“Anybody could call me a hater. They could say whatever they want,” Hackett said during a recent interview with MillCity Boxing. “But these dudes just want to be famous and make money. They don’t care about being a great fighter. So, we only going to see great fights from guys who really want to fight.”
Keyshawn has recently been active with online streaming content, something Hackett said reflects a shift in how some fighters build their audience. While he stopped short of accusing the lightweight contender of avoiding tough opposition, Hackett suggested the extra focus on entertainment can send the wrong signal about a fighter’s priorities.
“I ain’t trying to say Keyshawn don’t want to fight,” Hackett said. “But when you start spending time doing stuff like that, that means to me you just trying to make money and trying to be famous. Your mission is not really to be the best fighter in the world.”
Hackett argued that fighters who truly want to prove themselves eventually end up facing dangerous opposition, even if those bouts bring less attention than viral online content.
“Because if so, it’s a lot of smoke at 140 pounds,” Hackett said. “It’s a lot of smoke at 147 pounds.”
Hackett added that the sport still depends on fighters who are willing to measure themselves against the toughest opponents available rather than focusing on popularity outside the ring. In his view, attention and followers can help build a career, but they do not replace the value of proving yourself in difficult fights.
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