On Ricky
"Fatton":
Floyd has
tried to insult me by calling me Ricky Fatton, but what he doesn't realize is
I've called myself Ricky Fatton in the first place. I do put on a lot of weight
in between my fights, and that's the whole reason I'm putting a Ricky Fatton
T-shirt on after the fight because for so many years now fashion critics have
turned on me and said, well he's too much weight. He's put too much weight on.
I think it was the Kostya Tszyu when I put on about 40 pounds, and then they
turned around and said, oh, Ricky Hatton won't last four rounds. He's put on
too much weight. And, just things like, I feel like saying, change the record a
bit now. You've been going on about this for the last maybe six, seven years,
and in that time now I've won four world titles, two weight divisions. Probably
one of the longest unbeaten ones in British fighting, and I'm fighting the
pound for pound best per fight in the world. So maybe it's time you should stop
pointing the finger at my weight because obviously, it's whatever I'm doing
it's working for me. It certainly won't work for the reversal, and up to now
it's working for me. I always feel the need before I start training to be out
of shape. And I need to put loads of weight on and I need a bit of a mountain to
climb so I knuckle down to it, well I mean the beauty thing about boxing is
training efforts there's no right way or wrong way. Ideally it would be best if
I didn't put as much weight on. But that's the way I am. That's what makes me
what I am, you know? It's just if it worked hard for it, it worked for me. It
might not work for everyone. Floyd doesn't put an ounce on him between his
fights, but every fight is different and that's what makes it such a unique
sport.
On honesty:
I don't lie
about a single thing. People say, do you like to have a drink of alcohol, and I
say, yes, yes, of course, I love to. And do you like fat foods, yes. And do you
put weight on, yes. And, these people are maybe a little bit more vain, would
probably not admit to that, and I do. And I think with what you see with me,
you see an honesty in my life, the way I am period.
On the importance of
this fight:
I mean
being a world champion was obviously the dream of every youngster who starts
off boxing, but I've become the best fighter in my weight division when I beat
Kostya Tszyu. But to be the best fighter in your weight division in the world
is one thing, but to become the best fighter in the world in ANY weight
division....it will be the biggest win in British boxing history.
On his weight for this
fight:
It would be
frivolous to eat anything you want to eat. I mean you can eat as much as you
want to eat, but obviously the key is it's got to be good food. There's no
point in, if your weight starts and you're going out eating barbeque, spare
ribs and chips, I mean that's not going to do you any good. But no, I mean my
weight is well on target. I'm on the weight now, so I can increase me diet. The
diet's gotten better as the weight's gone down. I mean as the training has
intensifies the diet's got better. I'll be in as good a shape [as possible] and
I'll probably have more energy because I won't have to deplete my body down to
the 140 pound mark. I've got to just get down to 147. So, yes, I mean
everything is going perfect.
On his legions of
fans:
I have a
fantastic following. It spurs me on. It makes me feel proud. I get a huge rush
when fight fans turn around and say how much they love me and that I'm the
people's champion. They respect me because of all the success that I've had, I
haven't changed one little bit. My feet are still firmly on the ground. And I
look at myself as no different than the man in the crowd. So that spurs me on I
think, it doesn't make me, where the pressure should get on you. It doesn't get
on me. The only pressure I have on myself is to myself, needless to say I want
my fans, to make my fans and country proud, but I try and use it to me
advantage and it is an advantage.
On Mayweather's tough
first fight with Jose Luis Castillo:
If I can
make a statement without sounding too disrespectful to me old friend Jose Luis
Castillo, even Castillo in the first fight against Mayweather, when he was seen
to be in his prime, if you narrow it down and say, it was his footwork, was
Castillo's footwork as good and as quick as Ricky Hatton's is? Was his body
punching as good as Ricky Hatton? Does he move in on his opponent as quickly as
Ricky Hatton does? Is he as big a hitter as Ricky Hatton is? Does he have as
much boxing ability as Ricky Hatton does? Does he have a better work rate than
Ricky Hatton? I would have to say no to all of them. And, as you know, he
nearly did it, so I've got huge confidence out of that, I know what I'm up
against, I know what his strengths are and I know what his weaknesses are and I
know what I think he tries to do in the fight. I think I've got the tools for
the job, and that wasn't meant to be disrespectful to Jose Luis Castillo. I
mean but I think in every department from footwork to strength to speed to
boxing ability to power to work rate, I think even in his prime I think I have
it in every department. And when you think Castillo nearly beat Floyd, that's
the way I see the fight going.
On Floyd's hand
problems:
It's common
knowledge that Floyd has bad hands. I'm just wondering from my point of view, I
mean on the night if Floyd Mayweather beats Ricky Hatton, which I don't think
he will, but if Floyd Mayweather was to beat Ricky Hatton and it was a fair
result, I would hold me hands up and say, well I was beaten by the better man.
But on the night if I beat Floyd Mayweather and it is, seems to be a very fair
result, I hope Floyd Mayweather doesn't blame it on the dancing and doesn't
blame it on his hands.
On Mayweather's
mindset:
I think
he's an insecure person. I think that's why he surrounds himself with five or
six bodyguards, and they always seem to be 'yes men.' You know? And he always
needs people whispering in his ear 'you're the man, you're number one, you're
going to do this, your going to do that.' That's all a sign of insecurity. You
don't need anybody whispering in your ear, to tell you you're the best, if you
believe that. If you believe you're the best then you don't need anybody
reminding you or reassuring you, and that's the way I feel.
I think
he's an insecure person and I think he does like to play mind games, but I
don't think he does it to try to intimidate you because he's not exactly what
you call intimidating looking with his nice suits on and his bling. He doesn't
exactly make me want to run away down the street. But I think what he tries to
do is get under your skin and annoy you, more annoy you rather than scare you.
He must surely know when he sees me and he looks in the mirror and he knows
that I'm not scared of him, and he knows that I believe I can win. And he knows
I have no fear with him. So I think, especially when we did the promotional
tour, I think when he realized what little reaction he got from me, I think
that would have affected him more than me. He really does not bother me when he
insults me. I don't care what he throws at me. I could not care less, from the
bottom of me heart, I couldn't care less.
