20.08.07 – By Vivek Wallace: In this weeks installment of my weekly countdown to the Hatton/Mayweather Jr. showdown, we take a look at the two fighters in the championship rounds of a fight few predict will actually ever reach that stage. We know that Hatton’s going to come straight forward and try to impose his will on Mayweather from the beginning. We know that Mayweather is going to fill his opponent out for a couple rounds before he develops a strategy and decides to mount his own attack. What we don’t know is what’s gonna be left in the tank for either fighter after the preliminary agenda’s are over and the fight itself hangs in the balance.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (38-0, 24KO’s) is 16-0 when the score card reads round 9 and beyond, while Ricky Hatton (43-0, 31KO’s) is 12-0 in the same frame. What that means would come down to who you ask.
Ask pro-Hatton fans and they would say that he’s fought more and has seen fewer late rounds because of his power. Ask pro-Mayweather fans and they would say he’s seen more late round fights because of tougher opposition than Hatton…..yada, yada, yada – you know the routine bickering between the two camps – we’ve heard it all. Ask me, and I’ll gladly admit that both offer a glimpse into the truth, however, this time around it could go well beyond that.
From a strategy standpoint, things could apparently be due for a major shakeup. Some outside of the Mayweather camp have began to openly speculate that the fight plan will be to go right at the somewhat smaller opponent and give the skeptics a reason to tip their hats to a more than usually aggressive Floyd. Some outside of the Hatton camp are beginning to speculate that Hatton’s gameplan will be to actually pick his spots and box more, while going for the KO when the opportunity presents itself rather than drop bombs the whole fight and potentially run out of fuel when it counts.
If this speculation both ways is true, so much for stats of yesterday, as this time around the end would be anything but predictable.
What would a fight between these two look like if indeed they did decide to stray away from what has apparently been winning recipe’s, and mix it up? Intriguing to the mind of any fight fan it is, but don’t plan on it. Hatton is visibly smaller but Floyd respects his power and if he doesn’t, at some point he will. And the notion of Hatton trying to become a boxer and abandoning his God-given attributes would be suicide….literally. Floyd absolutely kills a boxing wanna-be Hatton, while Hatton has the ability to destroy a reckless Mayweather Jr.
The reason it’s intriguing to even delve into the possibility of a strategy change is because the fact that neither would ever give it consideration is what makes them both the incredible fighters they are. On December 8th, fight fans are gonna see nothing less than what makes Hatton great, and nothing less than what has made Floyd who he is. Whether they switch their styles or not, technically, none of us truly knows who will have the edge after round 8, but what we do know is that after the 8th round, as well as the 8th day (of December), one of these two will have answered all of these crazy questions we come up with as we continue to fall victim to the anticipation of this global event that after signed contracts has become so close, yet in actual time is still so very far away. And so, the countdown continues….so do all the debates.
(Got Feedback? Write Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com or show some love at myspace.com/anonymouslyinvolved).