Boxing

RICKY HATTON “felt cheated” after losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2007 and said he “smelt a rat” in referee Joe Cortez.
Hatton was knocked out in round ten by then welterweight champion Mayweather in Las Vegas.

Ricky Hatton ‘felt cheated’ after losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2007

Hatton said he ‘smelt a rat’ in referee Joe Cortez

But the fearsome body puncher was unable to work on the inside – like he did to beat Kostya Tszyu two years prior – with Cortez keen to break up the pair.
To this day Hatton believes his opponent was helped by the official, who had a history of letting fighters trade up close.
And he used former opponents Jose Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana – who Mayweather beat easier in rematches – to suggest the unbeaten legend struggled against inside fighters.
Hatton told BT Sports: “I did give him a good run for his money.

“I feel a little bit cheated to be honest with you, because I felt that I wasn’t going to outbox him and I wasn’t going to out-speed him, but if I was allowed to get close I would definitely throw more punches than him. 

I smelt a rat that night with the referee and I don’t think I was given a fair crack of the whip.
Hatton on referee Cortez

“I never got the opportunity and that’s the thing that will always eat away at me – the referee never gave me the opportunity.
“The one person that was allowed to get stuck in and bully him and was allowed to fight close was Marcos Maidana and he pushed him really close.
“Castillo was allowed to get close and a lot of people thought Castillo won, so I smelt a rat that night with the referee and I don’t think I was given a fair crack of the whip.”

After the loss Hatton would go on to hire Mayweather’s dad, Floyd Sr, winning twice.
But following a devastating second round KO defeat to Manny Pacquiao, the Manchester hero spent three years out of the ring before losing his comeback to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.
He then retired and has since become a successful coach – but in reflection he feels the performance he put in against Tszyu in 2005 would have been enough to beat Mayweather.

Hatton told Sky Sports: “Against Kostya Tszyu, with a referee who let the fight flow at a distance and up close, I would have beaten anyone that night, including Floyd.
“I’m not saying I was a better fighter than Floyd. But the right tactics on the right night at the right time? Even the best can be beaten.
“If I fought him on that night, I think I might have beaten him.”

Mayweather poses with referee Joe Cortez after. his victory over Hatton

Ricky Hatton gives son Campbell a brutal lesson in boxing in huge garden outside legend’s stunning home More

LYNDON ARTHUR will happily hand Anthony Yarde a fan-filled 2021 rematch – as long as he gets the A-side pay and respect he deserves.
The 29-year-old arrived at Church House, Westminster, as the Commonwealth champion but 9-2 underdog, with heavy favourite Yarde the challenger.

Lyndon Arthur landed a shock win by edging out big favourite Anthony Yarde – and says he will only grant a rematch if he is treated better Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Light-heavyweight Lyndon Arthur, 29, made it 18 wins in 18 fights as he retained his Commonwealth crown at Westminster Church House, LondonCredit: Reuters

But the Manchester star had to fight for his right to enter the ring second, as champ, and even his entrance music was messed around with.
After jabbing underwhelming Yarde to a split decision loss – that should have been a wider unanimous score – he said: “I’m happy to do the rematch, if the money is right.
“But I will be pushing the fact that I am the A-side now.

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“I have handled being the B-side for long enough now.

“They even tried to make me walk second here and we only got it changed last minute.
“They also kept cutting my music off too, I won’t be standing for none of that next time.” 
The 6ft 2in light-heavyweight ace had super-fly friend Sunny Edwards to thank for some of his success.
The pair are tight pals from their time together on Team GB and ringside Edwards spent the whole fight cheering and advising Arthur, while criticising Yarde loudly and clearly.

But the 5ft 3in boxing brain will not be getting a big cut of King Arthur’s purse not matter how handy his verbals were.

Arthur joked: “Sunny doesn’t need any of my money, he has plenty of that already, belts too.
“I could hear him all the way through the fight, he even made me laugh a few times, which my trainer told me off about.
“We go back a long way, we speak every day and it was nice to share this win with him.”

Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur – Round by Round More

LENNOX LEWIS turned heads at Errol Spence’s win over Danny Garcia by wearing an incredible suit lined with pictures of his Olympic gold medal win in 1988.
The legendary former world heavyweight champion, 55, was on punditry duty for last night’s fight in Arlington, Texas.

Lennox Lewis, 55, wore a suit with a picture of his Olympic gold medal win for Errol Spence Jr’s fightCredit: Rex Features

Lewis won gold for Canada at the 1988 Games in Seoul

Spence saw off Garcia on points in his first fight since a life-threatening car crash over a year ago.
And the result saw him move to 27-0 while retaining his WBC and IBF welterweight titles.
But Lewis was hard to miss from the sides as he showed off the inner lining of his shimmering suit.
The London-born giant won Olympic gold at the Seoul Games for Cananda.

And his suit was decorated with pictures showing the historic moment he defeated Riddick Bowe before turning professional.
Lewis recently excited boxing fans by admitting he could stage a comeback fight – just like old foe Mike Tyson, who drew with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition last week.
Lewis, who won 41 of his 44 fights, told BT Sport: “Sure! I mean, it seems like a lot of fun.
“When I was commentating for HBO, they had me put in there right in the action.

“It was maybe to make me feel like I could come back for HBO but I just never caught it, it never happened.
“I looked at the history of why boxers come back and most boxers come back because they have nothing else to do.

Lewis admits he could be tempted to the ring for a comeback fightCredit: Rex Features

“People keep coming up to them and saying, ‘Hey, when is your next fight? Who are you going to fight?’
“But it doesn’t do better for them, it makes them look bad. So I always elected to stay away from that.
“But, if it is right, I may come back. There has been talk of Riddick Bowe wants to fight me still so there is still some unfinished business there.”
Lewis and Bowe were long connected with a fight in the pro ranks but it never got made.

Lennox Lewis and his trainer remember his sparring sessions with Mike Tyson More

RICKY HATTON “felt cheated” after losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2007 and said he “smelt a rat” in referee Joe Cortez.
Hatton was knocked out in round ten by then welterweight champion Mayweather in Las Vegas.

Ricky Hatton ‘felt cheated’ after losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2007

Hatton said he ‘smelt a rat’ in referee Joe Cortez

But the fearsome body puncher was unable to work on the inside – like he did to beat Kostya Tszyu two years prior – with Cortez keen to break up the pair.
To this day Hatton believes his opponent was helped by the official, who had a history of letting fighters trade up close.
And he used former opponents Jose Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana – who Mayweather beat easier in rematches – to suggest the unbeaten legend struggled against inside fighters.
Hatton told BT Sports: “I did give him a good run for his money.

“I feel a little bit cheated to be honest with you, because I felt that I wasn’t going to outbox him and I wasn’t going to out-speed him, but if I was allowed to get close I would definitely throw more punches than him. 

I smelt a rat that night with the referee and I don’t think I was given a fair crack of the whip.
Hatton on referee Cortez

“I never got the opportunity and that’s the thing that will always eat away at me – the referee never gave me the opportunity.
“The one person that was allowed to get stuck in and bully him and was allowed to fight close was Marcos Maidana and he pushed him really close.
“Castillo was allowed to get close and a lot of people thought Castillo won, so I smelt a rat that night with the referee and I don’t think I was given a fair crack of the whip.”

After the loss Hatton would go on to hire Mayweather’s dad, Floyd Sr, winning twice.
But following a devastating second round KO defeat to Manny Pacquiao, the Manchester hero spent three years out of the ring before losing his comeback to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.
He then retired and has since become a successful coach – but in reflection he feels the performance he put in against Tszyu in 2005 would have been enough to beat Mayweather.

Hatton told Sky Sports: “Against Kostya Tszyu, with a referee who let the fight flow at a distance and up close, I would have beaten anyone that night, including Floyd.
“I’m not saying I was a better fighter than Floyd. But the right tactics on the right night at the right time? Even the best can be beaten.
“If I fought him on that night, I think I might have beaten him.”

Mayweather poses with referee Joe Cortez after. his victory over Hatton

Ricky Hatton gives son Campbell a brutal lesson in boxing in huge garden outside legend’s stunning home More