Boxing legend Ricky Hatton shares his take on the biggest stories in boxing right now, including the unpredictable Benn vs Eubank Jr. fight, concerns around weight and safety, and the emotional impact of Conor Benn’s doping scandal.
Hatton also discusses Tyson Fury’s possible return, Jake Paul’s call-out of Anthony Joshua, and what lies ahead for Josh Taylor. Hatton even discusses an interesting face-off between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
Eubank Jr vs Benn. It promises fireworks. How do you think the fight is going to play out?
“I keep changing my mind every five minutes. A lot of people are the same and are shifting to Eubank Jr. because of the size difference. Conor has shown fantastic performances that have been explosive and have shown great promise, and I’m a friend of Nigel and Conor, but it would be fair to say he hasn’t fought anyone of any particular standard, certainly not the opponents Eubank Jr. has faced.
“That’s at his own weight, let alone moving up two weights. That’s Conor Benn for you. He’s very much like his dad, fearless with huge self-belief, and that’s the hardest thing to beat in an opponent, the belief they have.
“It seems like Chris Eubank Jr. has been around forever. Last time, he tried to boil his weight down, and the fight got canceled. Then he went in with Liam Smith and got stopped. He normally has a fantastic chin, and Liam is a lot bigger than Conor, but he had been bringing his weight down, so I don’t know if that had an effect on his resistance in the Smith fight.
“The fact that there are so many questions about the weight, size, and Conor moving up… I’ll fancy Conor. If he gets amongst him, he has so much fire in his belly and desire. He doesn’t like Chris, so I think that extra bit of fire might lead to a points decision or a stoppage down the straight.”
“No result would surprise me. If Chris comes out and outboxes him and outclasses him, he is well capable of doing that, given the higher level of opposition he has fought. But it could go any way, and no result would surprise me.”
The egg-throwing incident. Do you think Eubank Jr crossed a line? Has it upped the ante even more?
“I don’t know (how I would react), but I thought it was quite funny, and I chuckled. However, it was disrespectful, and there’s no getting away from that… but I thought it was funny. He’s a very acquired taste (Eubank Jr.), like his dad, but something as humorous and a bit of banter like that tickled me.
“I know Chris Eubank Sr. isn’t happy with his boy doing that and said he never taught him that, but what Chris Sr. has to realize is that it’s from a different era. I would have never done that, neither would Chris Sr. or Nigel Benn, but with social media now, whenever it’s a press conference or a weigh-in, a table gets thrown, or there’s pushing or shoving.
“I can see why Conor and Nigel were fuming, but it’s added fuel to the fire of the fight with the history between the two fighters. That added more fuel to the fire, which has made it interesting. It’s a shame to see Chris Sr. isn’t involved; I get it a little, considering what happened with the Michael Watson and Gerald McClellan fights (against Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn). The fight is taking place with one fighter moving up and the other having a hydration clause, so you have to keep in mind the history of what happened with Chris Sr. and Nigel in their fights.
“That’s why Chris Sr. doesn’t want to get involved with his son boiling down in weight to fight Conor, who, although smaller, is talented and explosive.”
Chris Eubank Sr. has raised some concerns about brain damage potentially resulting for the fighters. He even wants the bout banned. What's your verdict on that?
“I see his point absolutely. Would I like to see Campbell in the same position, if I had history with one of my opponents and they ended up poorly, while my son is boiling down in weight and has a hydration clause? I’d feel uncomfortable if Campbell were doing it.
“I do see his point, but Conor, Eubank Jr, and Nigel have every faith in the British Board of Control that things will be safe, even though there is a hydration clause and a weight difference. I have no doubt the board will ensure the boxer’s safety is always paramount, and even though Conor is moving up and Eubank Jr is moving down, they will make sure the fight is as safe as possible.
“They wouldn’t allow the fight to take place if there was a massive risk of something going wrong, and that’s what we want as boxing fans. The BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) and the medical side of things will put the right measures in place to ensure nothing like that happens. But if you’ve been through what the parents have gone through, I can see why Chris Sr. doesn’t want anything to do with it.
