By Matt Flanagan: We hear this debate endlessly discussed – should a fighter retire or should he continue. Roy Jones Jr and Joe Calzaghe are 2 topical discussions albeit debated for different reason’s. Jones is well past his peak and perhaps should have retired some years ago, while Calzaghe went out at the top when he arguably could have continued and more than likely would have remained unbeaten – I don’t see anyone out there who would have touched him, least of all Carl Froch, although I would be a liar if I said I would not love to see that fight.
In the case of Ricky Hatton, the boxing community appears to be divided. In my opinion, the debate centers around one thing – what is the reason that he lost in such devastating fashion to Manny Pacquiao? The answer to this question should determine whether Hatton steps back into the ring. I for one did not see it coming (Hatton being KO’d inside 2 rounds), and laughed when Freddie Roach said that he would be disappointed if the fight went 3 rounds.
Over the years Hatton has been in many brutal contests and has taken some big hits, so to me the assertion that he would be knocked out inside 3 rounds was inconceivable. We all know what happened…
So what was behind this defeat?
There has been much made of Mayweather Sr’s role in this defeat. Was he to blame? Was Hatton under prepared? Was Mayweather Sr too caught up in his personal feud with Freddie Roach? At the very least the answer is maybe. Mayweather Sr clearly loved the limelight, and his behavior prior to the fight probably didn’t help, but is this really the reason that Hatton was dropped twice in the 1st round?
To me the answer is no. Hatton was even on record as saying that he had a good training camp in the run up to the bout. The broader question here is whether British fighters become worse off after being taught to ‘box’ by American trainers. With all due respect – Hatton is a limited boxer, he is more of a brawler, he hits and gets hit. This style got him to be a world champion, and in a position to challenge for the P4P title twice.
So would being taught boxing skills help or hinder him? I cite Naseem Hamed as another example – he was unconventional, throwing punches from literally anywhere. Then, after being taught to ‘box’ by Manny Steward he seemed to lose all the spark that got him to where he was? I think this question is highly relevant, and would be an interesting debate.
Another reason that is widely bandied around is that Hatton was shot after being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather. In that fight, I thought Hatton was out-classed (for the record, I wanted Hatton to win). After months of being riled by Mayweather, Hatton finally lost his cool just before the fight, and abandoned his game plan because he wanted to ram all of Mayweather’s taunts down his throat and smash him up.
I also think Hatton became frustrated that the referee seemed intent on stopping his inside fighting but was happy to let Mayweather fight on the inside. By losing his focus, he allowed himself to walk onto a lot of Mayweather’s shots before being stopped.
You may say that Hatton always comes forward – well yes he does, but I do think he threw his game plan out of the window and kept coming forward blindly because of his emotions. There is no question that Hatton has not been the same fighter since that bout. Yes he drew plaudits after the Malignaggi fight, but he surely would have gone into that knowing that there was little chance of him being knocked out, which would have suited someone like Hatton who knows he is going to be hit due to him being a pressure fighter.
For my money, I think that Hatton’s decline is a combination of the after effects of the Mayweather loss combined with his lifestyle catching up with him. Psychologically I think there was damage following this defeat – any fighter who goes so long undefeated will be impacted by being defeated. This along with Hatton’s admission that he was devastated after the loss, hints at the fact that he thought he was going to remain unbeaten.
With this mindset – any defeat would have a big effect, especially after a knock out. So mentally, I don’t think he was as confident as he was prior to the Mayweather fight. As well as the psychological effects, there is the lifestyle that he has led throughout his career. He comes into the ring in a fat suit to the tune of Hi-Ho Ricky Fatton and makes a joke of it, but after years of abusing his body it has begun to catch up. It seems like his punch resistance has diminished significantly and so where does a boxer go from there?
I think Hatton should retire. He has nothing left to prove. He has had a great career, has many fans and is financially secure. His only 2 defeats have come when he was challenging for P4P titles, so realistically he is not going to get another shot at that. So, for someone who has prided himself on being a true champion – what is left? I do not think he has anything to gain by continuing. The P4P title will always elude him, and that was the only thing he was missing – he had achieved everything else.
By continuing, he only has things to lose. Fighting because of a bruised ego or not knowing when to stop is always a difficult thing to stop – head vs heart – and ultimately it is down to him, but given that he has a wife and family to consider, and no financial pressures, I think it is time for him to hang up his gloves on what has been a glittering career.
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