Published on 07/10/2007

The customer is always right. At least, that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe. But in the case of Hatton vs. Mayweather, the customers are very wrong.

The Customer Isn't Always Right

The customer is always right. At least, that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe, and in fact, sometimes that is the case. As sports fans, we tend to follow this philosophy. We could be better GM’s than our local team’s GM. We could have made a better coaching decision or last minute trade to beat the deadline.

Recently, boxing customers have clamored for a 147 pound welterweight matchup between the pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and two-time IBF and IBO Light Welterweight Champion, Ricky Hatton. After Floyd called out the English star, the matchup seems more and more likely. Initially, the thought of the two heavy handed names brings the kind of excitement the sport is desperately looking for in the aftermath of De La Hoya v. Mayweather. But is this really as good of a matchup as the customer thinks?

Hatton has a professional record of 43-0 with 31 knockouts. He garnered attention in the States after he defeated Kostya Tszyu on June 6, 2005. This makes since because at the time, Tszyu was regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. What is often left out of this equation is that this was only Tszyu’s second fight in a span of 29 months. Two fights in two and a half years. Hatton’s only other win over an opponent with any name recognition or credibility is Jose Luis Castillo, who showed up to the fight and fought like an 86 year old. Hatton consistently beat Castillo to the punch but instead of cheering Hatton on, you felt bad for an aging, depleted, old man who could barely keep his hands up.

Hatton has built the reputation as an excellent inside fighter whose power and “toughness” might be enough to bring down Mayweather. Does that sound familiar? Hatton’s “hold, wrestle, dirty box” style which seems tailor made for English Pub bar fighting, is very similar to Arturo Gatti’s “hold, wrestle, dirty box” style which was tailor made for Atlantic City bar fighting. Gatti ultimately couldn’t handle Mayweather’s speed or penetrate his defense. It’s highly unlikely Hatton will be able to handle Mayweather’s skill set either. He hasn’t fought anyone on his level in his 43 fights, nor has he been under the bright lights of a major fight outside of England. He fought the previously mentioned, aging Castillo in the States, but the fight went largely unnoticed to the average boxing fan, and the audience was filled with supporters from England, cheering loudly for the pub fighter.

The Customer Isn't Always Right

The hype for the fight has caused us to lose sight of the best possible matchup at 147 pounds. Sugar Shane Mosley, 44-4 with 37 KOs, is the last man in a long line of challengers, with a realistic chance of defeating Mayweather Jr. He’s arguably faster and quicker than Mayweather and is without a doubt a harder puncher. Mayweather has never been knocked out and since he has perfected the shoulder roll defense, it seems highly unlikely that any challenger is going to knock out a man whose glove has only touched the canvas once in his career, and that was due to the pain in a broken hand.

It’s likely that since Floyd is light years ahead of Hatton as a boxer, the only way he’d lose is if Hatton knocked him out. Shane Mosley actually has a chance to out point the best boxer in the world because he’s as close to him in skill level as any man out there. And if it turned into a slugfest, the advantage is clearly in Shane's favor.

The customer isn’t always right as much as we’d like it to be that way. The talk and whispers have called for a Hatton v. Mayweather fight in the fall. Hatton is overmatched and overhyped. The Atlantic City club fighter was demolished by Mayweather and the English pub fighter will likely see the same fate. This customer knows he’s right. He always is.