By Dave Lahr: Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe feels that it’s time for Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO’s) should retire from the sport following Ricky’s 2nd round knockout loss to Filipino star Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd. The loss left Hatton, 30, out cold for three minutes on the canvas and unaware of the punch that he had been nailed with.
Calzaghe retired with a perfect 46-0 record, getting out of the sport before he could risk being beaten by good up and coming fighters like Chad Dawson, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell and some of the established stars like Carl Froch and Lucian Bute. In the Daily Star, Calzaghe said “It was a devastating loss against Pacquiao and I think it’s time for him [Hatton] to retire.”
Calzaghe thinks that it’s not worth it for Hatton to keep fighting because of his health. Calzaghe figures that Hatton will come back for one more fight in front of his home crowd in Manchester, England.
It’s unclear whether Hatton will be steered by the advice of Calzaghe or any of the other people that have been giving him tips on what to do with his career, because Hatton knows himself better than other people do.
Before the losses to Mayweather and Pacquiao, Hatton had been fighting very effectively and had beaten am number of talented fighters in the light welterweight and welterweight divisions. Hatton was considered to be the best light welterweight in the division and apart from Manny Pacquiao, Hatton is still perhaps the number #2 fighter at light welterweight at this time.
Hatton might be selling himself short if he decides to follow Calzaghe’s advice and get out of the sport without exhausting every attempt he can make to continue fighting. Some people believe that Calzaghe got out of the sport too soon for fear that he would lose eventually.
Hatton doesn’t appear to be afraid to lose and is probably ready to take on the best fighters in the light welterweight division. As long as his opponents don’t have the name Pacquiao or Mayweather, Hatton may still be a successful fighter.
Hatton has had problems in the ring since losing by a 10th round knockout to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December 2007. Since that fight, Hatton was hurt in his next fight against journeyman Juan Lazcano and was lucky to escape from that fight without getting knocked out.
Many boxing fans that saw the fight felt that Hatton would have been knocked out in the 8th round had it not for the intervention of the referee who pulled Lazcano off Hatton just seconds after Lazcano had badly hurt Hatton with a left hook. Hatton was taking punishment against the ropes when the referee pulled Lazcano off just as Hatton was on the verge of being knocked out.
A few moments later, Hatton, still badly hurt, was permitted to have the action stopped to have his shoelaces tied. That kind of thing would likely never be allowed to occur if the fight had taken place in the U.S., where if a fighter is hurt, things like shoelaces have to wait until the action has slowed down.
Hatton seemed to have gotten his act together after signing up a new trainer with Floyd Mayweather Sr., a defensive specialist who changed Hatton’s style for Ricky’s win over Paulie Malignaggi in November 2008. But, against Pacquiao, Hatton reverted back to his old style of fighting in which he came out trying to brawl and was immediately knocked down.
By Pacquiao in the 1st round. Hatton would be knocked down again later in the round. Hatton was finished off in the 2nd round, getting knocked out completely by Pacquiao.
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