By Chris Williams: Yesterday, there was a rumor that spread rapidly from a smaller boxing website on the net about Freddie Roach becoming the new trainer for Ricky Hatton. Quickly, the rumor was dispelled by team Hatton who said that it wasn’t true and that Hatton hadn’t yet decided what to do with his career.
However, should Hatton decide to fight on for any length of time, I’m wondering whether it will really matter all that much who he’s trained by at this point in Hatton’s career.
It sounded great initially when I heard that Roach was going to be Hatton’s new trainer, but as I thought about it I couldn’t see how Roach would be able to help Hatton much. I think Roach would be good at holding the pads, giving advice but if Hatton’s not going to be following the advice, what’s the point in being trained at all. Hatton showed little progress while being trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and might as well have kept his old trainer Billy Graham for what it’s worth.
There was no real discernable change in Hatton’s style of fighting and I can’t see Hatton being able to have success with any style of fighting other than the one that he’s always used. You can’t change a fighter whose whole game has been built on being a pressure fighter and try to turn him into a Mayweather Jr. clone.
It doesn’t work like that as Hatton us all in his 2nd round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd. Unless Hatton chooses some easy opponent in his next fight – if Ricky decides to continue his boxing career – I think Hatton will get beaten if he tries to change his fighting style any.
For that reason, Hatton doesn’t really need a new trainer. What he should do is go back to his old trainer and try to make the best of what little time he has left in the sport. Hatton will struggle if he tries to mess with his style of fighting anymore and it doesn’t matter if he has Roach, Emanuel Steward or any other trainer showing him the ropes and pointing out his mistakes, Hatton will most likely remain what he’s always been in the past – a pressure fighter that likes to slug.
All Hatton really needs is a trainer to hold the pads and motivate him during his exercises because he seems to be dialed in to his old style and beyond making grand changes to his style. I could just see it what would likely happen if Hatton were to be trained by Roach.
Hatton would probably be working a lot of his hooks, defense and an in and out style of throwing shots. However, I doubt Hatton would learn the new style well enough to keep from getting out-boxed or knocked out. More than likely, Hatton try the style and start taking punishment with it and get frustrated with it.
Hatton doesn’t have the hand speed or long enough arms to box the slicker fighters in the light welterweight division like Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt. If Hatton used that style on them, he’d have problems.
Hatton might have a chance with his old style if his chin can hold up under the fast shots he’d be getting nailed with as he rushes forward against these guys. But I think he’d have a much better chance of beating them with his old style rather than one that he’s not comfortable with and hadn’t fully absorbed.
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