We had the chance to sit down with boxing legend Ricky Hatton to discuss the sport's hottest topics.
From the upcoming clash between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, to the highly anticipated Usyk vs. Fury rematch, and the showdown between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, Hatton shares his expert insights. The Hall of Famer also weighs in on the state of the heavyweight division, Floyd Mayweather’s enduring legacy, and even his iconic WWE appearance.
Ricky Hatton Gives His Opinion on All Things Tyson v Paul
Ricky Hatton criticizes the scheduled fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight, calling it "madness" to risk hurting a 58-year-old hero. While he questions whether ‘Iron Mike’ has the stamina and endurance for the fight, Hatton believes the fight should be stopped from happening due to the age of Tyson.
What did you make of Jake Paul v Mike Tyson’s press conference?
“I’ve seen it and Mike Tyson was pushing him but with a smile on his face which shows to me that it’s a bit for camera. I think it’s madness. Mike Tyson is one of my heroes and is one who is everyone’s hero and I have no doubt that he is one of Jake Paul’s heroes. So why you would want to fight one of your heroes who is nearly 60 years of age, and potentially hurting one of your heroes is madness.
“Mike looks great on the pads, really explosive and I hope I’m like him at 60 but that’s only 10 seconds bursts. Can he maintain it for a number of rounds? I’m all for the exhibitions. MMA fighters can fight, YouTubers can fight someone else and I get that world exists but I think something should be put in place to stop something like this happening. Mike is our hero and is 58 years old. He has every chance of flattening Jake Paul but at 58, is he in condition to come back from what’s going to come at him by Jake Paul? I can’t say I’m a fan of this.”
What do you make of Jake Paul’s trash talk?
“I’ve only seen it from a distance, but I think Jake Paul is a bit of a d*** to be honest with you. I get that’s the world we live in now with the youngsters on social media and the YouTubers, it’s what they love with a bit of controversy. It’s just from an era that I didn’t come from. I had a massive following and I didn’t slag anyone off or call anyone names or threaten anyone. I find some of the stuff not just from Jake but other people in this era, I just think what’s the game come to? You’re talking about someone who is 58 and you’re saying ‘I’m going to put him into retirement’. I wouldn’t want to fight anyone at 58 years old. Nothing seems to surprise me anymore and I don’t get wound up from it or too involved in it, I just accept it for what it is these days.”
How do you see the fight going itself?
“I fought Marco Antonio Barrera for eight, two-minute rounds but mine was an exhibition but I believe this is a proper fight. I think if Mike hits him, he’ll knock him into the middle of next week. He looks very fast and very explosive. He looks fantastic for his age. But if you’re in Jake Paul’s corner you would think, ‘he is 58 years old and I’m just going to give him the first two rounds, jab and move, keep out of his range and hopefully he will gas’.
“You’d expect him to at his age. Mike will probably put all of his eggs in one basket and start early because of his age and if I was Jake, I would stay out of his jab, wait for him to slow down a bit and put my foot down on the gas. I can see Mike by knockout if he is to win or if Jake is going to win then he will win on points.”
Ricky Hatton Looks Towards the Usyk v Fury Rematch
Ricky Hatton claims Tyson Fury has a good chance of avenging his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk if he uses his size and strength to his advantage.
However, he notes Fury's past lifestyle might be catching up with him. Hatton also suggests that John Fury should step back from the corner to avoid confusion, allowing to give instructions between rounds.
What do you make of Tyson Fury ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk rematch?
“I think it was a decent fight, certainly interesting. I do think Tyson, and I say this with love, has reached as good as he’s going to be. His lifestyle over the years but when he went through that bad period and had to lose all of the weight, will catch up with you eventually and I think Tyson has found himself at that point. But I do think he still has a good chance of winning the rematch. The fact he is the naturally bigger man will work in his favor.
“He’s a lot bigger and taller than Usyk and is a very clever thinking fighter. When he used to train in my gym when Ben Davison used to train him, I used to stand back and watch him in amazement and admiration on just how clever he is. He can fight up close, fight on the backfoot and the fact that he is a clever fighter, he will be able to go away, study the fight, watch the fight and clean up a few little things and put them right. The only problem is, Oleksandr Usyk is a fantastic thinking fighter as well. There’s no doubt he can probably go away and do the same.
“It will be a very similar, close fight and is one of them that could go either way. If I was giving Tyson any advice, not that he needs it from me, his tactics could be a little bit better where he uses his size to his advantage. Usyk is a hell of a fighter, but he was letting him bully him all over the ring and you’d have thought Usyk was the man mountain and Tyson was the little fella the way he was pushing him around the ring. If Tyson holds his feet a little bit better and hits him hard, leans on him a little more, certainly in the early rounds then I think that will make a difference. Because of the size difference, Tyson started fast so there’s no way Usyk should be the one coming on strong.”
