Great sporting theatre awaits!
Chris O'Keefe
Boxing has had its detractors in recent years, a significant amount of which was justified. We all remember those occasions when Tyson resorted to biting Evander Holyfield’s ear. Lennox Lewis’s “draw” against the same opponent who was clearly being beaten when a judge had the score even. Of course, the injuries to Michael Watson and Gerald McLennan have also overshadowed the fight game.
The sport has needed a night like this for years, a symbol for a golden age. An Ali-Foreman, Leonard-Duran….you can see where this is going. Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather are two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, if not the two best at the moment.
This fight is not just the average hype, although there has been plenty of that around thanks to HBO and the press scrum, all of which has left Hatton “exhausted” according to Hatton’s trainer Billy Graham. No, this is a match that people will talk about regardless of the outcome and it will likely live in boxing folklore as a result.
It is also difficult to pick a winner. For all of Mayweather’s bravado he is unlikely to underestimate Hatton and Hatton certainly won’t leave anything behind in his quest to dethrone his opponent and his belief in his grandeur. This is what boxing in its purist form. Two very technically gifted tacticians, no Tysonesque reliance on a haymaker, no journeymen thrown up as practice bouts. A rare occasions when two fighters at their peak square off and no-one has a concrete idea as to the victor.
Even for those not so keen followers of the game, this is a window. Myself, I can’t follow it religiously but this is moment in time that people will talk about for years to come.
Right! Enough hype on my part. Enjoy!
The sport has needed a night like this for years, a symbol for a golden age. An Ali-Foreman, Leonard-Duran….you can see where this is going. Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather are two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, if not the two best at the moment.
This fight is not just the average hype, although there has been plenty of that around thanks to HBO and the press scrum, all of which has left Hatton “exhausted” according to Hatton’s trainer Billy Graham. No, this is a match that people will talk about regardless of the outcome and it will likely live in boxing folklore as a result.
It is also difficult to pick a winner. For all of Mayweather’s bravado he is unlikely to underestimate Hatton and Hatton certainly won’t leave anything behind in his quest to dethrone his opponent and his belief in his grandeur. This is what boxing in its purist form. Two very technically gifted tacticians, no Tysonesque reliance on a haymaker, no journeymen thrown up as practice bouts. A rare occasions when two fighters at their peak square off and no-one has a concrete idea as to the victor.
Even for those not so keen followers of the game, this is a window. Myself, I can’t follow it religiously but this is moment in time that people will talk about for years to come.
Right! Enough hype on my part. Enjoy!
Picture: ChinaDaily.com
posted by C O'K @ 12:34 pm
