Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton

[forcefraser]

i agree with the mayweather and pacman bit and castillo and collazo but how do see tzyu as being over the hill at the time they fought he was the no1 at that weight so how was he over the hill??????????

ide like him to be remembered as a very nice fella a crowd pleaser and british boxing legend.

Tsyu had fought just twice in the previous 30 months, he was 36 years old when he fought Hatton. He was still a skilled fighter, but in terms of his career being a hill, has was certainly over the top and and his way back down again.

Hatton got away with a lot in that fight, the ref was very lenient with him. The Tsyu of 5 years previous to the fight would have been too much for Hatton in my opinion. Hatton beat him, fair enough, but it`s not like he stopped the guy at the top of his game.

We saw Mayweather and Pacman at the top of their games against Hatton. I forgot the fight against Paulie. That was a great performance by Hatton actually. Totally outdid him in every department. Then again, Paulie can box, but I would think that even I hit harder than him.

He does seem like a nice enough fella, but his history with (or avoidance of Witter) leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Witter comes across as mouthy, but he genuinely wanted the fight with Hatton and many people, including me, feel he would have schooled Hatton back in the day when a fight between them would have made perfect sense for the fans (not Warren/hatton`s wallets)

[whiskey]

I agree, but Tszyu had still plenty to offer.

Personally i was watching that fight and until the last round, thought there was nothing in it - then Tszyu retired. Sure it was messy at times, but he did what he did to secure the win.

That said, lets not beat around the bush - Tszyu would be too much for Hatton, Mayweather or Pacquiao in his prime - but it was still good win for Ricky and we shouldn't dumb down his huge effort that night.

It was a great night for British boxing, sure we can all pick over Tszyu's bones and say he was this and that - but he was top 3 in the Ring ratings p4p and has blown away Sharmba Mitchell 6 months earlier in 3 rounds.

I think that the excitement that Ricky generated was incredible.

There must have been 30-40 people in my house when that fight was on at silly o'clock and shouting at the tv.

Then there was the epic build up for Hatton vs Mayweather - the superb 24/7 series and the hairs on the back of the neck when they weighed in officially.

The fight itself was an anti-climax, not for Ricky not trying, but for that buffoon Cortez stopping the action 8-10 times a round.

Like others have said, Ricky was brave enough to have a go at everyone in the sport.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I agree, but Tszyu had still plenty to offer.

Personally i was watching that fight and until the last round, thought there was nothing in it - then Tszyu retired. Sure it was messy at times, but he did what he did to secure the win.

That said, lets not beat around the bush - Tszyu would be too much for Hatton, Mayweather or Pacquiao in his prime - but it was still good win for Ricky and we shouldn't dumb down his huge effort that night.

It was a great night for British boxing, sure we can all pick over Tszyu's bones and say he was this and that - but he was top 3 in the Ring ratings p4p and has blown away Sharmba Mitchell 6 months earlier in 3 rounds.

I think that the excitement that Ricky generated was incredible.

There must have been 30-40 people in my house when that fight was on at silly o'clock and shouting at the tv.

Then there was the epic build up for Hatton vs Mayweather - the superb 24/7 series and the hairs on the back of the neck when they weighed in officially.

The fight itself was an anti-climax, not for Ricky not trying, but for that buffoon Cortez stopping the action 8-10 times a round.

Like others have said, Ricky was brave enough to have a go at everyone in the sport.

I think Mayweather probably had the goods to beat Tszyu in a fairly one sided contest, at 140, Mayweather wouldn't have been physically intimidated and I just think he would have made Kostya miss and pay. It wouldn't have been exciting, but Mayweather would have been effective.

[opticald]

I agree, but Tszyu had still plenty to offer.

That said, lets not beat around the bush - Tszyu would be too much for Hatton, Mayweather or Pacquiao in his prime - but it was still good win for Ricky and we shouldn't dumb down his huge effort that night.

The fight itself was an anti-climax, not for Ricky not trying, but for that buffoon Cortez stopping the action 8-10 times a round.

[hitman_hatton1]

tszyu looked awesome against sharmba mitchell.

better than floyd did a year later.

i accept it wasn't prime tszyu though.

but he wasn't some past it pug on a last payday.

[opticald]

People conveniently never mention that VINCE PHILLIPS destroyed tszyu.