Should John Fury watch as a father rather than be in the corner?
“I think he should do that. I believe I speak for most coaches who would say, you can have an assistant coach or second in command in the corner and while the three minute rounds are on, you can discuss with your coaching partner about what might happen. But when the one minute interval happens, there’s got to be only one voice. If that advice is coming from (all directions), you’re like ‘where do I go’?
“I think it’s fantastic to have two people in the corner (John Fury, Andy Lee or SugarHill Steward) it’s great because you can pick their brains. Two heads are better than one and three is better than two but in the one minute interval, you need to have one speaker and any coach that is worth their while would agree with me on that one".
Ricky Hatton Predicts the Winner of Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois and Gives His Thoughts on Fury v Joshua
Ricky Hatton believes Anthony Joshua will defeat Daniel Dubois due to his improved boxing skills and mental state under trainer Ben Davison.
While the ‘Hitman’ had doubts over whether Joshua vs Fury would materialize next, he insisted should it take place then it should be held in the UK not Saudi Arabia.
How do you see Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois going?
“I can only see Anthony Joshua winning. A lot of people will turn around and say it’s an obvious statement and we can all say is Joshua lands a punch on your chin then he’ll knock you out but because he’s happy now, not like when he fought Usyk and didn’t look in a good place mentally when he lost the fight where we know what happened after the fight with him grabbing the microphone and having a rant, throwing the belts, he’s in a happy place now and I know he is.
“He's with Ben Davison and is a very good thinking coach, a good tactician and in his last few fights – he’s known for being a heavy puncher – but he’s added more fluency to his movement and his combinations of what he is letting go. The fluency in the Francis Ngannou fight to get that shot in was fantastic and normally when you think of AJ, you don’t think of fluency, you think of power. He’s using his boxing ability and has added more fluency. He is more likely to land on Daniel Dubois than the other way around.
If Dubois does land, then it goes without saying. Dubois is going into this fight so confident because he has improved massively. I just think it’s a case of who you think will land first and Joshua has the better boxing ability and fluency, and the more speed.”
Fury v Joshua – who do you think would be the favorite?
“It depends on the next performances. Tyson didn’t look great against Usyk. Don’t get me wrong it was a good fight, I’m being a little bit unfair there because fighters like Usyk only come along every now and again, he’s exceptional. But he wasn’t great against Francis Ngannou, I think he would agree with me on that one. We’re all starting to think has Tyson got too many miles on the clock now? It seems to be the case after the last couple of fights. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in this one. But I don’t see the fight happening now, I think we’ve lost our chance, and it was criminal it didn’t happen a few years ago when they were both in their prime.
“But I said I think Joshua beats Dubois and Tyson has a good chance of beating Usyk if he tweaks a few little things, so it is capable of happening, but I just hope we haven’t lost our chance. That’s the biggest fight in boxing and certainly British boxing history. If somehow Daniel Dubois ends up winning or Tyson doesn’t win, and they don’t end up fighting each other then I think boxing has f***** up.
“It's heavyweight boxing and the apple cart can get upset with one punch in boxing and then there’s rematch clauses. Sometimes the fights that we want don’t seem to happen, but Tyson has a good chance of beating Usyk and I fancy AJ to come through the Dubois fight but I’m more confident of Joshua winning his next fight rather than Tyson. It would be criminal if that fight doesn’t happen. Let’s have our fingers crossed as boxing fans.”
What about the location, do you think it should happen in the UK?
Turki Alalshikh has done for boxing (is incredible). He’s brought all the big fights together and for everyone to work together which is really good for boxing. As much as I think our fight fans would appreciate what Turki Alalshikh has done for our sport, as British boxing fans if AJ and Tyson come through, please tell me we’re not expecting Fury and Joshua to fight in Saudi? I’m not being disrespectful to Turki Alalshikh, he’s been what our sport has needed. No disrespect to them but certain fights need to be in the United States and certain fights need to be in the UK. I’m not saying you can’t have the fights in Saudi but certain fights like AJ and Tyson Fury can only be in one place.
Ricky Hatton Goes on to Discuss Who He Thinks Are the World's Best Heavyweights and Believes It’s Time for Chisora to Hang up His Gloves
Ricky Hatton names Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Zhilei Zhang as the top five heavyweights in the world.
The former two-division world champion also praises Derek Chisora's recent win, previews a possible showdown with Deontay Wilder and retirement for the British veteran.
Who do you think are currently the top heavyweights in the world?
