Ricky Hatton lost just several times during his career, with two of those coming at the hands of boxing legends Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.
The two-weight world champion from Manchester is regarded as one of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the United Kingdom, boasting an incredibly loyal fan base who followed ‘The Hitman’ all over the world.
Hatton challenged Mayweather in December 2007 for the latter’s WBC welterweight title. Despite a brave effort from the Brit, the style of his American rival proved to be too much for him as he was stopped in the tenth round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
18 months after his loss to Mayweather, ‘The Hitman’ returned to Vegas to challenge Pacquiao in what would go on to be arguably the hardest night of his storied career. He was dropped twice in the opening round before suffering a brutal knockout in the second.
With experience of facing both men whilst they were at the peak of their powers, Hatton spoke in an interview with Carl Froch on ‘Froch on Fighting’ where he gave his backing to Mayweather if the American had faced Pacquiao earlier on in their respective careers.
“Floyd Mayweather. It’s hard, Pacquiao did knock me out in two rounds but I had too many miles on the clock at the time. I think Mayweather, I think the referee did give him a little bit of help, but he was something else. It’s the first time I’ve sat down in the changing rooms and thought wow, he was good him. Mayweather, yeah.”
‘Money’ and ‘Pac-Man’ finally clashed in 2015, after years of speculation. The welterweight legends were admittedly past their best when they met, with many feeling they should have fought years prior. Mayweather would go on to defeat Pacquiao over 12-rounds, putting an end to their long rivalry.
