Wayne McCullough is annoyed that so few British fans will get to see Ricky Hatton take on Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Undefeated: Mayweather v Hatton
Live on Sky Box Office
The fight between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather is set for December 8 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. This arena holds approximately 16,000 fans which isn't nearly enough - for Hatton fans alone. When tickets went on sale this week, they sold out in 35 minutes.
Hatton and Mayweather kicked off their multi-city tour on Monday at the Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, CA. The day before, Hatton attended an LA Galaxy football game and was greeted by David Beckham at the arena.
It will be a five city press tour which began in LA, moved on to Mayweather's hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan before going to New York, the O2 Arena in London and finishing off in Hatton's hometown of Manchester. This is the first time since the days of Muhammad Ali that a press tour has crossed oceans.
Mayweather, who resides in Las Vegas, made the trip to LA for the press conference. He entered to "Hail to the Chief" - the official anthem of the President of the United States. Mayweather typically did most of the trash talking while Hatton stayed relatively quiet.
Hatton is moving up in weight again and Mayweather is coming down - after defeating Oscar de la Hoya.
Hatton said: "I feel over the moon for the opportunity to fight the pound for pound champion. I admire the talent of Mayweather but I think I have the tools to beat him."
Mayweather will be taking part in a celebrity reality show in the upcoming weeks and when he got up to speak he said, "I'm going to be 'Dancing with the Stars' so I won't need to dance with you. If you want a toe-to-toe fight, that's what you will get." Then Mayweather brought his future dance partner, Katrina Smirnoff, up on stage for an impromptu dance, giving his fans a taste of things to come.
Only 3,900 tickets were made available to British fans, so with over 20,000 requests for tickets it was going to be impossible to fulfil all of those requests. Hatton shared his disappointment at the low number of tickets that were set aside for his fans making the long trip across the pond. He said, "I think we should have gotten the same amount of tickets. Fair is fair."
In addition to referring to Hatton as "Vicky Fatton", Mayweather finished off with "Hatton is happy sharing the same ring as me, for his name to be mentioned in the same breath as my name. I backed up my talk today. Once Hatton is in front of me, he didn't say anything."
The promoter of this card is Mayweather's last opponent, de la Hoya and he tried to explain the ticket situation and gave information on the closed circuit opportunities for the fans.
This fight could have taken place in England where 50,000 fans could have attended or in an outdoor Vegas venue giving many more fans the chance to see the fight live. But a smaller venue was decided upon and that means closed circuit and pay-per-view sales will do big numbers.
Mayweather doesn't draw big live numbers of fans to his fights unless he fights a draw like de la Hoya or Hatton and I personally think the numbers of tickets made available to British fans was ridiculous. Everyone knows the type of live numbers Hatton can bring.
Mayweather v Hatton should be a blockbuster pay per view event with two undefeated fighters going at it. The bout itself could be exciting if Hatton pushes the fight but if Mayweather decides to box or run, it could make for a boring fight.
The hype surrounding this fight has already started. HBO have announced that they are showing "Mayweather Hatton 24/7" in the weeks leading up to the fight. This show will take the fans inside the training camps and go behind the scenes with their favourite fighter.
A lot of money is being poured into this promotion but they will get it back ten-fold on fight night.
Let's see what you are writing to me about this week. Thanks for all of your email, please keep them coming.
Wayne McCullough answers your email
Email Wayne McCullough
Wayne, what did you make of Vivian Harris's claims of foul play in the Witter fight. He made some very dubious remarks about something been done to Junior's blood, his people not being allowed in to see Witter's hands being taped up and then claimed his cornermen jumped into the ring to early. Was much made of this in the States, or was it just sour grapes. And what impact did Witter's performance have in the States - if any? Leon Harold.
WAYNE SAYS: Leon, I heard nothing in the States about this. The Witter the Americans remember is when he fought Zab Judah. I know Witter has improved but he's not a 'name' in the States. Maybe if Witter and Ricky Hatton make a fight, he could make a name for himself.
Hi Wayne, With career defining fights for both Joe Clazaghe & Ricky Hatton in the pipeline against Mikkel Kessler & Floyd Mayweather Jr, who do you feel is the best boxer in Britain? I would have to lean towards Hatton based on the opposition he has faced and the fact that he has traveled to America to fight the best. Also what are your thoughts on Kessler? If I'm honest, I don't know to much about him and feel Joe will be far too strong. Also on a brighter note, any news of the Pocket Rocket making a return to the ring? Maybe against Bernard Dunne? Alex Stanford, Southampton.
WAYNE SAYS: Alex, Still working on my ring return. I've been asking for a showdown with Bernard for a long time but no-one else seemed interested. Now it seems a bit redundant but never say never. Like you I think Hatton has fought the better opposition but if Calzaghe can pull out a win over Kessler he will unify the belts and can become a big star in the US. Kessler will probably hit harder than Calzaghe but Calzaghe will be quicker. It's a good match up of two champions going head to head. Its also good for boxing.
Hi Wayne, love the column! We have been watching Mayweather giving it large as usual and Hatton just appearing to find it all rather amusing. What I wanted to know, is is Floyd really like that? I know it's all about PPV buys and you have to put on a show, but I sometimes wonder whether it goes beyond that with Mayweather. Are you a fan of his (not just as a boxer) and do you think it will wind Ricky up - he seemed to get to Oscar last time? Or am I still being too naive? Bob Smith.
WAYNE SAYS: Bob, I know both Mayweather and Hatton but I've known Floyd longer. Outside the ring Floyd has always been nice to me and my family. Of course he maybe goes a little too far when he hypes up his fights but he's winning. Without question he's the best fighter in the world today. I'm a fan of both fighters and I really do hope its a great fight.
Email Wayne McCullough
