Ricky Hatton failed in his bid to hand Floyd Mayweather Jr. the first defeat of his storied boxing career, but the former champion believes that his countryman Amir Khan will have a good shot against the undefeated American.
Hatton, who was dominated by Mayweather during their showdown in 2007, told BoxingScene on Monday that Mayweather is obviously the better fighter, but he is giving Khan a chance against the reigning pound-for-pound king.
"I do give Khan a chance. I know a lot of people won't share my enthusiasm, and he will be the underdog, there's no getting away from that and I think Amir would admit that, but styles make fights," Hatton said.
The 35-year-old former light welterweight champion pointed out that Mayweather likes opponent to come at him before making his moves. Hatton said that if Khan will remain aggressive and attack without any hesitation, he can push Mayweather to the limits and give himself a chance of pulling off a huge upset win.
"Mayweather likes fighters to run at him and attack him, but he never has to go on the front foot and hunt someone down. If Amir could swallow his pride for one fight and use his hand speed and his boxing ability and let Floyd try to jump all over him, he's probably the only man who can match Floyd for skill," Hatton said.
Hatton also added that Mayweather's defense is expected to be a major concern for Khan, but he is confident that Khan would give the Grand Rapids native big headaches if he can take advantage of his speed and come out with a perfect fight plan suited for the Briton's style.
"Mayweather likes to sit back and use his defense, he can shoulder roll and all that, but his style is harder to get right when he's on the front foot. Amir has got the style to give him big headaches," Mayweather said.
The 36-year-old American has yet to name his opponent for his next bout scheduled on May 3rd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Recent reports indicated that Mayweather is still torn between Khan and newly-crowned WBA welterweight champion Marcos Maidana, but the Bolton-native reportedly has the upper hand since Maidana is tied-up to a rematch with Adrien Broner anytime this year.
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