Mayweather ditches retirement, agrees to fight Hatton Dec. 8

kcxiv · 07-28-2007, 02:59 PM

ESPN - Mayweather, Hatton agree to fight in December - Boxing

Well that didn't last long, now did it?

Welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., who said he was retiring following his May 5 decision victory against Oscar De La Hoya in boxing's richest fight ever, will come out of his brief break to face junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton.

The HBO PPV fight pitting undefeated champions in their prime will take place Dec. 8 in Las Vegas, probably at the MGM Grand.

"We've agreed to the fight," Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's close friend and adviser, told ESPN.com. "We're excited that Ricky Hatton is stepping up to the plate. It's like this -- he asked for it and now he's gonna get it."

Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs), the reigning 140-pound champion from England, will move up to 147 to meet Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs).

"It's a tremendous fight, two young undefeated fighters coming together," Ellerbe said. "They are both at the top of their game."

Ellerbe said the deal was struck Friday but not yet signed, although the all of the particulars have been agreed to.

Said Ray Hatton, Ricky's father and manager, according to British wire service PA Sport: "We agreed via our lawyers what the financial side of it was going to be. I can't honestly tell you a deal has been done until I see the signatures on all the documents. But what I can tell you is that both sides were happy with what we finalized verbally."

Hatton, 28, fought once before at 147, winning an alphabet belt in a struggle against Luis Collazo in May 2006 before returning to 140 for his next two fights, including a June 23 fourth-round destruction of former two-time lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (who gave Mayweather the toughest fight of his career in 2002).

After Mayweather, 30, defeated De La Hoya to win a belt at 154 pounds, he relinquished it to return to 147.

Mayweather and Hatton have both been pros for 10 years. Mayweather has won titles in five divisions (130 pounds to 154) while Hatton has won titles in two (140 and 147).

Before and after his fight with Castillo, Hatton made several disparaging comments about Mayweather and called him out, which convinced Mayweather to come out of retirement for the fight.

"Like Floyd told me -- they brought the right deal to the table," Ellerbe said. "Floyd said, 'He disrespected me and I am calling his bluff.' We're happy it didn't turn out to be a bluff. Hatton talked the talk and now it's time for him to walk the walk. He will find out that fighting Floyd Mayweather is a total different level than what he is used to."

The fight will be promoted by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather's newly formed Mayweather Promotions, according to Ellerbe. Golden Boy promoted the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight and, according to several sources, is on the verge of signing Hatton, whose contract with co-promoters Artie Pelullo and Dennis Hobson expired after the Castillo fight.

De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer met with Ray Hatton and attorney Gareth Williams last weekend in Las Vegas. They flew them in for the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright fight and for the meeting.

Although Mayweather had some problems with Golden Boy during the buildup to the May 5 fight, Ellerbe said it wasn't an issue. He wouldn't confirm that Golden Boy holds one option on Mayweather stemming from the deal for him to fight De La Hoya.

"We're very comfortable working with Golden Boy Promotions for the Dec. 8 fight," Ellerbe said. "We just worked with them on the biggest event in the history of the sport and we're excited to be working with them again."

Mayweather-Hatton adds another major fight to an already loaded fall that also will include the Jermain Taylor-Kelly Pavlik middleweight championship showdown (Sept. 29), the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera rematch (Oct. 6), the probable Juan Diaz-Julio Diaz lightweight unification bout (Oct. 13), the heavily anticipated Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler super middleweight unification bout (Nov. 3), the probable Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley welterweight title bout (Nov. 10) and the Joan Guzman-Humberto Soto junior lightweight title match (Nov. 17).

Should be a pretty good one.

Believe · 07-28-2007, 10:25 PM

I can't wait. Should be a good fight. Hatton will definitely bring the fight to Mayweather no matter how much he wants to run away.

Nebuchadnezzar · 07-29-2007, 01:12 PM

Some great fights coming up.

kcxiv · 07-29-2007, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nebuchadnezzar

Some great fights coming up.

For sure. I have my streamtv account up and running for the fall/winter fights.

For boxing fans, this is going to be good stuff.

chaos · 07-29-2007, 01:23 PM

fuck Mayweather. You don't win championships by running from the fight all night long. So disillusioned with boxing right now.

Believe · 07-29-2007, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaos

fuck Mayweather. You don't win championships by running from the fight all night long. So disillusioned with boxing right now.

