Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton - Overcoming Mayweather Jr.

Ricky Hatton in his upcoming bout with Manny Pacquiao, on May 2nd.

Last time we saw Hatton in a main event fight like this in Las Vegas, Nevada, he ended up with a destroyed faced and a destroyed psyche at the gloves of Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather.

The buildup for Hatton-Mayweather was enormous and given the contrast in styles, personalities and cultures, there was a genuine hatred between the two fighters. Hatton was determined to beat Mayweather if it was the last thing he did, but unfortunately he was simply no match.

Mayweather knocked him out in the 10th round but it can’t be underestimated what that loss did to Hatton. Boxing betting handicappers are aware that it took Hatton quite some time to get back up off the mat, so to speak.

Hatton has openly talked about how brutal that loss was for him. He spent nights in his bed crying, which is an astonishing statement to hear from a Champion boxer who is nicknamed “The Hitman”.

Often times boxing betting experts will talk about the first knockout for a fighter being the toughest and that’s because a fighter is never the same.

That proved to be true with Hatton, who really struggled to beat Juan Lazcano in his first fight after Mayweather. After that, Hatton did bounce back to trash Paulie Malignaggi, a fighter who wasn’t anywhere near Hatton’s talent, but it was also evident that Hatton wasn’t the same.

Hatton made a change in managers, which surprised a number of pundits, but now Hatton is training with Floyd Mayweather Sr. It is an interesting strategy, which could turn out to backfire.

Hatton, who has always been an aggressive fighter who never danced around the ring, is now being taught defense and dodging, which differs from his natural style. If he picks it up and adds it to his game, he should be a better fighter. If not, then this will further slow down Hatton, who already is struggling mentally.

Hatton and Mayweather Sr. are very different personalities, which makes for an odd training couple. At the end of the day, the only thing these two have in common is boxing and even there, they differ in philosophy. Boxing betting fans might be hoping for Hatton to revive his career against Manny Pacquiao but the reality is that Hatton isn’t in his prime and on his game enough to beat someone of Pacquiao’s ilk.

Hatton didn’t come anywhere close to beating Mayweather Jr. and since he has regressed since, it’s hard to see him doing better against Pacquiao on May 2nd.