Check out this latest Hatton interview, good grief

I would welcome it...why not. An old man stepping up to cruiserweight would be something amazing. I would put my money on Hopkins by decision and I think he would make it look easy.

I prefer Dawson because I think he poses an interesting stylistic question, nevertheless nobody can deny how good a win over Adamek would look on the CV.

Hopkins is a very smart man if he is trying to get that fight.

 

I always know when I start talking P4P lists that I'm very bored and probably should find something else to do,

 

...but on a more positive note, at least one of Bettys threads has morphed into a worthwhile discussion. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later.

 

I agree "100%". p4p lists, even if we all agreed on a certain standard to be used to make them (and there is no standard that is the only necessary and sufficient one that does the job), will be subjective, for sure. They're also pointless and arguing about them is silly.

Still, I'd say that to the extent that it makes sense to talk about "the best fighter in the world", Hatton and Pacquiao would have to perform amazingly well for a Hatton win to lead him to be considered the best in the world. I know you weren't talking about Hatton, though...it's cool...

Not sure why people are still talking about this, in this context. Yeah, Hatton talks a lot of rubbish, but who cares? It's a great fight and it needs hyping. Hatton's always been a master at hyping a fight.

This topic has been done to death anyway.

 

I think if Hatton beats Pac and JMM without controversy then he'd have a good shout at that accolade purely by attrition. I think people would be reluctant to rank boxers who had lost their last fights as the number 1 and Hatton would be the man who had just beaten the two obvious candidates. That said, you could also still argue that you should judge Pacs and JMMs careers as a whole and still rank them above Hatton.

 

I'm not sure if some people around here would be able to handle Hatton being p4p no1.

I think the place might go into meltdown...

 

It would be pretty funny.....

 

Well...one way of looking at things is this: the only reason why Ricky would get to fight Pacquiao and JMM in the first place is because these lower weight fighters are so bloody good that they climbed a couple of divisions from their natural weight and beat everyone along the way.

The corollary would be this: if Ricky beat JMM and Pacquiao, became p4p No.1 and then beat everyone at LWW, WW and LMW, but got beat by Pavlik at MW, would that make Pavlik p4p No. 1 because he beat Ricky? Surely not! It would just be a matter of Ricky having gone too far up in weight...right?

A fighter could be the best in the world fighting in only one division throughout his career, true...but when you beat smaller fighters who have climbed a couple of divisions from their initial best weight...that's not the kind of performance that defines your career.

Even if Hatton beats Pacquiao in a great performance, his great performance against Tszyu would still most likely be his career defining performance.

Does that mean Ricky cannot win? He's damned if he does and he'd damned if he doesn't? No...it just means he'd most likely have to beat Pacquiao and then a top WW to have a better claim of being the best in the world than the likes of Pacquiao and JMM, for example. IMO.

 

The thing is that Pac and JMM to some degree have proven themselves around the weight. It may well be that JMM fights one of the belt holders at 140, he's just KOed the top well respected guy at 135. That is differnt than a fighter just suddenly moving several weights...

Also Hopkins win over Pavlik is well respected yet Pavlik is obviosly best at MW...

 

I'd feel the same probably

The WW bit only because their are no 140 lb'ers right now to take on

 

As far as i'm aware Haglers best wins are against guys comeing up in weight, and so are popkins...

 

Fingers crossed it doesn't happen

 

I don't mind Hatton but I must admit I'd feel a bit uneasy about him being p4p no1.

Still it would be pretty funny to see some people's reactions on here.

 

I'd rather close my account than give a reaction.

No seriously I don't think it will happen, I expect Pacman to bash him up.

 

I think that's missing the point. The fact that Pac and JMM have proved themselves coming up in weight is to their credit...not something to be used against them if they fail against someone bigger, who's fighting at their natural weight. Using my hypothetical example, if Hatton beat Pacman and JMM and was considered p4p no. 1, and then proved themselves as the best at WW and LMW (proving himself around the weight), would Pavlik be considered p4p no.1 if he beat Hatton, who proved he could cut it at LMW? Surely not...


Same thing applies here.

Fighters who are incredibly good and dominant in a division usually have no trouble going up a division and beating one of the beltholders there...Mayweather didn't even take on the best WWs whilst claiming he was the p4p No.1, nevermind going up to LMW or MW to fight the best. **** that. Same goes for Ricky. If he'd have been the best in the world, he'd have beaten Mayweather, right? Ermmm...no...the reason he didn't beat Mayweather was not because he wasn't the best in the world, although that did have something to do with it...