He's a great tactical fighter. His defense is tremendous. But he's not very exciting to watch at all, even if you can appreciate his boxing style.

chaos · 07-29-2007, 03:50 PM

Defense doesn't win a fight imo. You don't run from the fight and then win someone's belt because you ran all night and never engaged.

Believe · 07-29-2007, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaos

Defense doesn't win a fight imo. You don't run from the fight and then win someone's belt because you ran all night and never engaged.

If you punch someone more than they punch you, you win - that's how boxing works.

I agree though, it needs to be a pretty convincing win to take a belt from someone. His victory over de la Hoya was pretty pathetic.

kcxiv · 07-29-2007, 06:06 PM

Meyweather is horrible to watch, but he has awesome defense. If he feels he's overpowered he will go into the punch, punch, run role like he did against Oscar. I think Oscar hit him with some good shots in the begging of the fight. Once he realized how strong Oscar was to him, he went into his shell.

He's a great boxer, just boring to watch.

chaos · 07-29-2007, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Believe

If you punch someone more than they punch you, you win - that's how boxing works.

I agree though, it needs to be a pretty convincing win to take a belt from someone. His victory over de la Hoya was pretty pathetic.

Yeah, it really was. Defense is great, but when defense is all you have, you are not a good fighter. Mayweather is VASTLY overrated as a fighter and is in general just a horrible sportsman. If you don't have the offense to fight a fight against the champ, and you decide to run and gun all night, you do not deserve the belt.

Jedite · 07-29-2007, 08:06 PM

I only see this fight going 1 of two ways.. Either Mayweather pot shots all night to a UD, or Hatton hugs allnight.

I personally have not been impressed with either fighter their last few fights. Hatton just hugs too much, and Mayweather runs too much.

The more exiting fight will take place November 10th. Miguel Cotto vs Sugar Shane Mosely. Now thats a fight thats guaranteed to be exiting, and I see Cotto breaking down Mosely to the body and probably stopping him by the 9th round, in a very contested fight. I can also see Mosely winning, but my money is on Cotto.

chaos · 07-30-2007, 10:52 AM

Cotto is an excellent fighter. Mosely is typically entertaining to watch also, I bet that will be a good fight. I'm hoping the heavyweight class starts to get some talent, after Vitali left I just stopped watching. I hear rumors that he is coming back but I doubt he will ever be the same fighter as when he "lost" to Lewis.

07-28-2007, 02:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
kcxiv Thizzelle Washington Join Date: May 2002 Location: Central Valley, Cali Posts: 3,135 +1 Internets	Mayweather ditches retirement, agrees to fight Hatton Dec. 8 ESPN - Mayweather, Hatton agree to fight in December - Boxing Well that didn't last long, now did it? Welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., who said he was retiring following his May 5 decision victory against Oscar De La Hoya in boxing's richest fight ever, will come out of his brief break to face junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton. The HBO PPV fight pitting undefeated champions in their prime will take place Dec. 8 in Las Vegas, probably at the MGM Grand. "We've agreed to the fight," Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's close friend and adviser, told ESPN.com. "We're excited that Ricky Hatton is stepping up to the plate. It's like this -- he asked for it and now he's gonna get it." Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs), the reigning 140-pound champion from England, will move up to 147 to meet Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs). "It's a tremendous fight, two young undefeated fighters coming together," Ellerbe said. "They are both at the top of their game." Ellerbe said the deal was struck Friday but not yet signed, although the all of the particulars have been agreed to. Said Ray Hatton, Ricky's father and manager, according to British wire service PA Sport: "We agreed via our lawyers what the financial side of it was going to be. I can't honestly tell you a deal has been done until I see the signatures on all the documents. But what I can tell you is that both sides were happy with what we finalized verbally." Hatton, 28, fought once before at 147, winning an alphabet belt in a struggle against Luis Collazo in May 2006 before returning to 140 for his next two fights, including a June 23 fourth-round destruction of former two-time lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (who gave Mayweather the toughest fight of his career in 2002). After Mayweather, 30, defeated De La Hoya to win a belt at 154 pounds, he relinquished it to return to 147. Mayweather and Hatton have both been pros for 10 years. Mayweather has won titles in five divisions (130 pounds to 154) while Hatton has won titles in two (140 and 147). Before and after his fight with Castillo, Hatton made several disparaging comments about Mayweather and called him out, which convinced Mayweather to come out of retirement for the fight. "Like Floyd told me -- they brought the right deal to the table," Ellerbe said. "Floyd said, 'He disrespected me and I am calling his bluff.' We're happy it didn't turn out to be a bluff. Hatton talked the talk and now it's time for him to walk the walk. He will find out that fighting Floyd Mayweather is a total different level than what he is used to." The fight will be promoted by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather's newly formed Mayweather Promotions, according to Ellerbe. Golden Boy promoted the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight and, according to several sources, is on the verge of signing Hatton, whose contract with co-promoters Artie Pelullo and Dennis Hobson expired after the Castillo fight. De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer met with Ray Hatton and attorney Gareth Williams last weekend in Las Vegas. They flew them in for the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright fight and for the meeting. Although Mayweather had some problems with Golden Boy during the buildup to the May 5 fight, Ellerbe said it wasn't an issue. He wouldn't confirm that Golden Boy holds one option on Mayweather stemming from the deal for him to fight De La Hoya. "We're very comfortable working with Golden Boy Promotions for the Dec. 8 fight," Ellerbe said. "We just worked with them on the biggest event in the history of the sport and we're excited to be working with them again." Mayweather-Hatton adds another major fight to an already loaded fall that also will include the Jermain Taylor-Kelly Pavlik middleweight championship showdown (Sept. 29), the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera rematch (Oct. 6), the probable Juan Diaz-Julio Diaz lightweight unification bout (Oct. 13), the heavily anticipated Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler super middleweight unification bout (Nov. 3), the probable Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley welterweight title bout (Nov. 10) and the Joan Guzman-Humberto Soto junior lightweight title match (Nov. 17). Should be a pretty good one. __________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72HNX6bJ2ag www.halcyonaffinity.org

