more than he can chew! Mayweather will try to keep his distance with his speed and use his attack from behind the jab. But Hatton will get him on the ropes more often than not and lay some severe body punches into him. I predict at least a points win for Hatton. Hatton will out punch, and out work him maybe even knock Mayweather out. Hatton will not lose this fight. Its true what they say YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANT HIDE!

Posted 01:51 4th December 2007

Paul Johnson says...

We all know how good a boxer Mayweather is,but how many times has he met with someone who punches has hard as Hatton?He fought an old De La Hoye, he would never have beaten the De La Hoye of 3 years ago. He and a lot of his countrymen who have been world champions, have never had the courage to defend their titles outside the U.S.A. Why? They are afraid of judges who cannot be intimidated. He is already crying to the judges to watch out for ,Hatton roughing him up. He has shown no respect to Hatton camp what so ever. I believe Hatton will stop Mayweather in the 8th round, Mayweather would be respected more by boxing fans, if he just showed a little respect to his opponents through out his brilliant career.

Posted 22:53 3rd December 2007

Fight Fan says...

I'm a huge fan of Ricky Hatton but believe Mayweather to be a nightmare to fight. He has all the tools to make fighters look decidedly average. He is arguably one of the most gifted fighters of our generation. He has it all, awesome defence, brilliant footwork, blurring handspeed, accurate punches and excellent conditioning. The only thing you could quetion is his heart. Has he really got the stomach for a war? We've never found out because his superior skills have always allowed him to overcome his opponents without the need to dig deep. I'm hoping Hatton can ask those questions of him. If he can we could be in for a treat. My main concern is that Hatton will be kept at arms length by Mayweather who will consistently pick him off while he attempts to land his own punches. I'm worried that Hatton may be stopped on cuts. I hope I'm wrong.

Posted 15:52 3rd December 2007

Tom Coupe says...

Ricky to win on points - it's simple, Floyd hasn't got the power in his punches to knock out the "Hitman". Ricky's stamina will see him through to the end and because he will just keep coming foward and forward for 36 minutes, he'll get the decision.

Posted 15:00 3rd December 2007

Troy Smith says...

Floyd Mayweather is simply the best boxer in the world period. Ricky Hatton has a big heart but remember he can't handle classy fighters. He lost to Collazo and everyone who watched that fight knows that. Styles make fights and this makes for a great fight. Ricky Hatoon has no chance and I predict a stoppage by or before the 10th round. For the Ricky Hatton fans please go and watch the Callazo tfight. That's how your man will lose this fight except that unlike Collazo, Ricky will ave no idea where he is after round five. Callazo outclassed Ricky Hatton, boxing is more that brute force its a thinking man's game and Ricky will be davastated by the speed , movement and efence of Mayweather . Thsi marks the beginning of the n for Ricky Hatton, after this defeat he will reflect on this and see how his bad dienst an yoy-yo weights and fighting with his face has cost him.Ricky Hatton will never be the same again after this.He has been a fairly good champion .

Posted 14:05 3rd December 2007

Joe Phillips says...

Mayweather is going to be too quick for Hatton. His hand speed is immense and I see Ricky missing too many shots and tiring before he knows it. He is going to have to really hurt Mayweather with his body shots to have any chance of winning. Mayweather has too much talent. Mayweather win!

Posted 13:48 3rd December 2007

Johnny Mays says...

When Ricky hits Mayweather with his body puching Mayweather will know what pure power feels like. Come on Ricky we love ya! Make this yours and our best year ever.

Posted 12:31 3rd December 2007

Carlos "the jackal" Barton says...

Mayweather knows how to box for points, but he really isnt any good at stopping fighters. Some people regard him as a clever fighter, I would say he is a cowardly fighter. I really believe Hatton can stop Mayweather.

Posted 10:43 3rd December 2007

Lizo Tutani says...

