Boxing legend Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton is the latest to weigh-in with his prediction for Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather, and in doing so he will have summed up the feelings of many as he expressed his desire to see the Irishman get the victory, despite all logic in his head telling him it can't happen.
Hatton was in Dublin on Friday ahead of Steve Collins' clash with Paddy McDonagh for the vacant Irish light-heavyweight title this at the National Stadium this Saturday, but BT Sport caught up with him earlier in the week to get his views on the fight that has dominated the headlines for the past few months.
He was clear to point out that he is a big fan of Conor McGregor, and even expressed his hope that he hadn't upset any of his Irish fans in picking against the UFC lightweight champion, but after listing the elite level boxers that were unable to land a glove on Mayweather, he conceded that he can't see Conor winning this one.
Even if he really does want to see it.
I'm a Conor McGregor fan, what's not to like about him? He's exciting, he's charismatic, he can punch. He's good for sport. But they are two different sports.
I like everything about Conor but I have to be brutally honest, I can't see it. When you see Canelo [Alvarez], he can't ley a punch on Floyd Mayweather, De La Hoya, masterful, masterful boxer, I was 100-mile-an-hour and aggressive as you like and he handled me no problems. And that was my game, in-fighting.
Sorry Conor, I can't even see it being a fight. I really can't. I can only see Mayweather all the way.
And I do hope I'm wrong, by the way, I hope he flattens Mayweather, I honestly do, but I honestly can't see it. I hope that hasn't offended my Irish fans, and Conor for that matter.
I just think he's the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, one of the greatest of all time, and Conor's not had one boxing match yet.
Come on.
It's an entirely understandable view.
While many would love to see McGregor shock the world and 'prove the doubters wrong', the only reason we have been given for why he may be able to do that is the fact that he has proven people wrong before.
As Hatton explained, the calibre of boxers that have tried and failed to do what McGregor says he will makes it seem like an impossible task, and while we'll never say never as far as he is concerned, we agree with Ricky on this one.
While the Manchester boxer was in Ireland, he met up with Packie Collins ahead of the weigh-ins which was good to see.
Nice day with my big Bro ! The Celtic Warrior ! & good friend @HitmanHatton @RedCornerPro weigh-in today @ballsdotie pic.twitter.com/lijPAnah3G
— Packie Collins (@packycollins) June 23, 2017
