"I truly believe in just busting my ass and dedicating myself to my craft. And my craft is boxing…"

– Floyd Mayweather (HBO’s "24/7")

 

The greatest part of being a sports fan are those rare occasions where you are witnessing genius at work. These times, where sport simply becomes art, need to be cherished because you are worried that you just might never see something like it again. These times are when Barry Sanders eludes the clutch of three 250 pound defenders on the SAME play; when Roger Federer loses one match and you are concerned about his career; and when Barry Bonds sees one hittable pitch in an enire game and still manages to deposit it in McCovey Cove. Last night, Floyd Mayweather put on a display of boxing brilliance that just makes you proud to be a witness. His 10th round knockout of his more-than-game challenger Ricky Hatton put an exclamation point on what could be the final fight of Mayweather’s career (although unlikely).  Although Mayweather has beaten every opponent ever put before him, there is usually a degree of unfulfillment in many of his performances in that he has never been made to "dig deep" to show the fans all that he’s got. Enter Ricky Hatton. Here are some other thoughts on the fight:

 

  • In HBO’s "24/7", Mayweather says: "Great athletes perform better under pressure, so put pressure on me." Hatton and his relentless pressure was the perfect foil to showcase Mayweather’s full array of skills. The styles of the fighters had an Ali-Frazier feel, however, Mayweather’s strategy had was more Ali-Foreman. Right away it was hard to believe that Floyd would go toe-to-toe with Hatton instead of a  "stick-and-move" boxing approach. Personally, I thought Mayweather was foolish to do so. I was wrong.  

   

  • Mayweather fought Hatton’s fight on the inside and beat him at his own game. It gave a glimpse into just how complete a fighter he is. Mayweather went to the body which seemed to help out later on as Hatton wore down. Ironically, Hatton’s biggest error seemed to be that he DIDN’T go to Mayweather’s body. Similar to the Ali-Foreman fight, he seemed more clever than Hatton; was willing to let Hatton "punch himself out" a bit; and was able to land straight right hands all night long.

 

  • The fight was a bit dirty in the early rounds. Hatton would often lead in with his head and in turn Floyd would use his elbows to keep any potential head-butting at bay. Both fighters seemed to snub each other with their gloves. Ultimately, Hatton’s physical approach did not rattle Floyd as he was accustomed to much worse as seen in the Zab Judah fight.

   

  • Although he is not in Mayweather’s class along with everybody else, Hatton proved himself to be a very good fighter. While losing most rounds, his credit is that he forced Floyd to dig into his entire arsenal to bring out his best, something that few other fighters accomplished. Hatton’s ability to survive the 8th round knockdown was a testament to his resilience.

  

  • Although Mayweather talked like a fighter who might retire, I felt myself wanting to see a Mayweather-Miguel Cotto match-up tomorrow.  I would also be willing to settle for a Cotto – Hatton slugfest.

  

  •  The welterweight division is the class of boxing today. Mayweather and Hatton put on a great fight. Last month Sugar Shane Mosely and Cotto put on a great fight and guys like Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito might be elite status as well. Forget waxing nostalgic about Leonard-Hearns, the welterweight talent and heart is right here, right now.

  

  • People in America think boxing is dead. But as evidenced by the 10,000+ England fans who traversed the Atlantic to see Hatton fight show the monumental difference of how boxing is still received in many other parts of the world. It is hard to imagine even 10 American fans travel to Europe to see their favorite fighter.

   

  • Mayweather was quite gracious in his post-fight remarks to Hatton and went out of his way to mention Golden Boy Promotions multiple times. This seems to prove that "Mayweather-the-villain" as portrayed on HBO’s "24/7" series is to a large degree concocted by Mayweather himself and abetted by HBO to sell more tickets. After the fight he sounded like a businessman who might be joining the "Golden Boy Promotions" team in the not-so-distant future. 

   

  • Final thought: Am I the only one who is addicted to those training scenes in HBO’s "24/7" with that really cool music going on in the background?