Mayweather knocks out Hatton by Ian McNeilly Dec 9th 2007

Even the most passionate Ricky Hatton fan knew their man would have to perform outstandingly to beat Floyd Mayweather for the WBC welterweight championship. Hatton failed to do so and was eventually outclassed and knocked out in the tenth round of their contest at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Up and down the UK, fight fans fought sleep, most hoping to witness the demise of an ill-mannered braggart at the hands of the self-styled ‘people's champion'. The thousands of Brits in attendance belted out the national anthem and then immediately tarnished this display of hopeful bravura by needlessly booing the Americans' theme.  For once, Mayweather looked uncertain when the pre-fight instructions were issued by ultra-experienced referee Joe Cortez, whose catchphrase “I'm fair, but I'm firm” now seems grimly inappropriate. For all the whingeing the champion's camp had been doing about Hatton's grappling tactics, it was Mayweather who looked to tie Hatton up from the first bell. A jab from the challenger knocked the champion off balance, drawing vitriolic roars of encouragement from the touring Brits. Still, I gave the opener to Mayweather who landed the cleaner work, although US judges are famed for their stance in rewarding aggression. The second round was Hatton's. He outworked the champion who was visibly disconcerted by the pressure tactics he surely must have expected. But the referee, understandably vocal and active in the opener, was not prepared to “let the fight run its course” as he assured Billy Graham he would in the dressing room beforehand and made it clear that, in contrast to his promise, Hatton was not going to be allowed to fight as freely as he should have been.  It must be said that the enormity of the Mancunian's task was made impossible by the appalling handling of the contest by Cortez. This is not to say that the official cost Hatton the contest. But he certainly extinguished any chance the challenger had by his constant interventions and a complete failure to adequately admonish the champion throughout the bout for constantly ducking low, holding and, most significantly, blatant use of his forearms and elbows in clinches. Mayweather returned to his corner perhaps as ill-at-ease as he has been in his career and Hatton fans watching the pay-per-view broadcast were heartened to hear the ‘Pretty Boy' complaining and his trainer reassuring him ‘not to worry about it'. Little did we know it then, but this was to be the pinnacle of the challenger's achievement in this contest. The third was an incredibly messy round and one which went to Mayweather on my card. Cortez was making it so. Hatton's entirely legal work, part-nullified by the champion via a mix of tapping, holding and use of the forearms, was rendered almost completely obsolete by the referee. The challenger simply wasn't allowed to fight his fight. As early as the fourth round, it appeared that Hatton was just not himself, physically. Although he must have been frustrated by the unexpectedly rugged skills of Mayweather and regular interference from Cortez, the work rate was nowhere to be seen, certainly in this session. Where was the relentless force of nature everyone had expected? Where were the crushing body shots which have become Hatton's destructive trademark? He had been reduced to a pot-shotting plodder, one who was simply trying his luck along with millions of others who had passed through the MGM Grand casino over the years. Sure, the house was against him. But strategy had already folded. Hatton did show some temporary signs of recovery in the fifth. Another horrible spectacle with Cortez as much to blame as the combatants. The outcome of the contest was confirmed by an incident in the sixth round. Mayweather, getting through with occasional shots, was still dealing with the constant front foot tactics of the challenger by holding and making space illegally with his forearms, shoving them in Hatton's face with seeming impunity. Yet when Hatton spun his opponent in the corner and Mayweather turned his back and bent through the ropes, the Englishman was deducted a point for aiming a rabbit punch. The champion needlessly milked the moment and Cortez duly deducted a point from Hatton's scorecards. In fairness to the referee, he had clearly said that any deliberate foul punch thrown would result in an immediate deduction. An obviously sickened Hatton displayed his contempt by bending over and showing Mayweather his backside. These few seconds encapsulated the whole contest. Hatton's pressure wasn't consistent or educated enough. Mayweather was clever and ruthless enough to engineer whatever advantage he could find. The referee was complicit in allowing this to happen. Any remaining flicker of belief Hatton had was doused. From here on in, Mayweather