ENGLISH BULLDOG
LAS VEGAS – The line to get into yesterday’s weigh-in for tonight’s WBC welterweight championship fight began forming at 5 a.m. local time. By 11 a.m., the doors to the MGM Grand Garden Arena were opened because the chain of humanity had swelled to the point it was beginning to clog foot traffic to the casino. By noon, all 6,000 available seats were filled and the fighters wouldn’t step on the scales for another 2½ hours.
By the time unbeaten challenger Ricky Hatton weighed in at 145 pounds and unbeaten champion Floyd Mayweather was listed at 147, the pro-Hatton crowd had spent several hours singing and chanting in support of their British hero.
Vegas feels more like Manchester, England, as an estimated 25,000 have traveled from the United Kingdom to see if Hatton can upset Mayweather, a six-time world champion and boxing’s pound-for-pound king.
Hatton appreciates their support, but only 16,000 can fit into the arena, and when the bell sounds for tonight’s much-anticipated pay-per-view ($54.95) event it will be just he and Mayweather in the ring to decide who’s the better man in boxing’s last big mega-fight of the year.
“I think Floyd Mayweather is an absolutely fantastic fighter,” Hatton’s trainer Billy Graham said. “Defensively he’s breathtaking. His hands are unbelievably fast. He’s extremely gifted. But my fighter will beat him.”
Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs) is confident because the only times Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs) has looked vulnerable were against fighters who applied consistent pressure – Mayweather’s first fight against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002 and during the early rounds against Oscar de la Hoya last May.
Getting into Mayweather’s chest and pounding away at the body is the only way Hatton wins this fight. But Mayweather is a defensive genius, using shoulder rolls and his elbows to block punches while counter-punching with sharp uppercuts and quick combinations.
“You’re going to see a Floyd Mayweather that’s going to show versatility – inside, outside, toe-to-toe,” Mayweather said. “I’ve fought every type of style that you can possibly fight. I’m pretty sure I’ve faced the Hatton style before.”
Hatton’s style is relentless aggression. He is willing to take two or three shots to get one good lick in, figuring his power can eventually break down Mayweather. But Mayweather’s quickness and footwork make him an elusive target who is seldom punished.
PREDICTION: Mayweather wins, 8 rounds to 4, finishing strong.