“You’ve got to say Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua depending on what order you think. Daniel Dubois deserves to be up there, Zhilei Zhang is very strong and heavy handed. There’s a few coming up at the back, but the heavyweight division is more open than from previous years. You had Mike Tyson then Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield but now we have six or seven heavyweights who could beat each other when one fighter used to stand out on their own. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Heavyweight boxing is great domestically too, we’ve got the rematch between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley which you won’t see many better fights than the first one. Good things are happening domestically and worldwide in the heavyweight division.”
What did you make of Derek Chisora’s recent win?
“He’s an absolute warrior. The thing you don’t lose is your punch (power) but the first thing you do lose is your resistance. When I fought Kostya Tszyu, I was at my freshest and was in my prime and I could walk through walls. The more fights you have though, father time catches up. With Joe Joyce, he was famous for having a great chin, but I think he’s had a massive amateur career with the Olympic Games and not that Derek isn’t capable of knocking people out but for Joe Joyce’s chin to be unmovable a few years ago, I think he’s had a couple of (tough) fights.
“I’d like to see Derek hang the gloves up now. He’s had a great career, I’m so proud of him. It just shows if you have a couple of defeats along the way, it doesn’t matter, keep at it because eventually you can come good and now Derek pulled that one out, he is line for a title fight. That’s the only trouble though, maybe Derek has come to a time where he should hang his gloves up. Every time I hope it’s his last fight. He’s had a great career but when you pull off a win against a fantastic heavyweight in Joe Joyce, he’s back in the picture for a money fight again.”
What do you think of Chisora v Deontay Wilder?
“Most people would favor Deontay Wilder, but most people backed Joe Joyce before the Derek Chisora fight. The fact that Wilder has had them wars with Tyson Fury, got beat by Joseph Parker and didn’t look great, you would have to say Derek has a chance of winning that fight. It might just be the right time to fight Deontay Wilder because there’s miles on the clock and he doesn’t look like the fighter he was.”
Ricky Hatton Addresses Mayweather’s Boxing Exhibitions and Crossovers Into the WWE
Ricky Hatton provides his opinion of Floyd Mayweather continuing to box in exhibitions, comparing it to his own against Marco Antonio Barrera. However, Hatton admits he is puzzled by Mayweather’s bout with John Gotti.
Hatton continues by recalling the enjoyment of his WWE stint as General Manager, despite the scripted nature of the role. He recalls his wrestling match with Chavo Guerrero fondly, noting he may have hit Guerrero a bit too hard, but it remains a great experience.
What do you make of Floyd Mayweather fighting in exhibitions?
“I did an exhibition and was very fortunate I didn’t want to do it for the money, I did it for personal reasons from my own history of the bad times I had come through to get into a position to fight Marco Antonio Barrera. That’s the reason I did.
“It’s very hard to retire from boxing, I struggled with retirement, and it was well documented. Floyd is an athlete, the reason he is the best is not just because of his ability but also because he is an athlete every day of the year. But it is still hard to say bye to boxing so Floyd might be doing it for the love of it. I can’t see him doing it for financial reasons.
“When I did my exhibition, it was because I’m in the ring with Marco Antonio Barrera. He’s been a friend of mine for a number of years, I’ve been a fan of him for years and to hear the crowd roar for one last time and to get in the ring with Marco Antonio Barrera… that’s the reason why you do it. I did it not for money but because I am an ambassador for mental health and wanted to show people and say ‘look what you can do when you turn your life around’. I did it to hear the roar of a crowd one last time and to say I shared the ring with Barrera. When you put all of that together, I don’t get the fight he is having with John Gotti.”
What was it like being the General Manager in the WWE?
“It was a number of years ago and they contacted me as it was in Sheffield Arena. They wanted me to be the General Manager which I knew what it was. You pick the fights, and I knew that because my son Campbell was massively into the WWE at the time. So, when they contacted me, I thought Campbell would love that, so I said yes, absolutely.
“When I got there, I thought I would just say he fights him, but it was a full blown script. You get in the ring with the Big Show, and I thought how I will remember this, I can’t remember my name let alone a full script. I did it and it was brilliant.
“I did a ‘Wrestler vs Boxer’ fight against Chavo Guerrero and then the Big Show and he was calling me a little man and leaning over me. I looked at Campbell who was in the front row and was only nine at the time, he was looking at me worried, but I said to him, ‘Campbell, I’m okay son’.It is brilliant and I don’t follow it so much these days but used to when Campbell was into it and the show they put on and string it together, you can’t fault it.”
What did it feel like punching Chavo Guerrero?
“Chavo Guerrero said, I will go behind you and I’ll throw you up and grab you by the shorts and then you turn me, spin me and then hit me. I think it hit him a little bit harder than I should have done to be honest with you. If you hear the sound of the punch, the noise from it… and he went down and got counted out (of the fight). It’s something I will always remember. What I did in my boxing career will always stand out but outside of that, I will always look back and smile at it.”
Looking for more sports content? Check out our list of the best sportsbooks!