“I’ve never known a fight with so many maybes, the weigh-in, the weights, and who is going to win. This is boxing these days.
Conor Benn has admitted that the doping scandal took a toll on himself and his father. If he secures a win on the weekend, does it rank as one of the greatest British boxing comeback stories?
“Yes, I think so. I spoke to Conor nearer the time and did some functions with Nigel, and it hit them both very hard. They were pleading their innocence. It would’ve been a hard thing for any father and son in boxing to be labeled with, and they were adamant and have been proven to be not guilty.
“It’s how fight fans will look at it, and again, everyone will have their own view. Some will say he’s cleared his name, while others won’t be having it, and unfortunately, that’s what they will have to deal with.
“But if they put on a good performance and a good show, and then, after the fight, the respect is there which is always the case in boxing, where you can have so much hatred for each other and knock lumps out of each other for 12 rounds and then there’s respect (at the end of the fight), and if that’s the case, then it will be forgotten.
I know you aren't Jake Paul's biggest fan, but what is your take on a potential showdown between him and Anthony Joshua? Would it be a wrong move for AJ?
“It’s not the wrong move for AJ, but I think it’s the wrong move for Jake Paul, even though Anthony Joshua might be coming to the end of his career and having a few last fights. I couldn’t see, for the life of me, how Jake Paul would beat AJ. I really couldn’t. It wasn’t long ago that AJ was a former heavyweight champion of the world, and Jake Paul has gone from fighting a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, which he got a lot of stick for.
“I guess Jake Paul is mentioning that the AJ fight could possibly happen because I don’t think he did himself any favors when he fought Mike. Then, when the fight happened, it was a bit of a p* take, to be honest, by holding back the punches.
“If Jake Paul is to be taken seriously in boxing, then he has to go for a fight like this. There are fights out there where he could earn that respect, but certainly, a former heavyweight champion in AJ could bite him on the a*. I can’t see how he beats him, even if he is younger and AJ is coming toward the end.
“Fair play to him though, that’s more like it than fighting Mike Tyson before he takes his pension.”
Tyson Fury, still retired. Can you see that changing any time soon? Talk of AJ keeps on going…
“I love the family, but I think you should take everything Tyson, John, and Tommy say with a pinch of salt. Tyson seems to be in the gym a lot, looks really healthy, and is in good shape. He’s been doing a lot of training sessions with Paris, and in his mind, he might have every intention of coming back and giving it another go.
“Tyson once said to me that he doesn’t know what he will be when he retires from boxing and that he’ll struggle to find something to do, which makes me think he’s said he will retire to get a few more quid. That could be the case. I think it would be heartbreaking if AJ and Tyson ended up retiring without fighting each other. That would be a tragedy for British boxing. Not just because personally they couldn’t get it on, but for the fans.
“There’s still a chance; I really think that. I spoke to Tyson not too long ago by text to ask how he is and to say he’s had a great career and that I was proud of him. But he never mentioned anything to me about coming back, and he seemed adamant he was retiring.
“It’s very interesting to see him in the gym, ticking over and looking after himself. I was always worried about Tyson when he said, 'What would I be without boxing?' That’s not what you want to hear when he’s suffered with his mental health like I have, but I think there’s every chance he could come back.”
Can Anthony Joshua avenge his defeat to Daniel Dubois and who would you like to see him fight next if Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk fight for the undisputed title?
“With Daniel Dubois’ performance against Anthony Joshua, he deserves his shot against Oleksandr Usyk next, especially with the controversy and performance he put in during his first fight against Usyk regarding the low blow. I think he deserves it.
“If they can’t make Usyk-Dubois, then we would see an all-British fight, which would be great for British fans. We have the best in the heavyweight division at the minute with Tyson Fury; I don’t know whether he’s retired or will continue, and Anthony Joshua, who has fantastic boxing ability.
