By Scott Gilfoid: Now that Ricky Hatton has been knocked down a couple of pegs by Manny Pacquiao in his recent 2nd round knockout loss to Pacquiao earlier this month on May 2nd, the question is could Hatton beat Kostya Tszyu at this point in his career or would the Russian fighter have too much for him and knock Hatton clean out?
Kostya Tszyu
Should Hatton have Been Disqualified In Tszyu Bout?
By Scott Gilfoid: In looking back at Ricky Hatton’s best victory of his career, a 11th round TKO over boxing great Kostya Tszyu in 2005, I’ve come to the conclusion that Hatton should have been disqualified in the bout for numerous fouls that he committed in the fight. It was horrible to watch, because I hadn’t seen roughhouse tactics like that used in a professional boxing match before without the fighter being severely penalized or disqualified altogether.
Could the Hatton That Stopped Tszyu Have Beaten Pacquiao?
By Sean McDaniel: Many moons ago in 2005, Ricky Hatton pulled off arguably his biggest win of his boxing career in stopping light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu in the 11th round in Manchester. In that fight, Hatton was in his prime, a nonstop punching machine with a sturdy chin and grappling skills second to none. At the start of the fight, Hatton was all over the 36-year-old Tszyu, smothering him, not giving the Russian champion any room to get off his punches.
Tszyu To Make a Comeback?
By Erik Schmidt: After three years away from the boxing ring, former light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs) reportedly told the Australian Today newspaper that there’s a “40 % chance” of him returning to the ring, “for the right deal.” Obviously, this would mean a big-name start, someone like former light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, who sent Tszyu into his three year absence from the ring with a 11th round stoppage in June 2005.
It’s doubtful, however, that Hatton would be interested in another bout with Tszyu, considering that Hatton has now become one of the most popular fighters in boxing after his recent loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and doesn’t need another fight with the 38 year-old Tszyu in order to make big money. It was perhaps a big mistake for Tszyu to walk from boxing for such a long period of time, even if he didn’t officially announce his retirement, for it probably hasn’t increased his standing among fans, since the new fans won’t have any memory of ever having seen him fight and the old ones likely have forgotten about him.
Kostya Tszyu – Retiring Without Formally Retiring
By Chris Thomas: It’s been almost three years since former International Boxing Federation light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs) last fought, losing a 11th round TKO to Ricky Hatton on June 4th, 2005 at the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire. Afterwards, what seemed like only a brief break from boxing for Kostya, 38, has turned into three years of inactivity. Yet, even though Tszyu hasn’t thrown a punch in all this time, he still hasn’t officially retired from boxing. I’m not sure exactly what his strategy is by doing this, because it doesn’t seem that he’s going to be getting back in the ring anytime soon.
Will Tszyu Ever Fight Again?
For many people, me included, they have long wondered whether former undisputed light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs) will ever fight again. It’s been two years since Tszyu, 39, lost to Ricky Hatton, when Kostya’s trainer threw in the towel following the 11th round. The bout was incredibly close up to that point, though Kostya was clearly losing the fight. It’s odd, then, why he would choose not to fight anymore bouts after this fight, rather than continuing on and getting a rematch with Hatton and perhaps winning the title back. To be honest, Tszyu was insane to go to England and fight in front of 50,000 screaming Hatton fans, considering it was Tszyu who was the champion at the time of the bout.