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Who's the fan favorite? Ricky Hatton, man
Mark Kriegel
LAS VEGAS - They traveled more than 6,000 miles, from the industrial heartland of the British Empire to the lobby of the MGM Grand. Though few would score tickets to a fight that had sold out in 30 minutes, nothing could dampen the spirits of these beery pilgrims. Having occupied the bar like a conquering army, they'd periodically break into a vaguely melodious refrain, chanted to the tune of "Winter Wonderland."
Are you there, Ricky Hatton?
Can you hear me, Ricky Hatton?
A beautiful sight
We're happy tonight
Walking with the Ricky Hatton man
Some fighters come with entourages. Ricky Hatton arrives with the entire city of Manchester. At least it feels that way. The Hatton partisans are known to drink all night in groups of three. As the hours progress, the guy in the middle continues to sip while his wingmen take turns resting on his shoulders.
Rituals such as these put ordinary American tailgaters to shame. What's more, as the British invasion began in earnest on Tuesday night — five days before Hatton would fight Floyd Mayweather for the 147-pound championship — one had to marvel at the stamina of these foreigners. If only Hatton endures as well as his fans, Saturday night will go down as a great one.
Surely, Hatton can fight. To have seen him take out the once-great Jose Luis Castillo with a body shot is to know as much. Whether he can fight well enough to best Floyd is another question entirely. The oddsmakers aren't the only ones who doubt him. There are well-founded presumptions against both white hopes and Brits. After all, if Hatton so much as gets in the ring on Saturday night, he'll have accomplished more than the last British export, the metrosexual soccer star with the bony wife.
Still, to this point, one can argue that Ricky Hatton has carried the promotion. He might not be as skilled as Mayweather, but he's a perfect antagonist.
They each play roles, assuming exaggerated personas. For his last fight against Oscar De Hoya — a pay-per-view that generated a record 2.4 million buys — Mayweather found fun and profit in playing the heel. Up close, Mayweather seems more sympathetic and honorable than the bejeweled stereotype who likes to make it rain. Still, these facades are not easily deconstructed. For most people, Mayweather remains the braggart with the bling.
And that's just fine with Ricky Hatton, who seems not unlike the working class mob that has followed him across eight time zones. He's a dedicated fan of the Manchester City soccer club. He plays darts, and by his own admission drinks Guinness to excess when not in training. In these off months, he can usually be found getting plump at the pub.
Still, for all his pedestrian habits, Hatton has that rarest virtue: a sense of humor. He can laugh at himself, hence the official T-shirts with the blubbery image and the nickname "Ricky Fatton." More than that, though, he's become especially adept at poking fun at the Mayweather camp.
"Quite impressive," he said last week, when asked about Mayweather's recent appearance on Dancing with the Stars. "But not as good as me on 15 pints of Guinness."
He's been listening to Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer, boast that his nephew had compiled a more impressive résumé than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Instead of protesting, Hatton merely agreed and proclaimed himself to be better endowed than porn star Ron Jeremy.
Roger Mayweather was at it again Wednesday at the press conference, going on about his nephew's place in history. Finally, Hatton came to the podium.
"I'd like to thank Roger," he said, "for making the winter shorter."
One wonders if Hatton's timing in the ring is as good as on the dais. Then again, this being fight week, Ricky Hatton is just another guy playing the strip.
While Mayweather showed up in a vested suit and wrists heavy with diamonds, Hatton came with a black Kangol beach cap. While Mayweather's bodyguards wore pendants that read "Philthy Rich," Hatton was accompanied by three trumpets and a drum to strike up the "Winter Wonderland" melody.
The Hatton fans — a great many of them, it seemed — had assembled outside the ballroom. As the doors would open every once in a while, you could hear them chant and shout for their man. One wondered if they might rush the guards at the door and storm the ballroom.
"I've never seen a fighter so popular," said Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy company is promoting the fight.
When pressed to identify the main attraction — the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world or his pale-faced challenger — Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer finally abandoned diplomacy and said: "You hear it. You see it. It's clearly Hatton."
The promoters had their own interests, of course. De La Hoya would like nothing better than to fight Hatton in May in Los Angeles. One imagines Manchester descending on Dodger Stadium.
By then the betting line had tightened. Hatton, still an underdog, had moved from plus-230 to plus-190.
"Can't believe the odds are this close," said Hatton, feigning surprise that anybody would wager on "a little fat beer-drinking Englishman who hasn't fought anyone."
Perhaps there's something to his strategic calculation. Maybe the application of constant pressure will wear down Mayweather. Or maybe he'll go to the body early and often enough to mitigate Mayweather's speed.
More than likely, though, the odds reflected a sentiment that had swept through the casino ... walking with the Ricky Hatton man ... the Brits were betting.
