It has been more than two years since former light welterweight boxing champion Ricky Hatton has fought in the ring, but he still keeps up-to-date with boxing and mixed martial arts.
In this recent interview with Fight Hub TV, the 33-year-old talks about both sports and if they can coexist and still be successful.
“Mixed martial arts wasn’t seen as too popular, but the more it’s getting bigger and bigger all the time and the more you look into it—first, I just thought it was people rolling about on the floor on top of each other,” said Hatton. “As it gets more popular, you look into it a little bit more scientifically, and there is a lot more to it. It’s not just about standing there using your feet and your fists. It’s about getting your opponent on the floor and putting them in a certain move, which is a work of art in its own right.”
“The more I watch it, I have become much more of a fan,” Hatton continued. “The more popular it gets, the more I’ll get into it. These are proper professional athletes now, and they work hard. They dedicate themselves at it.”
Hatton hasn’t recently come to know what the UFC is all about. He attended UFC 75 from London, England, in 2007. His Dec. 8 bout with Floyd Mayweather went head-to-head with The Ultimate Fighter Finale in the same year.
Recent boxing events have been broadcast on the same nights as the UFC. Hatton doesn’t see it as a problem.
“Boxing will always have its own audience,” Hatton said. “There is room for both sports. Boxing is one sport. Mixed martial arts is another one. Boxing can learn from mixed martial arts. They create an atmosphere with the ring entrances and the music and everything like that. You gotta put something out there that sells.”
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