Well the dust has settled on what was a surprisingly good show between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather last Saturday. For those living under a rock, Mayweather knocked out the Manchester Mauler in 10 rounds with a clean counter left hook to the chin. With the win Mayweather solidifies his claim as the best in the game but the question is posed, where does each fighter go from here? Ricky Hatton As the tag line for the event stated, “someone’s “0” must go”, well Hatton’s undefeated record was erased but that in no way diminishes the luster of his career. Hatton is still the recognized junior welterweight champion and while his division is no where near as deep as it’s neighbor 7 pounds north, there are still some interesting match-ups for the Brit at 140 lbs. There is always the #1 ranked Junior Witter. A Hatton-Witter showdown would be huge in the U.K. I can see it doing a huge live gate. Of course if I am Hatton’s people I avoid Witter like the plague right now. It’s not that Hatton would not be able to beat his fellow countrymen but I believe that Witter’s unorthodox style and underrated power would give Hatton fits. It is definitely not the type of fight you enter off of such a huge loss. If I am moving Hatton, I try to land a rebound fight with Juan Lazcano. “The Hispanic Causing Panic” is built to order for Hatton’s swarming style. Not to mention the fact that Lazcano is ranked by Ring magazine at #7 to lend the bout credibility. Lovemore Ndou or Vivian Harris would also be good match-ups. What I do know is that Hatton should stay away from the welterweight division as his power fails to travel north with him. Floyd Mayweather “Money” Mayweather made it abundantly clear in hos post fight comments that he is taking a sabbatical in 2008. You almost cannot blame him, after all he has been competing in the worlds hardest sport since he was but a wee child. At his point in his Hall of Fame bound career it’s clear that Mayweather is sticking to his self imposed moniker and only entertaining “big money” fights. Unfortunately don’t hold your breath waiting for a “big money” showdown between Miguel Cotto and Mayweather. Mayweather wants no part of that type of punishment that Cotto will dish out. Now, I don’t believe that Mayweather is afraid of the Puerto Rican pug but Mayweather can make big money taking on less dangerous opponents. So where does Mayweather go after his sabbatical in 2008? Well that’s tricky; the upper echelon fighters in the welterweight division (Margarito, Williams, Cotto) all bring more risk than Mayweather would be comfortable with. So who is left? That’s easy, Shane Mosley. A Mosley-Mayweather battle would be huge. Mosely brings a name, a fan base, and a credible challenge. Another big name would be Winky Wright. Wright is desperate for a big fight and while naturally bigger than the “Pretty Boy”, his lack of pop would keep Mayweather from vetoing the fight. Of course, the fight could end up a dreadfully boring fight but it would be an interesting match-up none the less And another thing… Look, I applaud Hatton’s fans for the passion the show for their fighter but booing the national anthem was as classless as one can get. Regardless of what you may think of America don’t come here and boo our national anthem. It lacks taste and is blatant disrespect and I dare say that no American would ever do such an act while visiting a country.
“The Undefeated” Postscript
Posted by Tim Starks on Dec 10, 2007 19:02