07-29-2007, 01:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nebuchadnezzar Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,571 -3 Internets	Some great fights coming up. __________________ I eat grass like an ox and shat like a fox.

07-29-2007, 06:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
kcxiv Thizzelle Washington Join Date: May 2002 Location: Central Valley, Cali Posts: 3,135 +1 Internets	Meyweather is horrible to watch, but he has awesome defense. If he feels he's overpowered he will go into the punch, punch, run role like he did against Oscar. I think Oscar hit him with some good shots in the begging of the fight. Once he realized how strong Oscar was to him, he went into his shell. He's a great boxer, just boring to watch. __________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72HNX6bJ2ag www.halcyonaffinity.org

07-29-2007, 08:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
Jedite Am I pissing you off fafa? Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 669 -3 Internets	I only see this fight going 1 of two ways.. Either Mayweather pot shots all night to a UD, or Hatton hugs allnight. I personally have not been impressed with either fighter their last few fights. Hatton just hugs too much, and Mayweather runs too much. The more exiting fight will take place November 10th. Miguel Cotto vs Sugar Shane Mosely. Now thats a fight thats guaranteed to be exiting, and I see Cotto breaking down Mosely to the body and probably stopping him by the 9th round, in a very contested fight. I can also see Mosely winning, but my money is on Cotto. __________________ Jedite Neshtal , Paladin Vanguard(HillsBury) ,EQ2 (Faydark) Disturbed ,EQ1 Tarrew Marr (R.I.P), Hunter LOTRO Vestal Paladin WoW(Eoner), Conqueror AOC(Zug)

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07-28-2007, 10:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
Believe Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,990 -3 Internets	I can't wait. Should be a good fight. Hatton will definitely bring the fight to Mayweather no matter how much he wants to run away.

07-29-2007, 01:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
chaos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 3,933 +3 Internets	fuck Mayweather. You don't win championships by running from the fight all night long. So disillusioned with boxing right now.

07-29-2007, 03:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
chaos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 3,933 +3 Internets	Defense doesn't win a fight imo. You don't run from the fight and then win someone's belt because you ran all night and never engaged.

07-30-2007, 10:52 AM	#12 (permalink)
chaos Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 3,933 +3 Internets	Cotto is an excellent fighter. Mosely is typically entertaining to watch also, I bet that will be a good fight. I'm hoping the heavyweight class starts to get some talent, after Vitali left I just stopped watching. I hear rumors that he is coming back but I doubt he will ever be the same fighter as when he "lost" to Lewis.