[hitman_hatton1]

People conveniently never mention that VINCE PHILLIPS destroyed tszyu.

wouldn't go that far.

it was a competitive fight.

phillips got to him with a couple of big uns and managed to put him away.

hardly destroyed.

[hitman_hatton1]

People conveniently never mention that VINCE PHILLIPS destroyed tszyu.

wouldn't go that far.

it was a competitive fight.

phillips got to him with a couple of big uns and managed to put him away.

hardly destroyed.

Vince bullied him out. Look at the look in Kostya's eyes. He didn't like it up him.

i'm not saying tszyu liked one bit of it.

it was still a tough competitive fight and i just dispute the word destroyed.

anyway 1 fight don't mean shit.

he then went unbeaten for 8 yrs.

[whiskey]

People conveniently never mention that VINCE PHILLIPS destroyed tszyu.

Have you even watched that fight ?

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

People conveniently never mention that VINCE PHILLIPS destroyed tszyu.

Have you even watched that fight ?

He did destroy Tyszu, it may have been competitive but it was a brutal destruction none the less, bloody good fight to watch if you havent seen it. Phillips could have been a top level fighter himself if he got his act together and didnt go back to the Coke

[Wales]

One of my fav Tszyu fights is MItchell Tszyu 1. Mitchell's doing all right, till Kostya figures him out and starts applying the pressure, it quickly becomes a systematic breakdown before mitchell gets "injured" .

[Deno1986]

I'll remember Ricky Hatton as an fleshy gentleman taking the piss out of two Scouser lads and sucking on laughing gas balloons in a bar in Tenerife. Proper, decent down to earth bloke though!

A very good exciting brawler who was close to being world class but never quite made it.

[Captain Hook]

Hatton would always have given Tszyu fits. Incidently, how many people went for Hatton pre-fight, seeing as Kostya was there to be taken?

Well said mate, how many people have jumped on the "Tzsyu was shot" bandwagon?....utter tripe.

And I can't believe there are still cries for Witter v Hatton, look at how Witter's stock has dropped after despicable performances which showed little heart.

The guy doesn't deserve the pay day. In my opinion he never did.

[forcefraser]

Hatton would always have given Tszyu fits. Incidently, how many people went for Hatton pre-fight, seeing as Kostya was there to be taken?

Well said mate, how many people have jumped on the "Tzsyu was shot" bandwagon?....utter tripe.

And I can't believe there are still cries for Witter v Hatton, look at how Witter's stock has dropped after despicable performances which showed little heart.

The guy doesn't deserve the pay day. In my opinion he never did.

I don`t think anyone was saying that Tzsyu was shot, just that he wasn`t at his peak when he fought Hatton. There is a difference.

As for Witter, his past few performances have been poor. However, there was a time when a Witter v Hatton fight was what all british fans wanted to see. It never happened, due to Hatton (or more likely his promoter) not wanting it to happen. Why was that? two words - Risk and Money

[opticald]

Phillips did destroy Tszyu. Tszyu was almost killed at the end, and was getting pummelled on the ropes. Luckily the referree jumped in when he did or Tszyu could have been seriously hurt.

And who did Tszyu fight that was a similar pressure fighter to Phillips since? Nobody. his record is pretty poor bar the performance against Zab Judah, who he caught and KO'd beautifully. Judah was always an in and out performer though, (losing to Baldomir/Spinks etc). Tszyu is very overrated, especially by the Hatton fans. And even when we are talking about the Hatton tszyu beat, we never mention Tszyu was 36 and coming off a career thratning injury and had 3 rounds in 2 years. We also never mention how Vince Phillips did an even better job on a "prime" Tszyu (who according to Gomez would have beaten Mayweather )

[opticald]

This man "would be too much for Mayweather" according to Gomez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPA2u1iLNE

Tszyu extremely lucky the ref jumped in just as Phillips was about to take some free shots to his head and possibly kill him in the ring.

[danieljenkins]

overated
talks shit
not good to watch holds more than he punches
got exposed
blames floyd snr for pacman loss but he seemed allright agaisnt paulie ?

class A wanker

[opticald]

overated
talks poop
not good to watch holds more than he punches
got exposed
blames floyd snr for pacman loss but he seemed allright agaisnt paulie ?

class A wanker

[opticald]

I do hope he fights again because the mugs love to put money on him. I cleaned up the 1.57 on Mayweather to beat him and 50/1 for floyd to KO him in the 8/9/10/11 or 12th rounds.

