Ricky Hatton on Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor
by Simon Crawford
Ricky Hatton says the sport of boxing will suffer a huge body blow if Floyd Mayweather loses his controversial clash with Conor McGregor this weekend.
Mayweather, 40, is coming out of retirement to face UFC star McGregor over 12 rounds of boxing in Las Vegas as the two rival sports go head-to-head on Saturday night.
For Irishman McGregor, this will be his first professional boxing match and he starts as a massive 3/1 underdog with Sky Bet against a five-division world champion who has won 15 world titles in a stellar career and is the 1/4 betting favourite.
''It would a huge blow for the sport of boxing if Floyd were to lose,'' Hatton exclusively told sportinglife.com.
''In my eyes boxing and UFC are two completely different sports so if the number one fighter from their sport beats the number one fighter in our sport then that would not be good going forward.
''In terms of popularity, UFC has probably caught boxing up and it's growing all the time. It would go through the roof if Conor were to pull this off.''
Mayweather returns to the ring with a perfect 49-0 record in the paid ranks, but Hatton - who was halted by the American back in 2007 when he challenged for the WBC world welterweight title - does not believe 'Money' would have wanted to reach the magical 50-0 milestone under these circumstances.
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''No disrespect to Conor, but when you think of the boxing matches Floyd has been involved in, the big names he's fought and the massive title fights he has been in then, deep down, it could be something of an anti-climax for him,'' said Hatton.
''Even though this is a massive occasion, Conor has not had one professional boxing match and I think people will always remind Floyd of that.
''Part of me was surprised when I heard the fight had been made, but part of me wasn't. We had heard the fight being mentioned and talked about for such a long period of time and I was starting to think it was just all talk, hearsay and rumours doing the rounds as happens quite a bit in boxing.
''But when money is involved then anything can be made. Boxing has changed quite a bit in recent years. We used to complain there were too many weights, but now there so many belts and titles, catchweights are being made, people are now not making weight but fights are still going ahead so I suppose it was no great shock at the end of the day.
Mayweather v McGregor: Fight details
- When is it? Saturday, August 26
- Where? T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- What channel is it on in the UK? Sky Sports Box Office (show starts midnight BST)
- Fight time? Roughly between 0400 and 0500 BST on Sunday morning
- When is the weigh-in? 2300 BST on Friday August 25, live on Sky Sports Main Event
- What are the latest Sky Bet odds? Mayweather Jr (1/4) v Conor McGregor (3/1)
- What are their fight records? Mayweather: 49-49, 26 KOs, McGregor (MMA): 21-3, 18 KOs
''I wasn't a big fan of it at first but as the fight is now almost here, I have to admit I am getting a little bit more excited by it and I'll certainly be watching.''
Hatton is predicting victory for his old foe Mayweather - but does not think it will be as one-sided as many people think and admits he would like to see an upset.
''I'm going for Mayweather on points. I hope I'm wrong as I want Conor to win this fight, make no bones about that,'' said the Hitman.
''But Floyd is such a good technician, takes no chances and has such a solid defence.
''Conor will make a good go of it but I see a comfortable points win.
''Of course Conor has a chance. Have we jumped the gun thinking it's a foregone conclusion? Possibly so. Weight will be a big factor but only if the referee allows Conor to use it.
"I was never going to outbox Floyd when I fought him. I wanted to outwork him, bully him but the ref never let me.
''Another thing in Conor's favour is that he does not have a traditional boxing stance and doesn't throw orthodox punches. UFC fighters don't stand square on as they will end up getting grabbed and taken down.
''So one minute they are orthodox, one minute they are southpaw and punches are coming from unusual angles. If anyone is going to beat Mayweater, who is such a master of defence, then it is someone who can punch from unique angles. It will be a style he has never come across before.
''There could also be complacency from Mayweather, perhaps ring rust and let's remember he's 40 years of age. He's a fresh 40, lives the life, looks after his body and doesn't take many punches but when you've had your mind set on putting your feet up for the rest of your life, to have to get back into training must be very hard.
''But say what you want about him, he likes to be challenged and you've got a big name from another sport coming in who is a decent puncher.
''If he takes Conor lightly then you just never know. But the reason he is one of the greatest ever fighters is that he doesn't make those mistakes.
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''The art of boxing is to hit and not get hit back and he has got that down to a tee. It could be a negative fight if he fights as he can do - not be bothered about putting on a show, not looking to get hit, just doing enough to win the rounds. But if he takes Conor lightly, takes a risk or two, then you just never know.
''At the end of the day, respect to Conor for taking on one of the best - if not the best - boxer of all time. While most people will say an easy win for Floyd, when you look deeper at it there are definitely a few things for him to worry about.''