The time has finally arrived, the exciting conclusion to an amazing 2007 in the world of boxing. And of all the matchups, I think this one is my favorite. Two undefeated fighters, two Ring Champions, two of the best in the world, meeting with it all on the line.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (38-0, 24 KOs) takes on Ricky Hatton (43-0, 31) on HBO Pay-Per-View in one of the most anticipated matches of the year. Mayweather is more than a 2-to-1 favorite to defeat Hatton, but there are about 16,000 Brits here in Las Vegas that will kindly disagree with that verdict.

For all of the great matchups of this year, this one is the best. There were some great ones like Kessler-Calzaghe, Mosley-Cotto, and Pavlik-Taylor, but I think this one takes the cake. The reason I say that is because this is the only matchup between two superstars that have already earned their superstar status, and they’re both in their prime. Calzaghe is up there in age, and Kessler is still a little green, Mosley is past his prime while Cotto is the future superstar. Pavlik was in his first huge fight against a legit prime champion. But only this fight has two prime, undefeated legitimate superstars. For that reason, this is the matchup of the year.

Many places I’ve seen have only one possible outcome in this fight: Mayweather by easy win. The average fans tend to think that this will be Mayweather-Gatti all over again. Well, I can assure you it most definitely will not be that. Ricky Hatton is an elite fighter. Probably the best fighter that Floyd’s ever been in the ring with. On the other side of that is the fact that Mayweather is also the best fighter Hatton’s ever been in the ring with. Both men’s strengths play right into the other fighter’s weaknesses.

Hatton is a great pressure fighter, and if we’ve learned anything about Mayweather over the years it’s that he is not the same fighter when being pressured as he is when he can dictate the tempo. We saw in the first Jose Luis Castillo fight that Floyd was uncomfortable with the pressure. We saw when Oscar De La Hoya put Floyd on the ropes, that he was able to win those moments of the fight. That is Hatton’s specialty, and he’ll have to keep constant pressure all night to neutralize Mayweather’s speed and defense.

That leads right into the other side of the coin, where Mayweather’s strengths play right into Hatton’s weaknesses. Hatton will likely struggle when this fight is in the middle of the ring, and at distance. Hatton’s got quick hands, but Mayweather will be faster. In the middle of the ring, Mayweather will be able to counter-punch Hatton and set traps for him. Hatton also throws wide, looping punches, something Mayweather should be able to easily exploit.

One of the most important factors in this fight is distance. Floyd will control the fight when there is distance between the fighters, and Hatton will make Mayweather very uncomfortable when there is not. But can Hatton force his way in? Will Mayweather discourage him from walking right in? Those are the key questions in this fight.

I think that Hatton will be relatively successful at establishing his game early in this fight. Floyd is not the type of fighter who will punish you for walking in on him. It’s more a matter of if he is still there when you get inside. For Hatton to be successful in this fight, he’s going to have to make it pretty ugly — grasping, throwing Floyd against the ropes, and in-fighting. For Mayweather, jab, move, and make Hatton pay every time he walks in and tries to go to the body.

Hatton is a relentless body puncher. The best way to neutralize a speed and energy advantage is to work the body. Mayweather must be prepared for that. Mayweather’s biggest risk of being stopped is from one perfect body shot, like the one that stopped Castillo. Hatton’s biggest risk of being stopped is likely swelling and cuts. He’s been susceptible to that in the past, and if Floyd can land a high number of shots, he could make that an issue in this fight.

So here’s how I see it happening…

Hatton will come out full speed ahead at the opening bell, attempting to force Floyd into his gameplan right away. I expect the first round or two to be ugly, as Hatton tries to establish his style early. That means a few rounds of clinching, grabbing, wrestling, whatever it takes, before it settles into being more of a boxing match. For the punch-and-grab reputation that Hatton has, it’s not nearly as bad as people want to say it is. But what he has done in the past, like it or not, will be done in this fight.

Mayweather will make Hatton pay when he walks in. Mayweather will out jab Hatton, and likely dominate the counter-punching statistics. When this fight is in the middle of the ring, Mayweather will do very well. When it’s on the ropes, Hatton should do quite well.

I think Hatton’s speed is underrated. When it comes down to it, I think Hatton has the ability to fight Floyd’s fight better than Floyd can fight Ricky’s. That doesn’t mean Hatton will dominate the fight or anything, but that it will be a close fight.

I see this fight going the distance, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one, or both fighters hit the canvas in this fight. I think this will be a spectacular fight, full of energy and action. When all is said and done, I’m going with the upset. I think Hatton’s unorthodox style will bother Mayweather, and Hatton will win the fight with energy and in-fighting. Prediction: Hatton by split-decision.

*****

**One side-prediction…Billy Graham KO1 vs. Roger Mayweather between rounds 5 and 6…

*****

Boxing rankings for December 2007 are now updated.

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