“One punch can change everything in the heavyweight division, but I would favor Daniel to win the rematch against Joshua because he is on the crest of a wave. He came out of the Usyk fight with a lot of credit for his performance and then knocked AJ out, so his confidence will be through the roof right now.
“I have to fancy Dubois in the rematch, and the winner can fight Usyk. It’ll be a good fight, and the Tyson Fury fight isn’t going anywhere if AJ continues to fight.”
Thoughts over speculation Floyd Mayweather is bankrupt?
“I’ve heard that rumor a few times over the last couple of years, but then you see him in Dubai in a Lamborghini with a load of cash in his hand, so I don’t know. He used to gamble and made claims of winning lots of money from bets. He’d be the first gambler to have made money if he has.
“I wouldn’t like to hear that because, at the end of the day, he has given fight fans a lot of entertainment over the years and has been a breath of fresh air with the ability he has got. It’s the hardest game in the world, but he has always been perfectly prepared, putting in lots of effort with his hard work and dedication.
“He inspired a younger generation with how you have to do it and how you look after yourself when training. For someone like Floyd, to see what he has done for boxing and to come out of the game and be bankrupt… I don’t think we will ever be on each other’s Christmas card list, but I wouldn’t like to see it. I want to see him retire and put his feet up.
“A lot of people will say he is flash and calls himself ‘Money Mayweather.' Who calls themselves Money? If I walked into my local pub and called myself ‘Money’ Hatton and threw £20 notes about, I’d get a pint poured in my face. But that is Floyd. I wouldn’t like to see him bankrupt though; that would be a crying shame for someone who has been so good for the sport.”
Can Josh Taylor become a two-weight world champion by reclaiming his former glory as a welterweight and could you see a trilogy with Jack Catterall?
“I would like to see the trilogy with Jack Catterall if he is moving up to welterweight and only has a few fights left in what has been a fantastic career. But moving up is always a tricky one. If you move up from bantamweight to super bantamweight, it’s only 4 pounds, and if you move from super bantamweight to featherweight, that’s 4 pounds, but it’s a full 7 pounds moving up from light welterweight to welterweight.
“It’s a big ask, as it isn’t like the smaller weights where you have the little weights thrown together. It could be good, but only he knows how big he can be when he moves up to the weight. Only Josh knows what he has left in the tank.
“I would like to see the Jack Catterall fight again. It’s always been a big rivalry and had controversy in the first fight. People would pay to see that fight again, but would it be at welterweight? Maybe it would be a good fight at welterweight, but it is hard moving up an extra 7 pounds. I certainly found it hard when I moved up against Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight title and immediately moved back down, thinking welterweight isn’t for me.
“Having said that, I went straight up to fight Floyd Mayweather, so if the opportunities are there at welterweight for Josh, then I would go for that. He has to keep an open mind on it though.”
Who would win in a fight between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola?
“Pep Guardiola looks very passionate on the touchline, flying here, there, and everywhere, and in the changing rooms, talking to the boys. He’s also passionate, so Pep may be a bit of a dark horse. Pep can be a nuisance. I’ve never met Pep, so I don’t know him personally. But it’s like Eubank vs Benn with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
“I remember one time Jose was sat on the bench talking to his assistant coach, and somebody pointed out that a Man City player should have a yellow card. So, he sprints over to the referee and puts his hands in the air, demanding a card. He hadn’t even seen it, but what a character he is.
“I don’t look at Jose as someone who could have a fight, though. I think of Sam Allardyce or Sean Dyche, and you think they could have it, but not with Jose Mourinho scaring anyone. But he is passionate, like Pep.
“Jose is the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather: very confident, very arrogant, and says he is the best and the Special One, while Floyd calls himself ‘Money’ Mayweather. They would get on well having a meal together.
“It would be interesting. You need characters, and that’s what makes sport. We’d be lost without characters in boxing and football; it wouldn’t be very entertaining, would it?
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