By William Mackay: Before Ricky Hatton calls it a day on his great career, he has to step up to the plate and fight Amir Khan before he goes. It doesn’t matter if Khan is still likely be unproven by the time that Hatton is getting ready to hang up the gloves, he should still go ahead and fight him. This fight would be the perfect cap to Hatton’s excellent career. He could go out on a high note by stopping Khan in a spectacular knockout or he could lose just as spectacularly. It’s all good. That’s what boxing is about.
Even if Hatton gets destroyed by Khan, it’s part of the cycle of the sport. The old fighters typically get torn apart by the young, but it’s like a rite of passage. It’s nothing for Hatton to be ashamed of if he does fight Khan and lose. But Hatton stands to gain a lot by fighting Khan. He could possibly record a great knockout over a talented fighter and end his career like Carl Thompson did with a knockout over David Haye shortly before he retired from the sport.
Hatton would have to absorb some punishment in a fight against Khan, there’s no question about that. Hatton hits hard, but he’s not a big banger like Breidis Prescott or Marcos Maidana. But Hatton has power that is approaching those fighters and if he can get to Khan along the ropes, I think Hatton will pull a Kostya Tszyu-type performance by mugging Khan and wearing him down.
It will maybe be a little harder than the Tszyu fight, because Khan won’t be moving at Hatton like Tszyu was in their fight five years ago. Khan will no doubt be moving constantly around the ring, trying to use his jab mainly and staying away from Hatton at all costs. Hatton won’t have to worry about Manny Pacquiao jumping in and out with his powerful shots from a southpaw stance.
I don’t think Khan will even attempt to initiate any real offense unless he thinks that Hatton is half blind from blood in his eyes and mortally wounded. Khan won’t want to take a chance at getting hit by some of Hatton’s big shots. Hatton can really get Khan’s attention if he lights him up early in the fight with some huge howitzer-like shots.
With that little attention getter, Hatton would have Khan likely in a full sprint trying to stay away from Hatton. Freddie Roach, Khan’s trainer, will be telling Khan to use the jab, stay away and telling him to pick his spots. Roach won’t want to be brave with Khan by having him go right at the teeth of Hatton’s offense. He knows that would be a foolhardy thing for his fighter to do.
If Khan had a sturdy chin, of course, Roach would gladly sick Khan on Hatton telling him to tear Hatton to shreds, but Khan’s chin is too fragile for Roach to want to take chances and have him knocked out in front of a huge world wide audience. No, Khan will be running like no tomorrow and jabbing for all he’s worth. It will be up to Hatton to cut off the ring and try to end matters as quick as possible. I think I he can do it.
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