Mark Kriegel
LAS VEGAS - They traveled more than 6,000 miles, from the industrial heartland of the British Empire to the lobby of the MGM Grand. Though few would score tickets to a fight that had sold out in 30 minutes, nothing could dampen the spirits of these beery pilgrims. Having occupied the bar like a conquering army, they'd periodically break into a vaguely melodious refrain, chanted to the tune of "Winter Wonderland."
Are you there, Ricky Hatton?
Can you hear me, Ricky Hatton?
A beautiful sight
We're happy tonight
Walking with the Ricky Hatton man
Some fighters come with entourages. Ricky Hatton arrives with the entire city of Manchester. At least it feels that way. The Hatton partisans are known to drink all night in groups of three. As the hours progress, the guy in the middle continues to sip while his wingmen take turns resting on his shoulders.
Rituals such as these put ordinary American tailgaters to shame. What's more, as the British invasion began in earnest on Tuesday night — five days before Hatton would fight Floyd Mayweather for the 147-pound championship — one had to marvel at the stamina of these foreigners. If only Hatton endures as well as his fans, Saturday night will go down as a great one.
Surely, Hatton can fight. To have seen him take out the once-great Jose Luis Castillo with a body shot is to know as much. Whether he can fight well enough to best Floyd is another question entirely. The oddsmakers aren't the only ones who doubt him. There are well-founded presumptions against both white hopes and Brits. After all, if Hatton so much as gets in the ring on Saturday night, he'll have accomplished more than the last British export, the metrosexual soccer star with the bony wife.
Still, to this point, one can argue that Ricky Hatton has carried the promotion. He might not be as skilled as Mayweather, but he's a perfect antagonist.
They each play roles, assuming exaggerated personas. For his last fight against Oscar De Hoya — a pay-per-view that generated a record 2.4 million buys — Mayweather found fun and profit in playing the heel. Up close, Mayweather seems more sympathetic and honorable than the bejeweled stereotype who likes to make it rain. Still, these facades are not easily deconstructed. For most people, Mayweather remains the braggart with the bling.
And that's just fine with Ricky Hatton, who seems not unlike the working class mob that has followed him across eight time zones. He's a dedicated fan of the Manchester City soccer club. He plays darts, and by his own admission drinks Guinness to excess when not in training. In these off months, he can usually be found getting plump at the pub.
Still, for all his pedestrian habits, Hatton has that rarest virtue: a sense of humor. He can laugh at himself, hence the official T-shirts with the blubbery image and the nickname "Ricky Fatton." More than that, though, he's become especially adept at poking fun at the Mayweather camp.
"Quite impressive," he said last week, when asked about Mayweather's recent appearance on Dancing with the Stars. "But not as good as me on 15 pints of Guinness."
He's been listening to Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer, boast that his nephew had compiled a more impressive résumé than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Instead of protesting, Hatton merely agreed and proclaimed himself to be better endowed than porn star Ron Jeremy.
Roger Mayweather was at it again Wednesday at the press conference, going on about his nephew's place in history. Finally, Hatton came to the podium.
"I'd like to thank Roger," he said, "for making the winter shorter."
One wonders if Hatton's timing in the ring is as good as on the dais. Then again, this being fight week, Ricky Hatton is just another guy playing the strip.
While Mayweather showed up in a vested suit and wrists heavy with diamonds, Hatton came with a black Kangol beach cap. While Mayweather's bodyguards wore pendants that read "Philthy Rich," Hatton was accompanied by three trumpets and a drum to strike up the "Winter Wonderland" melody.
The Hatton fans — a great many of them, it seemed — had assembled outside the ballroom. As the doors would open every once in a while, you could hear them chant and shout for their man. One wondered if they might rush the guards at the door and storm the ballroom.
"I've never seen a fighter so popular," said Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy company is promoting the fight.
When pressed to identify the main attraction — the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world or his pale-faced challenger — Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer finally abandoned diplomacy and said: "You hear it. You see it. It's clearly Hatton."
The promoters had their own interests, of course. De La Hoya would like nothing better than to fight Hatton in May in Los Angeles. One imagines Manchester descending on Dodger Stadium.
By then the betting line had tightened. Hatton, still an underdog, had moved from plus-230 to plus-190.
"Can't believe the odds are this close," said Hatton, feigning surprise that anybody would wager on "a little fat beer-drinking Englishman who hasn't fought anyone."
Perhaps there's something to his strategic calculation. Maybe the application of constant pressure will wear down Mayweather. Or maybe he'll go to the body early and often enough to mitigate Mayweather's speed.
More than likely, though, the odds reflected a sentiment that had swept through the casino ... walking with the Ricky Hatton man ... the Brits were betting.
not to be racial lets be honest no good white guys in boxing these days---hatton white but not from U.S. i will watch fight this sat hope its good
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