mayweather hatton round by round

Round-By-Round at Mayweather-Hatton
By GREG BEACHAM � 11 hours ago

LAS VEGAS (AP) ― Round-by-round action in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s WBC welterweight title fight with England's Ricky Hatton:

ROUND 1 ― Hatton charges from the opening bell. Mayweather holds the neck, and they wrestle. Both very active and mobile. Hatton lands a left hand, and so does Mayweather. Hatton trying to work inside, but Mayweather counterpunches early. Mayweather dodges, but Hatton lands a hand. Crowd roaring with every shot. Mayweather loses balance on defense, and his seven-step stumble drives the crowd mad. Hatton chases Mayweather twice into red corner. Repeated clinch, but Hatton keeps swinging one-handed. Mayweather gets a big crack, and fighters briefly scuffle at the bell.

Hatton's round.

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ROUND 2 ― Hatton draws another roar with a quick opening punch. Hatton wants to brawl, and Mayweather is thinking about it. Hatton charges Mayweather on the ropes, and the champion needs all of his quickness to avoid it. Referee Joe Cortez calls time, warns both fighters. Mayweather bounces and weaves, and Hatton gets a straight right in. Mayweather lands a sharp left on Hatton's nose. Cortez gives another stern lecture, fearful of a wrestling match. Both run and wrestle to the bell.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 3 ― Hatton leads with a left while striving to get inside. Mayweather sitting back, playing defense, working the body. Mayweather ducks a left hook. Another clinch. Cortez allowing Hatton greater freedom to stay inside. Hatton hugs Mayweather into ropes, and Hatton turns to Cortez ― but Mayweather lands a straight right and a shoulder shove. Mayweather ducks and dodges. Hatton is fighting a classic brawling style. Mayweather's nose is shiny, but Hatton's right eye begins to bleed

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 4 ― They trade fierce combinations in Mayweather's corner. Hatton works the body with a left, but Mayweather turns his shoulder. Hatton can't move Mayweather anywhere he doesn't want to go, and Mayweather's counterpunching has improved. Mayweather slips a straight left inside on Hatton's head. Mayweather snaps Hatton's neck twice with right hands, but Hatton stays in tight. Mayweather tattoos Hatton's face with combinations, picking at the cut. Hatton keeps charging, but Mayweather is in charge.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 5 ― Hatton charges and shoves Mayweather into the corner, but Mayweather turns his shoulder for defense. Hatton still active with combinations. Mayweather sitting back, catching a breather on the ropes. A tangle of arms and heads in the corner. Mayweather content to sit back, and Hatton gains confidence for a combination. Hatton still vulnerable to Mayweather's speedy straight hands. The fighters lock arms, and Cortez warns. Mayweather puts a glove in Hatton's face, ending a round with little activity.

Hatton's round.

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ROUND 6 ― Mayweather ducks underneath punches and blocks others, as usual. Hatton catches Mayweather's chin near the ropes, and the ensuing flury ends with Mayweather's upper body through the ropes. Cortez deducts a punch for a blow to the back of Mayweather's head, inciting the crowd's ire. Hatton reacts with disbelief. Another exciting combination results in little damage. Mayweather tags Hatton's chin with a straight right. The crowd produces its first anti-Cortez song of the night. They wrestle in Mayweather's corner, and Hatton plays to the crowd. Hatton is reluctant to go back to his corner at the bell.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 7 ― Mayweather dances a full circle, then wraps up Hatton's arms. More wrestling in the corner, but both come out of it punching. Mayweather tries body shots, but Hatton is too quick. Mayweather blocks a nasty-looking combination. Hatton pushes to set up shots, but Mayweather has played this game before. Hatton barely avoids a right hand. They push in the center of the ring, Hatton constantly leaning forward. Mayweather lands a snapping left hand, then chases Hatton in a classic late-round surge.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 8 ― Lots of movement, no punches landing for either fighter. Mayweather punches his way out of a clinch, then lands a sneaky right uppercut. Hatton responds admirably, but Mayweather catches Hatton flush with a straight right, sending Hatton staggering into him. Mayweather smells it, chasing him to the ropes and unloading as Hatton crouches. Hatton recovers and goes to the body as a few hundred fans chant "U-S-A!" over the English drumbeat. The fighters lean into each other. Mayweather slips inside and lands another series of shots, starting with a smashing right and punctuated by another. Mayweather unloads with a ferocity we've rarely seen from him in recent years, but Hatton stays upright.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 9 ― "Hatton Wonderland" sounds less convincing now. Hatton still charging forward, and he gets Mayweather to the ropes without landing a square punch. Mayweather sitting back, catching Hatton again with another right that's too fast to block. Mayweather turns his shoulder, then lands another right. Mayweather slaps Hatton with a left, then makes Hatton whiff on a left hook. Hatton still stalking, but Mayweather slaps at his head. Mayweather lands another straight right counterpunch, fighting confidently.

Mayweather's round.

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ROUND 10 ― Hatton stays aggressive, chases Mayweather, who doesn't even look winded. Out of nowhere, Mayweather floors Hatton one minute into the right with a big left hook. Hatton gets up easily, but Mayweather staggers Hatton with a left, then sends him stumbling and sprawling flat on his back in a neutral corner. Cortez ends the fight over a prone Hatton, and Mayweather leaps on the ropes
ROUND ONE

Hatton starts the fight in typical style but finds himself being picked off by Mayweather. However a superb jab wobbles the champion, only for Mayweather to pull himself together and see out the round with more punch-picking.

ROUND TWO

Hatton enjoys a better second round, cutting the ring off effectively but still open to Mayweather's counter-punching. Referee Joe Cortez is too keen to get involved and part the fighters any time they look to engage at close quarters.

ROUND THREE

Cortez seems intent on spoiling the fight. Hatton, yet to mount an attack to the body, lands a decent left-right combinaton and single right but finishes the round with a small cut on his right eyebrow.

ROUND FOUR

Hatton endures a nightmare round, with Mayweather comfortably dodging the Mancunian's assaults and replying with venomous right hands to which Hatton is wide open.

ROUND FIVE

Mayweather's questionable use of the forearm and elbow, grinding it into Hatton's face, continues to go unpunished by the hapless Cortez. A better round for Hatton nevertheless, soaking up fewer shots and landing more of his own without showing signs of damaging the American.

ROUND SIX

Hatton loses his cool after being deducted a point by Cortez for hitting the back of Mayweather's head, despite it being due to the champion turning his back. Meanwhile Mayweather's elbow continues to play a prominent role.

ROUND SEVEN

Hatton continues as the aggressor without managing to pin down the elusive Mayweather. Hatton's lack of body shots is surprising and makes him look one-dimensional.

ROUND EIGHT

Mayweather ups the ante in style landing uppercuts, jabs, counters and some superb body shots. Hatton is hurt by a snapping straight right on the chin but steadies, only to be rocked by another right. A flurry of Mayweather punches almost results in a stoppage until Hatton manages to land one back. A 10-8 round for the Pretty Boy.

ROUND NINE

Mayweather's sublime skills come to the fore as Hatton runs out of ideas and the fight starts slipping away from his grasp. Both still look energetic but Mayweather seems completely in control.

ROUND 10

A great left hook by Mayweather sends Hatton flying onto the ringpost and to the canvas. Hatton gets up but another left snaps his neck back and as the champion presses forward, in the process of flooring Hatton again, Cortez waves the fight off to hand Mayweather victory.

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