All I hear from the Brits is the size of Ricky`s heart. It definitely won`t count for nothing on the day. There is absolutely nothing that he brings to the table that Floyd hasn't seen & negated with ease before. The talk about going for the ribs is just pure hog wash because he won`t even catch a glimpse of them. Ricky will be picked with so much ease when moving in like a kid picking a candy in a candy store which will infuriate him & ultimately lose the plot and become all the more clumsy. In Pretty boy`s words, "It`ll be 1,2,3 easy money". For all it`s hype, I definitely wish that the match won't be one sided & actually live to its billing.

Posted 09:20 3rd December 2007

Fergal Mcguigan says...

Floyd is certainly no fool, and this isnt going to be a walk in the park. But I dont think Floyd has ever faced anyone like Ricky. With Ricky's style, there is sure to be some point in the fight where he is going to get close to Floyd and explode with lots of big shots. what happens when floyd cant get out of the way of shots? What if Floyd has truely under-estimated Ricky? I really believe Hatton is going to pull this one off. And I really believe that he is going to stop him. Much like Joe Calzaghe, every time Ricky comes up against the biggest names, he rises to another level. Floyd, youre going to take one hell of a beating! COME ON RICKY!

Posted 08:46 3rd December 2007

Marcus Crook says...

Floyd has got the best boxing brain I have ever seen in my time i can remember. He is used to having the centre of the ring but he can also fight on the back foot. Hatton might have to walk through punches to get to the centre of the ring and i can see floyd building points when this is happening.He will try and slip them but floyd picks his punches tremendously having said that ,can he take the hitmans body shots because at some stage he will have to that is were the fight will be won or loss.

Posted 01:03 3rd December 2007

Antony Beecher says...

Has Mayweather picked another easier opponent?Hhe does seem to hand pick his opponents in my view he picked an aged Gatti an Aged De la Hoya an easier to hit Baldomir and Judah were all hand picked for one reason. THEY WERE ALL BEATABLE. He avoided the Margaritos have given PBF a real test. Can you honestly say if Mayweather had faced Gatti at the time he fought Ward or De la Hoya at younger condition that Pretty Boy would have got the same results. I think not. For all these skills he has I think he lacks the b*lls which is something Ricky definitely has.

Posted 23:54 2nd December 2007

Smac Smacchat.com says...

In just a few days the much anticipated match between Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton commences with a lot of talk coming from both camps. The 'Pretty-Boy' camp doesn't believe Hatton has ever faced a fighter of Floyd's skill and that's how he's undefeated. Conversely, the Hatton camp thinks Floyd is drastically underestimating Hatton and that will make the difference. Although both camps may be spot on, if Floyd does under estimate Hatton, his supreme condition and ring generalship will allow him to change on the fly and get through. However is the afore mentioned is correct, and we believe it is, then Hatton will simply be overmatched and overwelmed. Look for Floyd to land 4 punches to Hatton's 1, with Hatton throwing punches at places Mayweather was at the night before, terribly slow. This one may go the distance because of Hatton's heart, but the fight will show a lot of similarities to the Arturo Gatty fight. The Pretty-Boy wins a unanimous decision.

Posted 22:18 2nd December 2007

Babafad Babafad says...

Has anyone ever hit Floyd Mayweather as hard as Ricky can hit?? NO! When Hatton connects, Mayweather will wish he was somewhere else. Trust me!

Posted 21:53 2nd December 2007

Deji Ogunsola says...

Finally I hear some truth! I am a big Hatton Fan as I am a Floyd fan, but Floyd is no fool. Yes he talks a lot of trash but he one of the if not smartest boxers. Ricky has a chance but they don't call Floyd the best pound for pound boxer for nothing. I don't think Hatton realizes what an opponent Floyd will be. Lets hope this will be fight of the year!

Posted 15:51 2nd December 2007

Page 1 of 1

Add Comment*

All fields are required

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

Character Count : 0/1950

Please tick here if you wish to receive emails relating to Sky Sports.com or any other companies, services or products related to Sky Sports.com

Please send me the weekly Sky Sportszine - exclusive content, features and competitions to my inbox every Friday.

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private