How good is Matthew Hilton
How good is Matthew Hilton
I would like to know how good was Matthew Hilton the former IBF Light Middleweight Champion who also ended Vito Antuofermo's career? Is he tall as Doug DeWitt, if not how tall was he in height?
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knockout artist
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: 03 Sep 2003, 13:18
Hilton is 5'7 and one quarter inch.
He was a very strong, stockily built, aggressive fighter.
An excellent body puncher with a very good chin (in his prime)
He could fight at a very fast pace and was an extremely fast and aggressive starter.
A superb body puncher with excellent power in both hands but particularly the left hook, which he would double up from body to head.
For world level a poor defence with little head or foot movement, he used to stand square on afetr throwing his shots.
His best win as an up and comer was a 9th round TKO of a worn out Wilfredo Benitez.
He won the IBF 154lb title with an impressive win over Buster Drayton in 1987 in a war, when he had Drayton doen in the first, but won a tough 15 round decision.
Had huge trouble making weight and lived on junk food and loved beer.
This coupled with inactivity and his buzzsaw style of fighting meant he had a short career.
Was better than his record suggests, but never really got any superfights. It would have been interesting to see him in the mix with Mugabi and Jackson.
Promoted by Don King, during Mike Tysons peak, Hilton was low on Kings list of priorites and soon got a very low morale.
Outboxed by Robert Hines in 1988 for the IBF title, but had Hines down twice early, but ran out of steam to lose a decision.
Never really recovered from that loss and I hear that he spends most of his time in a pub drinking, and has crossed eyes as a result of being beaten with a baseball bat a few years ago.
A very exciting fighter in his time, unbeaten in 106 amatuer fights.
He was a very strong, stockily built, aggressive fighter.
An excellent body puncher with a very good chin (in his prime)
He could fight at a very fast pace and was an extremely fast and aggressive starter.
A superb body puncher with excellent power in both hands but particularly the left hook, which he would double up from body to head.
For world level a poor defence with little head or foot movement, he used to stand square on afetr throwing his shots.
His best win as an up and comer was a 9th round TKO of a worn out Wilfredo Benitez.
He won the IBF 154lb title with an impressive win over Buster Drayton in 1987 in a war, when he had Drayton doen in the first, but won a tough 15 round decision.
Had huge trouble making weight and lived on junk food and loved beer.
This coupled with inactivity and his buzzsaw style of fighting meant he had a short career.
Was better than his record suggests, but never really got any superfights. It would have been interesting to see him in the mix with Mugabi and Jackson.
Promoted by Don King, during Mike Tysons peak, Hilton was low on Kings list of priorites and soon got a very low morale.
Outboxed by Robert Hines in 1988 for the IBF title, but had Hines down twice early, but ran out of steam to lose a decision.
Never really recovered from that loss and I hear that he spends most of his time in a pub drinking, and has crossed eyes as a result of being beaten with a baseball bat a few years ago.
A very exciting fighter in his time, unbeaten in 106 amatuer fights.
Very sad to hear that about Hilton, where did you here that Knockout artist?. Mathew Hilton could have been a great champ but burned out through his liking for food and beer... I remember in the 80s reading an article where his father said that he had actually put a padlock on the fridge to stop Mathew getting up in the night and gorging on food.
From what I remember Mathews two brothers Alex (welter I think) and Davey (Middle) were both very talented also but failed to 'make it' due to various problems with drink, drugs and the law. I remember another article about the Hiltons when they got in trouble for holding up a liquior store together after getting drunk together!... crazy really.
Davey did eventually win a world title himself at Supermiddleweight when in his late 30s but immeadiately got himself jailed If I remember correctly for messing with a underage girl...
Strangely the saga of the Hiltons is very simular to the trials and tribulations of the Ayala brothers.... I can't help wondering if the simularites are connected to both sets of brothers upbringing by overbearing and overprotective fathers in both cases who seem to have pushed their sons into boxing at the expense of everything else...
From what I remember Mathews two brothers Alex (welter I think) and Davey (Middle) were both very talented also but failed to 'make it' due to various problems with drink, drugs and the law. I remember another article about the Hiltons when they got in trouble for holding up a liquior store together after getting drunk together!... crazy really.
Davey did eventually win a world title himself at Supermiddleweight when in his late 30s but immeadiately got himself jailed If I remember correctly for messing with a underage girl...
Strangely the saga of the Hiltons is very simular to the trials and tribulations of the Ayala brothers.... I can't help wondering if the simularites are connected to both sets of brothers upbringing by overbearing and overprotective fathers in both cases who seem to have pushed their sons into boxing at the expense of everything else...
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knockout artist
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: 03 Sep 2003, 13:18
It was in an old edition of Boxing Monthly, some years ago.silkov wrote:Very sad to hear that about Hilton, where did you here that Knockout artist?. Mathew Hilton could have been a great champ but burned out through his liking for food and beer... I remember in the 80s reading an article where his father said that he had actually put a padlock on the fridge to stop Mathew getting up in the night and gorging on food.
From what I remember Mathews two brothers Alex (welter I think) and Davey (Middle) were both very talented also but failed to 'make it' due to various problems with drink, drugs and the law. I remember another article about the Hiltons when they got in trouble for holding up a liquior store together after getting drunk together!... crazy really.
Davey did eventually win a world title himself at Supermiddleweight when in his late 30s but immeadiately got himself jailed If I remember correctly for messing with a underage girl...
Strangely the saga of the Hiltons is very simular to the trials and tribulations of the Ayala brothers.... I can't help wondering if the simularites are connected to both sets of brothers upbringing by overbearing and overprotective fathers in both cases who seem to have pushed their sons into boxing at the expense of everything else...
There are many similarities with the Ayala's, too many IMO to be coincidental.
