‘Joshua still has hunger to win world titles back – don’t write him off’
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In a new interview with Betting Sites, former World Champion boxer Ricky Hatton warned that anyone writing off Anthony Joshua’s chances of reclaiming the heavyweight titles should do so at their peril.
The Hitman also gave his view on whether Tyson Fury should be considering retirement, unleashed some stinging criticism of Floyd Mayweather and revealed he was less than impressed by Tommy Fury’s win over Jake Paul.
Interview highlights:
- Joshua still has hunger to win world titles back – don’t write him off
- Struggling against Ngannou could be a blessing in disguise for Fury vs Usyk
- Floyd Mayweather is the most arrogant man Hatton has ever met
- Tommy Fury should’ve dealt with Jake Paul inside the distance
Anthony Joshua will prove doubters wrong
Anthony Joshua has faced a barrage of criticism over since his defeats to Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk but Hatton is adamant that AJ still has the desire and ability to win back the heavyweight titles he lost in 2021;
Ricky Hatton: “A lot of people have written Joshua off a little bit, and I would say they are doing it at their peril. Take Tyson Fury for example – not many people would have expected him to struggle against Francis Ngannou. That might give AJ a little bit of confidence knowing that he could be there to be beaten, if he gets the chance.
“AJ’s got fantastic boxing ability – he’s got the size, the power, the strength. He’s got that boxing pedigree, rising all the way from the amateurs and becoming heavyweight champion of the world.”
Fury will be motivated by poor performance vs Ngannou
Hatton thinks only Tyson Fury will know if it’s his time to retire and he also reckons the Gypsy King’s fortunate win over Francis Ngannou will serve to strengthen his resolve should he fight Usyk next year;
Hatton: “When I made my comeback fight, I knew after two rounds that my ability had gone. But if Tyson’s the man I think he is, and clever as I think he is, I think he’ll know more than anyone whether it’s time to hang his gloves up.
“If he gets the Usyk fight sorted next, I think the best Tyson Fury will turn up. He’ll want to bounce back from the Ngannou fight. He’ll train hard, he’ll put his foot down because of the last fight. It might not have been such a bad thing, having a bit of stinker just before the Usyk fight. It might force him to get back on track. Had Tyson had knocked him out in two rounds, he might have gone into the Usyk fight a bit complacent.”
Trashtalking Mayweather is the most arrogant celebrity
Hatton lost his undefeated status to Floyd Mayweather back in 2007 and revealed that the American never had a good word to say either before or after the fight, even behind closed doors;
Hatton: “Oh yeah, by far [Mayweather is the most arrogant person Hatton has met]. Even behind closed doors when the camera is off, he never had the decency to come up to me and go, how are you doing? You okay? All he does is talk about himself.
“Who calls themselves Money Mayweather? Where did he come from, the projects? I come from the same thing, a council estate. I speak to kids and say, listen, I come from the same place as you, if I can do it, so can you. Believe in yourself, you can get there.
“What will Floyd do? Go down there and show them his watch, his chain and his ring on his pinky. I think the people in the projects would be absolutely disgusted if he turned up.”
Tommy Fury should have wiped the floor with Jake Paul
Tommy Fury was the bookmakers’ favourite to beat Jake Paul and although he came away with a split decision win, the Hitman feels he should have put in a far more convincing performance;
Hatton: “Everyone expected Tommy to come out and wipe the floor with Jake Paul, and it ended up being decided on a split decision. No disrespect to Tommy, but it’s only over the short format. You would have expected Tommy to win those fights a little bit more comfortably than he did.
“I think because the influencer boxers are all over the shop it might have been a bit more difficult for him to predict. But you’ve got to give credit to [influencer boxers], because they are out of their comfort zone, aren’t they? It’s not their area of expertise, so fair play.”
