By Shaun Campbell: Friday night Fenton Manor, Stoke, “Magic” Matthew Hatton was able to hold Lovemore N’Dou to a draw, but that was not enough to earn him the International Boxing Organization Belt. Two judges scored the bou 114-115 (one to Hatton, one to N’Dou), and the American judge scored it 114-114 a draw. As the decision was read out the fans seemed baffled, and were not totally sure what to make of it.

The first round started off at a steady pace with each fighter looking to feel the other out. But in the rounds following N’dou seemed to be getting the better of Hatton, landing the more impressive looking punches. To Matthews credit, he did seem to take them all very well and was never really hurt during the fight. In the opening six rounds, it looked as if Hatton could only be credited by winning two of them. But round six was the turning point for the Mancunian. It seemed as though he was pulling back the points with quick flurries and good defensive work. Getting in, landing 3 and 4 punch combinations then moving back out of range. N’dou did keep the pressure on working well when he got to Hatton up close with some strong looking body shots. Both fighters were on occasions hitting below the belt, on the back, and rabbit punching, but that was sixth of one and half a dozen of the other. The referee had given Lovemore two warnings, then another after he hit Hatton after he shouted break. But Hatton finished the fight strong, fresh and looked like he could have done 15 rounds on that night.

Sky Sports expert Ian Darke scored the fight to Hatton, his co-commentator scored it an ambitious three rounds to Hatton, and after watching the fight, it did initially look like “Magic” Matthew did enough to steal the title away. Anyone that knows him will agree that it is a rare sight to see him in the state he was in the pre-fight interview. If Matthew thinks he’s lost, he’s lost. If he thinks he’s fought badly, he’ll say so. And if he thinks he’s won, he most probably has. Arguments could be made all night long for either fight, and it could have gone either way without too much controversy. But the best outcome is that a rematch will probably decide the winner. But what chance has Hatton got in South Africa, or Austrailia where N’dou insists the rematch will take place should Hatton accept the offer.

Has Matthew Hatton proved a lot of people wrong? Definitely. Has he proved he is world class? To an extend. He still has more work to do, but he did mix it up with someone that has operated at world level for a long time. Did Lovemore prove anyone wrong? No. People knew he was a good fighter before that fight. It was very impressive to see a 38 year-old fighter who’s had many wars with some good boxers. Surprisingly fast hands, they did cause Matt some problems early on.

The fight lived up to expectations and proved a lot of people wrong. There were people saying “Lovemore will knock Hatton out”. N’dou doesn’t have a huge punch, and Hatton’s chin has always held up well, so it was clear they weren’t really boxing fans. But there were experts who thought Lovemore might be a little too much for Matthew, but under the guidance of Lee Beard, Matthew Hatton has become a very good technical boxer. Billy Graham was a good coach, but the chemistry was not working. Since bringing in Lee Beard, Hatton has changed his style and it’s working perfectly.

There’s a strong possibility that Matt could beat Lovemore in a rematch, but then the lack of sparring may have effected his performance. Either way, it will be interesting to see, and the predictions of most will be a lot more even this time round. If big brother Ricky can make it happen, then “Magic” Matthew could still become IBO champion of the world.