Ricky Hatton

Brook/Khan rivalry shaping up like Hatton/Witter

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khan56By Gav Duthie: Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn has been candid about his frustration in trying to tempt Amir Khan into the ring to face compatriat Kell Brook. Comparisons have been made to the rivalry between Kell Brook stablemate Junior ‘The Hitter’ Witter and Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton which was a fight mooted for years in the mid naughties which failed to materialise. Will the big Brook-Khan fight suffer the same fate? This article reflects on what happened between Witter and Hatton as well as comparisons and differences between the situation then and now. 

Ricky Hatton v Junior Witter

There was an obvious crossroads when this would have been a huge fight in the UK. Both were promoted by Frank Warren and they were also world champions. Witter went from 15-1-2 (4) after losing a close decision to Zab Judah taking the fight at short notice to 30-1-2 (19) between 2000 and 2004.

Hatton expects Kell Brook to get big fights in 2015

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brook55666By Scott Gilfoid: Ricky Hatton sees big things for IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) in 2015 with him getting the big fights that he’s been talking about for ages now. Hatton believes that the 28-year-old Brook will be able to get important fights this year.

Hatton doesn’t say who he sees as the big fights, but it’s likely Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao. I’m not really sure that Brook will get any of those fights this year. Khan is a possibility simply because he has so few options.

Ricky Hatton: Mr Popular

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hatton464646333343By Abbas Dadhiwala: Ricky Hatton was a boxer who captured the British public’s imagination like no other. No other boxer found a following like Hatton. The people took him as one. No other British Boxer could match Hatton’s popularity, be it Henry Cooper, Lennox Lewis, Bruno, Calzaghe or Hamed. Hatton popularity was a phenomenon, he may have won world titles but his legacy will always be that he had the biggest following in British Boxing.

Hatton career record of 45 victories in 48 fights including 32 KO’s ranks favourably with other boxers. Hatton deserves his place in the top 10 of British Boxers for the Kostya Tszyu fight and the 25,00 fans he took over for the Mayweather fight.

Hatton talks Mayweather and Pacquiao

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hatton939By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Ricky Hatton says he sees both Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao as both being past their best fighters. He gives credit to Pacquiao for coming back from his brutal 6th round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez from two years ago, but he still sees him as being a fighter who has seen better days.

Hatton thinks that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would still bring in a lot of pay-per-view buys if the fight were made today, even though much of the interest in the fight has died down given the time that has gone by since they first attempted to negotiate a fight between them in 2009.

Hatton thinks Mayweather overlooked Maidana

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hatton4555By Allan Fox: Ricky Hatton believes that Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have overlooked Marcos Maidana and that was one of the reasons why Mayweather failed to perform at his usual high level. Hatton thinks that Mayweather might be having a hard time getting motivated for his opponents because he’s been at the top for so long, and because he’s beaten so many good fighters in the past.

It’s possible that Mayweather overlooked Maidana, because if he was generally concerned about whether he could beat him or not, he wouldn’t have fought in a stationary manner the way he did. Mayweather fought with his back against the ropes in many rounds, and that’s not the way he fought against Canelo, Robert Guerrero and Miguel Cotto.

Khan says he won’t ask Hatton for advice in moving up in weight

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khan4534By Scott Gilfoid: Ricky Hatton recently attempted to give Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) in advice about his May 3rd opponent Luis Collazo (35-5, 18 KO’s). Hatton’s advice was for Khan to avoid going to war with Collazo and to use in and out movement for 12 round. But Khan says he doesn’t need Hatton’s advice in moving up in weight, because he feels that he did a better job in moving up than Hatton did when he moved up in weight to challenge Collazo for his WBA 147lb title in 2006.

“I won’t speak to Ricky moving up wise because I think I’ve done it properly,” Khan said. “I think I’ve always been a 147 fighter who has been drained down to 140 and less. Ricky Probably underestimated moving up to 147. He probably didn’t train as hard as I have to get to this weight…I am not going o be one of the fighters who moves up in weight just by eating.”

Collazo thinks Hatton’s advice for Khan won’t help him

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khan1By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo (35-5, 18 KO’s) thinks Ricky Hatton is wasting his breath in trying to give tips to Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) to help come out victorious against Collazo on May 3rd. Collazo believes that the advice Hatton gives would only work for himself and not for Khan.

Hatton beat Collazo by a 12 round decision eight years ago in 2006 in a fight that many boxing fans saw as a robbery. They felt that Hatton, the more popular fighter than Collazo, was given a gift decision. It’s hard to take Hatton’s advice to Khan seriously given that Hatton really didn’t prove that he was a better fighter than Collazo. I mean, that’s like getting advice from one of Collazo’s victims in how to beat him.

Hatton: I believe I could have beaten Pacquiao in my prime

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hatton464646333343By Scott Gilfoid: Former two division world champion Ricky Hatton (45-3, 32 KO’s) is now bellyaching and having regrets that he didn’t fight Filipino star Manny Pacquiao in his prime of his career, around the time that he beat a past his prime 36-year-old Kostya Tszyu back in 2005. Hatton thinks that he would have beaten Pacquiao had he gotten him in the ring at that time instead of four years later after he had been knocked out already by Floyd Mayweather Jr., and after he had started to see the effects of him putting on and taking off huge amounts of weight.

It’s too bad Hatton didn’t make the move to fight Pacquiao in 2005, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk.

Khan: I’ll talk to Hatton to find out how to beat Collazo

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hatton5555By Scott Gilfoid: Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) says he’ll be speaking with former two-division world champion Ricky Hatton to find out ways that he can beat former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo (35-5, 18 KO’s) in their match-up on May 3rd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hatton has a 12 round decision win over Luis Collazo from 2006, so Khan hopes to be able to get some good ideas from him in how to solve the Collazo puzzle.

“It’ll be good to speak to Ricky. He’s been in the ring with him [Collazo], and he’s going to know exactly what to do in how to beat him,” Khan said to BoxNation. “He’s a good opponent at 147. He’s a big 147lb fighter. He’s ranked quite highly in the world rankings. People are looking forward to finding out what I’ll be like at 147. I’ll be much stronger at this weight, because I won’t be killing myself to make weight. I’ve beaten every southpaw I’ve faced.”