Fight breakdown: Mayweather-Hatton
LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. will risk his WBC welterweight title and his status as boxing's pound-for-pound best fighter on Saturday in a bout against Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden and on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Here is what each man must do to win:
Keys to victory | ||
MAYWEATHER'S KEYS | HATTON'S KEYS | |
1. Throw punches: Mayweather occasionally likes to exhibit his defense and make his opponent look bad. But he's going to have an inviting target and needs to pay for making Hatton charge him. | 1. Cut off the ring: Hatton can't afford to chase Mayweather around the ring. He needs to get him into a position where he can throw his combinations. | |
2. Double and triple the jab: Mayweather needs to keep popping a hard and fast jab to blunt Hatton's rush. | 2. Swing at anything: If they're fighting inside, as Hatton hopes, he should be content banging on any available part of Mayweather's body. | |
3. Avoid the ropes and the corners: Laying on the ropes would play into Hatton's hands. | 3. Fight physically: Hatton should fight as rough as he is able to in order to wear down Mayweather and turn it into a trench battle. | |
4. Fire the uppercut: As Hatton throws wide at Mayweather's midsection, he'll leave his midsection open. Mayweather needs to take advantage by coming up the middle with a hard uppercut. | 4. Hook up and down: Hatton needs to vary his attack to make Mayweather think. If he lands to the body, he should immediately come back up to the head and throw the same punch there. | |
Rating the fighters | ||||||
Comparison of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton on a rating of 1 to 10 in several key categories: | ||||||
CATEGORY | FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. | RICKY HATTON | IOLE'S SKINNY | |||
Punching power | 8 | 9 | Can Hatton carry the power as he moves up in weight? | |||
Jab | 10 | 7 | Hatton needs an effective jab to get inside. | |||
Body attack | 9 | 10 | Hatton's hopes rest on breaking down Mayweather to the body. | |||
Speed and quickness | 10 | 7 | Mayweather's biggest physical edge. | |||
Defense | 10 | 6 | Mayweather is superb defensively. | |||
Chin | 9 | 10 | Both men can take it well. | |||
Stamina | 10 | 8 | Hatton plans to fight at a fast pace. | |||
Ring smarts | 10 | 8 | Mayweather is wily and adjusts quickly. | |||
Corner | 8 | 9 | Billy Graham and Hatton have worked together forever. | |||
Intangibles | 8 | 10 | Hatton wants the fight very badly. | |||
Total | 92 | 84 | Mayweather will use his speed and quickness to nullify Hatton's attack and should go on to win a unanimous decision. | |||
