By Chuck Johnson, USA TODAY
Pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather and England's unbeaten junior welterweight Ricky Hatton are finalizing plans to fight Dec. 8 at a U.S. site to be determined on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Leonard Ellerbe, adviser to Mayweather, told USA TODAY that details will come with an official announcement as early as Monday.
"This is a great fight for the fans," Ellerbe said Friday. "We have two young unbeaten fighters, at the top of their game, from two different countries going against each other. It's what boxing needs."
Ellerbe applauded Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs) for taking the fight, which will be contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit, seven pounds more than Hatton's optimum weight as a junior welterweight.
"I never thought he would do it, but Ricky Hatton deserves credit for stepping up to the plate," Ellerbe said. "He asked for it and now he's going to get it. Floyd is a extremely excited. He wants to show Hatton that he's never fought at this level before. He's going to show him what it's like to step in the ring with the best fighter."
Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs) defeated Oscar De La Hoya on May 5 in the highest-grossing fight in history to capture the WBC super welterweight title, but Mayweather vacated that title to allow Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir to fight for the belt Saturday in Tacoma, Wash.. (HBO, 10:15 p.m.).
Mayweather still holds the WBC and Ring Magazine welterweight belts, but it hasn't been determined if the fight against Hatton will be a title or non-title 12-round bout.
"Floyd's bigger than any belt," Ellerbe said."He doesn't need it because he's universally known as boxing's best fighter."
Mayweather, 30, announced he was retiring following the De La Hoya fight but he became motivated to get back into the ring after Hatton beat Jose Luis Castillo in an HBO-televised bout and issued a direct challenge to him.
"You saw more excitement in those four rounds than you've seen in Floyd's whole career," said Hatton, 28, who stopped Castillo in the fourth round with a left hook to the liver to defend the IBO junior welterweight crown. The Manchester, England, native also briefly held the WBA welterweight belt before going back down to 140.
Mayweather said Hatton's derisive statement was enough to bring him out of retirement.
"He got in front of the media and called my name out," Mayweather said. "He didn't think I was going to respond, but it doesn't work like that. I've accomplished too much in the sport for him to disrespect me."
On Dec. 8, Mayweather and Hatton will get a chance to work things out.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxin...r-hatton_N.htm
Pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather and England's unbeaten junior welterweight Ricky Hatton are finalizing plans to fight Dec. 8 at a U.S. site to be determined on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Leonard Ellerbe, adviser to Mayweather, told USA TODAY that details will come with an official announcement as early as Monday.
"This is a great fight for the fans," Ellerbe said Friday. "We have two young unbeaten fighters, at the top of their game, from two different countries going against each other. It's what boxing needs."
Ellerbe applauded Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs) for taking the fight, which will be contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit, seven pounds more than Hatton's optimum weight as a junior welterweight.
"I never thought he would do it, but Ricky Hatton deserves credit for stepping up to the plate," Ellerbe said. "He asked for it and now he's going to get it. Floyd is a extremely excited. He wants to show Hatton that he's never fought at this level before. He's going to show him what it's like to step in the ring with the best fighter."
Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs) defeated Oscar De La Hoya on May 5 in the highest-grossing fight in history to capture the WBC super welterweight title, but Mayweather vacated that title to allow Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir to fight for the belt Saturday in Tacoma, Wash.. (HBO, 10:15 p.m.).
Mayweather still holds the WBC and Ring Magazine welterweight belts, but it hasn't been determined if the fight against Hatton will be a title or non-title 12-round bout.
"Floyd's bigger than any belt," Ellerbe said."He doesn't need it because he's universally known as boxing's best fighter."
Mayweather, 30, announced he was retiring following the De La Hoya fight but he became motivated to get back into the ring after Hatton beat Jose Luis Castillo in an HBO-televised bout and issued a direct challenge to him.
"You saw more excitement in those four rounds than you've seen in Floyd's whole career," said Hatton, 28, who stopped Castillo in the fourth round with a left hook to the liver to defend the IBO junior welterweight crown. The Manchester, England, native also briefly held the WBA welterweight belt before going back down to 140.
Mayweather said Hatton's derisive statement was enough to bring him out of retirement.
"He got in front of the media and called my name out," Mayweather said. "He didn't think I was going to respond, but it doesn't work like that. I've accomplished too much in the sport for him to disrespect me."
On Dec. 8, Mayweather and Hatton will get a chance to work things out.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxin...r-hatton_N.htm
RAFA 
Comment