December 09, 2007
Full Picture
Mayweather knocks Hatton out in the 10th. Everybody who's always hollering about Mayweather not being "classy" enough: did you guys watch the post-fight press conference? Did you hear Mayweather give Hatton his propers for having knocked out Castillo, which Mayweather'd been unable to do? Did you not see the class, and the respect, and as much humility as you can reasaonbly expect from a dude who just knocked out a previously undefeated fighter? News flash, people: pre-fight taunting occurs because smart fighters and managers know you have to put asses in seats, and that pay-per-view's been sagging badly in recent years. Mayweather does his job, which includes being the heavy. Congratulations from Mus Mus Tail to Mayweather for remaining undefeated, and to Ricky Hatton for ten hard rounds.
Posted by jd at 03:03 AM
December 06, 2007
Long Shot
So, they ask me, they do. "John," they say, "do you like Mayweather or Hatton?" And because la casa del Mus Mus ain't got no cable, we usually answer "when the hell is that fight, anyway?" But even the profoundly unconnected know it's soon now, because the pitch is going into its final-hours whine. People who hadn't even heard of Ricky Hatton last month have an opinion about him now (not that there's anything wrong with that - you gotta start somewhere).
Mus Mus Tail would like to senselessly boast that we got on the Hatton train a while back. Hatton v. Tszyu? We took pleasure in watching the boxing pundits eat humble pie. Hatton v. Maussa? We called that fight and were only off by one round. And whatever things Manchester may or may not have to answer, umm, for, its boxing history isn't one of them. Its traditions are the stuff of legend. But Mayweather isn't Maussa, or Tszyu; Mayweather beat De La Hoya, and Zab Judah the Giant-Killer. People use the phrase "best pound-for-pound" like it was his middle name.
My head tells me this fight goes to whichever fighter has a greater horror of losing, and I suspect that's Mayweather. But Hatton has shown a remarkable instinct for rising to an occasion. If the fight were in Manchester, I'd call it Hatton by knockout. In Vegas, where the oddsmakers unanimously favor Mayweather, it'll be a lot tighter. Dudes in Vegas don't know Salford from Cincinatti. Still. I like a dark horse, and I don't mind being wrong every once in a while. Hatton by decision.
Posted by jd at 07:58 PM