Ricky: Billy's best youngster

Billy told me that this chunky kid in the corner, watching stablemates like Carl Thompson and Ensley Bingham train, was the best youngster he'd ever seen, and that he would be a world champion.

Adam Smith
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Hi there, I'm Adam Smith, Sky's boxing commentator and I have been with Sky Sports since 1994. My early days saw Chris Eubank's flashy World tour, Lennox Lewis emerging as the finest heavyweight on earth and Frank Bruno's patriotic, heart-warming victory over Oliver McCall in the open-air of Wembley.

I have been fortunate enough to have covered the training camps of all of the elite fighters over the last decade or so, doing a host of interviews and documentaries on such men as the super-middleweight stars that Britain have produced - Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Joe Calzaghe to the American greats - Roy Jones, Oscar De la Hoya, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.

I also followed Prince Naseem Hamed from that rainy night in Cardiff when he captured the World Featherweight Title from Steve Robinson in 1995 through all of his extraordinary ring entrances and cracking knockout wins to his ring demise against Marco Antonio Barrera and the unknown Manuel Calvo.

But it is Ricky Hatton who I have worked closer with than anyone else. I first met Ricky when he was a 17-year-old amateur training in Billy Graham's Champs Camp gym.

Billy told me that this chunky kid in the corner, watching stablemates like Carl Thompson and Ensley Bingham train, was the best youngster he'd ever seen, and that he would be a world champion. I started to research his amateur pedigree and found out that Sale's R. Hatton was indeed a rather classy prospect.

But it doesn't just take pure talent in this, the hardest of sports. It takes time, dedication, sacrifice, professionalism, and an ability to deal with the media. From that cold night in Widnes when Hatton made his debut through early American trips and quick domestic dominance, it was obvious that we had someone rather special.

For not only was Ricky's exciting style with those thunderous body shots attractive to the fans, it was his out-of-the-ring qualities which stood him apart from other youngsters coming through.

Enormous attraction

With his boy-next-door appeal, a cheeky charm, his rooted family life, his normal pals, and his love of a pint, Ricky soon became an enormous attraction. It wasn't long before Blue Moon kicked off the cacophony of noise in Manchester's MEN arena as thousands flocked to see the Hit-man.

We have already had so many memorable Hatton nights - fighting through that savage early cut to beat Jon Thaxton for the British light-welterweight title - picking himself up off the canvas for the first time to deal with Eamonn Magee - the manner in which he out-boxed and out-thought top fighters like Vince Phillips and Ben Tackie - becoming the first man to stop the teak-tough Ray Oliveira - and of course the amazing world title winning performance when he shocked boxing by dismantling and dethroning the outstanding Kostya Tszyu.

More belts followed with the knockout of Carlos Maussa - the exciting but immense struggle he had with the American southpaw Luis Collazo and the dominance of the strong Juan Urango.

Now after coming off a stunning knock-out of the Mexican warrior Jose Luis Castillo, Hatton has his toughest test, his greatest challenge, and his real date with destiny. Ricky Hatton has talked about this moment for years, he's dreamt it hundreds of times, and he is absolutely convinced he can once again upset the odds, prove the critics wrong and become the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

There is one major problem. His name is Floyd Mayweather Junior. And he is, quite simply, one of the finest fighters to ever lace up the gloves. From a family of champions, Floyd was born to box.

He was skipping rope at three and through my years in the sport, I have never seen a more electric and incredible training session as being up close and personal in Mayweather's company. And that includes De La Hoya, Jones, Benn, Trinidad, Morales, Calzaghe, Barrera, Tyson and even Hatton.

Floyd is a brilliant ring technician, a complete master of defence, and his speed and slick skills have won him world titles in five different divisions from super-featherweight to light-middleweight.

He comes off one of his greatest achievements, beating Oscar De La Hoya in their superfight in May. He has long secured his place in boxing's annals and Floyd now stands unbeaten in 38.

Ricky has won his 43. So 81 fights between them. No losses. They've billed it as 'Undefeated' and this is, without question, one of the biggest fights in boxing history, and one of the very biggest in British boxing history.

Brash show-off

Everyone in the sport is talking about it. And for this fight, most outside the sport are also talking about it.

It is a compelling clash of styles - the boxer against the aggressor - and of personalities - the happy go lucky kid in with the cocky, brash show-off. Plus the beauty of this is that both men are at their peaks.

So many questions will be answered on December 8th. Will Mayweather be too classy for Hatton? Can Ricky penetrate Floyd's defence? Can Hatton cope with the extra weight and strength up at Welterweight? Can Mayweather deal with the ferocity Hatton will bring to the ring? Will Ricky's fragile skin finally let him down? Will Hatton have too much heart for Mayweather? How will Mayweather react under pressure? And so on...

Hatton refused to let Mayweather get under his skin in any way on their trans-Atlantic media tour. He is not intimidated. He is buzzing and over the next few weeks, I will be giving you a real insight into his preparation as we countdown to his most important boxing night.

Tactical approaches from the camp; the diet, the way Ricky relaxes, his feelings about the magnitude of this, the inner team, the fans - whether the people on the street, fellow professionals or the celebs. Everyone in Britain is getting behind Ricky and everyone has an opinion on this.

A great boxing event is more than just the actual battle - its also about the pre-fight hoopla, the build-up, the expectation...so that when that first bell goes, we will all feel that tingling of real anticipation.

Can Ricky do it? I will be following the Hitman's camp, my colleague Ed Robinson will be bringing you Mayweather's news - and I'm sure fierce but fun debate will develop as we go.

If you can't get up for this one, you never will. Fights just don't come along like this very often. So enjoy every minute from now until the early hours of December 9th...