by James Slater – I guess we always kind of knew the talented yet egocentric Floyd Mayweather Senior would not in any way accept that the disaster his fighter Ricky Hatton suffered at the hands of Manny Pacquiao was nothing to do with him and his ability as a trainer. No way would the man who calls himself the greatest trainer of all times come out and say he was the primary reason a fighter of his lost. And maybe Mayweather Senior is not the man to attach any blame to when it comes to the destructive 2nd round KO “The Hitman” fell to when he met “Pac-Man..”
However, Mayweather Snr. is sure who does deserve the blame, and he doesn’t mind coming out with his opinion.
In an interesting article that has appeared in The Manchester Evening News, the 56-year-old trainer has been quoted as laying into both Hatton and his assistant trainer Lee Beard. Big Floyd argues it was the guidance and extra training provided by Beard that cost Ricky the fight; that and Hatton’s own inability to listen to his corner during the short battle.
Less than two weeks on from the potentially career-ending fight, and Mayweather has made it clear he is not to blame and also that he will not work with Hatton again even if the 30-year-old decides to box on.
According to the Evening News feature, Mayweather Senior turned up late in Hatton’s dressing room before the fight, and he had also done so for at least one of Ricky’s pre-fight sparring sessions.
Floyd even spoke about the now well documented turmoil in the camp himself.
“You got to listen to your corner, simple as that,” Mayweather said. “And like I said once before, there was turmoil in the camp. It showed up in the fight. Not because of me. It showed up in the fight because he had another person training him when I wasn’t around and sometimes when I was around. He guided Ricky in the wrong way.”
And though Beard has admitted that Hatton lost his head and got excited when the bell rang back on May 2nd, it’s no way fair to blame him for the loss. Neither is it fair to blame Mayweather Senior, come to that, but he is the man now chucking culpability around. At the end of the day, as I’m sure Ricky Hatton would admit himself, HE is the only person who can be blamed for what happened.
As for the future of Britain’s most popular fighter, his father, Ray, said his son still has to make up his mind but that when he does so he will stick to whatever decision he makes.
“He’s taking his time. He is single-minded, stubborn if you like,” Ray told M.E.N Sport. “And once he makes up his mind that will be it. Certainly he won’t be a Frank Sinatra, forever making comebacks.”
As of today, the majority of fans and experts feel Hatton should NOT fight again. One of these experts is, of course, Mayweather Senior himself. Though it’s highly unlikely Hatton will be listening to anything he has to say anymore.