By Shaun Campbell: Ricky Hatton is making a comeback, end of story. Yet now he has finally spoken out about his intentions, still people are calling for his retirement. It’s getting tiring now. Ricky Hatton has done wonders for the boxing world, there is no denying that. No one can say that there is another fighter on the planet that could take 35 thousand people, half way across the world. I’m British yes, but there are certain Brits in the minority who saw Ricky get knocked out and then decided they aren’t interested in him.
These people are not Ricky Hatton fans. These people did not travel half way across the world to watch him fight Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. These people did not stay up till 4 in the morning to watch the loveable Hitman do his job.
True Hatton fans still love the Hitman and will continue to do so no matter what the result is of his comeback fight. Win lose or draw, we still appreciate what Hatton has done for boxing. The man is one of, if not the most popular fighter in the world, although fans of Manny Pacquiao would dispute that. I believe there are too many people jumping on the bandwagon and saying Ricky is crazy to fight again. The man has only lost twice in 47 fights to the two best pound for pound fighters of this generation.
Weak chin? Possibly. There will be no problem with him making 10 stone, no problem at all. The problem is, how much will he have left in him after making the weight? The natural toughness that he showed against Kostya Tszyu has been eroded. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to hear the news that Ricky Hatton will be back in the ring. But now that the word is he will be back, lets get behind him.
Ricky Hatton fights are an occasion. The shorts, the ring walk, the chant of “There’s only one Ricky Hatton” rocking throughout the arena, excite us all. Anyone who has the bravery to get in the ring, whether they be professional or amateur deserve a lot of respect. I often wonder how many of those people who slag Hatton off have even laced up a boxing glove. I’ve done a little bit of amateur boxing, but I can’t imagine the nerves Ricky feels walking towards the ring on fight night. I also can’t imagine how he felt walking to the ring against Pacquiao, knowing he had had the worst training camp possible under the real “joke” of a trainer Floyd Mayweather snr. He could have called it off, but Ricky being a man of the people, wanted to please the fans.
People who aren’t impressed by Ricky obviously never will be now. That’s fair enough. They don’t like him or his style, it is irrelevant. But why are people not giving a man who has excited us over a period of 13 years a little more credit? The Hitman is back, lets get behind him.
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