was to confirm his dominance. The seventh round was clearly Mayweather's. Hatton's job was made incredibly difficult by Mayweather's effective in-fighting and spoiling but the challenger seem utterly dispirited, trudging forward unimpressively. Again, Hatton's legion of fans will have been shaking their heads and baying for their man to work the body. It just didn't happen. The eighth was the seventh writ large. The former human dynamo was barely ticking over. A big right hand from Mayweather with 40 seconds remaining in the round heralded that Hatton might indeed have trouble reaching the dignity of a points defeat. He was not in immediate danger of stoppage at this point but Mayweather's speed and accuracy was looking ever more impressive. Ridiculously, Cortez interrupted perhaps the most vital corner session of Billy Graham's life by threatening Hatton with ending his challenge. Ricky spent vital time justifying himself to the official and must have felt under siege from two opponents. Hatton could no longer afford to lose another round and whilst his support willed him to drag up from somewhere - anywhere - the resolve needed to put a dent in this superb champion, Mayweather jabbed his head off, scenting one of his most impressive victories. It had been over as a contest for some time. It was all over officially after 1:35 of the tenth round. A superb left hook caught Hatton coming forward and the ignominy of his demise was franked by him falling head first into a corner post. Clear-eyed though, he got to one knee and rose at eight. Another couple of frighteningly precise left hooks forced Cortez's intervention and Hatton confirmed the man in the middle had got one decision right at least, by falling to the canvas. The score on my card at the end of the challenger was 88-83 to Mayweather. The better man won, there is absolutely no doubt about it.  “I took my time, I fought on the inside, I fought on the outside,” said the victor. “A true champion can adapt to anything. I knew (that) coming to this fight so I pushed myself to the limit. “Ricky Hatton is still a champion in my eyes and I'd love to see him fight again. He got caught with a ‘check hook'. He's one hell of a fighter. I can see why he's called the Hitman. “I can still punch with power. I'm not gonna let boxing retire me, I'm going to retire from boxing.” Whilst he can still box like this and make huge amounts of the money which defines his self, that is very unlikely. If the British fans cast an ugly shadow during the American anthem, it was only fleeting. As Hatton was being interviewed by the glacially-slow HBO analyst Larry Merchant, the Brits cheered him to the rafters. The affection was sincere. Ricky, no longer undefeated, must have been upset but, true to form, still tried to raise a smile. “What a fluke that was! I was forcing it but he's very good at making you miss. He was better inside than I thought he was. “I was a little bit too gung-ho. He's not the biggest welterweight I've ever seen but I felt the difference. I knew what I had to do but wasn't quite good enough to apply it. “He was very clever at nicking a breather, fiddling and farting about, using his forearms. “He's knocked me out but he's not the hardest puncher but he's very accurate and he got me. He was more natural at the weight than me and cleverer inside than I thought he was. It's not a tickling contest. “You knock me down and I'll get up. There'll be more from Ricky Hatton.” Asked by Merchant about the point deduction, Hatton said: “A load of khazi. I was working to a degree but wasn't smart enough. When he opened up he landed. He was hitting me on the break and with forearms. “He took the point off me but how many times did he hit me behind the head and with forearms? But there's no point in going on about it. I was too over-eager. “My pride hurts more than the punches. It's always been about the glory for me, not about the titles. I could have stayed at home at light-welterweight in my backyard but that's not Ricky Hatton.” Whereas Joe Calzaghe is completely open about the business side of boxing and that it is financial reward that motivates him, Hatton rarely discusses this. Despite his reticence, it is a huge motivation for him - and why not? The reported £10 million he will have earned all told from this fight will offer some consolation. Billy Graham, who has trained Hatton since he was a nipper, observed sagely: “Ricky was too close to work. I told him what to do but he couldn't physically do it. Mayweather was fantastic inside. Can't complain, can't complain. “He's (Hatton) a junior-welterweight. I told everybody he's a junior-welterweight.” Graham also said Hatton would win. Everyone gets it wrong from time to time.  Except, it seems, the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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