Hatton winding down his career

You're a tired girl - go to bed love, there there dear :yep

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7006292.stm

For those that doubted it, in the above link's article, Hatton admits to turning down a fight with Mayweather previously. It would have been at his favoured weight but he says he wasn't ready to fight Mayweather in the US at the time. Fair enough, but he did turn it down before and took it when it suited him, and kind of didn't (weight). Still, better to lose to a better fighter, with the built in excuse of weight (it didn't take long to bring it up, it was almost immediate) and without your ranking at your own weight at stake. Not exactly laying it all on the line, losing and still walking away with hero status for bravery, your number one status at your weight in tact and a fat wedge to boot. It would take even more courage to put your legacy and your status on the line against someone with a good chance of beating you. I don't believe Malignaggi is that person.

I wasnt the only one that thought that a long awaited showdown against Witter would be a natural direction to take in the event of a loss even if not immediate. I think the reason Witter is being portrayed as "a nobody" is because Hatton still refuses to face him. He has a belt on offer as many have done before, he has the best record of all the belt holders at 140lbs and is ranked number one contender by The Ring. What other rationale can be used? The drawing power, or lack of it? That hasn't stopped Hatton facing an opponent before. Saying: "nobody cares abuot Witter" is a simplistic dismisal that covers what I believe is the truth I see as a boxing fan that wants to see the best fight rather than one man do what's best for him only. That truth is Witter has the most realistic chance of beating Hatton at 140lbs and to acknowledge that shows Hatton in a poor light. Many just can't bear to do that, so berating the challenger is the easier option to scrutinizing the champ/hero/idol. It's a conundrum that the most dangerous challenger is "a nobody", but how does a nobody become a somebody without a champion with the temerity to do the decent thing and fight them? Most times the difference between a "nobody" challenger and a "somebody" champion is a small thing called opportunity. Hatton got his opportunity by defending the WBU title 15 times and becoming the number one contender for the IBF belt. Witter has done it by winning all domestic honours, a world title and becoming the number one contender in the entire division, not just one part of it. Did Hatton deserve it more because he had the Manchester faithful behind him? Or can someone state me another reason?

As a fan of boxing, my major gripe with the situation is that a very possible fight is being refused on reasons that really don't have anything to do with boxing, and I'd hate that situation wherever it happened (currently at welterweight too).

 

Fantastic post mate. You summed it all up right there with some evidence to boot :good

 

It actually confirms exactly what I said, he wanted to fight in America before the biggest fight of his life. :good It's not rocket science.

 

What sort of comeback is that :rofl

He had the chance to make the fight as his most effective weight twice but didn't.

Why would that be?

According to you he wanted to go to WW because he wanted to prove just how BRAVE he was and thats why he went to a weight where he was at disadvantage!

Couldn't be that if he lost at 140 he would have lost his status as the man at that weight mere months after beating zoo in 2005...and with it bigger paydays down the line.

Couldn't be that the risk-reward ratio at that time was just horrible especially after Gatti - decent payday and for the undisputed jnr welter title but against a guy who wasn't a huge draw at that point and who would most certainly whoop him.

It didn't show more bottle at all going up to 147! Mayweather just by passed Hatton who ducked him at 140 for the reasons mentioned. The fight had to be there after that...and by that time the risk was less to his status as he wouldn't lose his number 1 tag at 140, wouldn't seriously lose his pulling power in terms of the fans and thus finance and it wouldn't hurt his legacy too much either.

The reward-risk ratio had shifted. Moving up to 147 did not enhance the bravery of fighting PBF! It would have been far more ballsy all things considered to take him on at 140 :hey

 

Umm, yeah, that was a serious comment I made. atsch

 

It's also not rocket science, SleazeNation, that it confirms what beatboxer stated and you didn't believe. That was that Hatton had a chance to fight Mayweather, at his favoured weight, and turned it down. you wanted evidence of that, I gave it to you straight from the horse's mouth. Beatboxer is right, it would have been even braver of Hatton to take on Mayweather when first offered. His ranking would have been on the line and he would have had no "I'm really a light-welterweight" excuses to fall back on.

 

I posted that 4 pages ago, I said Hatton wanted to fight in America before he fought Floyd, and that's exactly what the link you posted says. All it proves is, I was right.

 

Even though there is a definitive quote from you on this very page that proves the contrary :yep

Spin, spin, spin, revision, revision, revision.

 

Let's see the definitive quote...

 

Sticking your head in the sand, SleazeNation, doesn't change the fact that you didn't believe Hatton turned a fight with Mayweather and I proved that he did. No matter the reason, he turned down a fight he could have had at his preferred weight and a lot sooner. You might be right about why, but you have to concede that Hatton turned the fight down. There was plenty of talk around 2006 about who was ducking whom. Well it turns out that Mayweather didin't duck the number 1 light-welterweight, did he?

 

How can you argue with a quote I've given you from 4 pages ago WHERE I SAID that he wanted to fight in America before he fought Floyd. That's a fact, I said it. And your link proves that I was 100% correct. Get over it.

 

Well after a slow start it hasn't taken you long to nail your colours to the mast, has it?

 

Definitive quote - you said moving up a weight division takes more bottle when my point in the first place was that this was alot of ****.

Now stop spinning and revising and finally concede that you truly are full of **** :yep

 

Indeed but he was only kidding when he flat out said it was more ballsy to go to 147 :rofl