[banjo]

I do hope he fights again because the mugs love to put money on him. I cleaned up the 1.57 on Mayweather to beat him and 50/1 for floyd to KO him in the 8/9/10/11 or 12th rounds.

I got the round spot on and had myself a very merry christmas. 8)

[whiskey]

This man "would be too much for Mayweather" according to Gomez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPA2u1iLNE

Tszyu extremely lucky thhttp://forum.boxrec.com/posting.php?mode=quote&f=9&p=2064140e ref jumped in just as Phillips was about to take some free shots to his head and possibly kill him in the ring.

You describe losing to Cool Vince Phillips as some sort of embarrassment?

Phillips knocked out Mickey Ward in a couple of rounds after Kostya.

Then he jumped up to Welterweight and gave Vernon Forrest a closer, tougher fight than a prime unbeaten Shane Mosley could a year later. Philips took Vernon the full 12 rounds, wheras Mayorga got stretched in 3 by Forrest a year later.

Kostya didn't think Vince would have lasted and try to blast him out, like Haye did with Carl Thompson. When Kostya fought Ben Takie he knew it would be a similar thing and elected to box instead, which is what he should have done against Philips.

Tszyu became too reliant on his power, then re-invented himself and became a better fighter for it. It was his age and injuries that took it's toll on Kostya in the end. He had 270+ amateur fights before he'd even turned 21 so his joints were wrecked from the beginning.

He rattled off another 13 wins (11 by KO) and collected the Ring, IBF, WBC and WBA titles following that loss.

And if you think he's overated then i think you'll find nobody else agreeing with you on this forum. Maybe ESB, but not here

[alexpaterson]

I would say he was a decent world champion who came up wanting at the highest level he got outclassed by Mayweather and got demolished by Pacquiao the 2 best p4p fighters he lost both convincenlly. His best win was against Kostya Tzysu which was a very good victory. He also fought very well against Paulie Malignaggi but he wasnt a great fighter but had very classy skills

So overall a good fighter who couldnt do it at the highest level

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

This man "would be too much for Mayweather" according to Gomez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPA2u1iLNE

Tszyu extremely lucky thhttp://forum.boxrec.com/posting.php?mode=quote&f=9&p=2064140e ref jumped in just as Phillips was about to take some free shots to his head and possibly kill him in the ring.

You describe losing to Cool Vince Phillips as some sort of embarrassment?

Phillips knocked out Mickey Ward in a couple of rounds after Kostya.

Then he jumped up to Welterweight and gave Vernon Forrest a closer, tougher fight than a prime unbeaten Shane Mosley could a year later. Philips took Vernon the full 12 rounds, wheras Mayorga got stretched in 3 by Forrest a year later. Kostya didn't think Vince would have lasted and try to blast him out, like Haye did with Carl Thompson. When Kostya fought Ben Takie he knew it would be a similar thing and elected to box instead, which is what he should have done against Philips.

Tszyu became too reliant on his power, then re-invented himself and became a better fighter for it. It was his age and injuries that took it's toll on Kostya in the end. He had 270+ amateur fights before he'd even turned 21 so his joints were wrecked from the beginning.

He rattled off another 13 wins (11 by KO) and collected the Ring, IBF, WBC and WBA titles following that loss.

And if you think he's overated then i think you'll find nobody else agreeing with you on this forum. Maybe ESB, but not here

Umm you do realise none of that (in bold) is actually true? Not that OpticalD's assessments are any better

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

As for Ricky Hatton, I will remember him as having perhaps the best managed and marketed career of any British fighter ever, and perhaps any fighter as a whole. Skills and ability wise he was a decent little fighter, but the way he sold himself to the man in the street, transcended the sport and perhaps made himself apear to be a greater fighter than in fact he was for a period of time was wonderful management. Allot of that he did off his own back both in the beggining drumming supporters and after he hit the big time with various media work and appearances. Imagine if Pacquaio had turned out to be too small/weak at 140lbs, he'd have us (well some of us) believing that he's P4P no1 and rematching Mayweather (which May said he would have gone for if Ricky won)

[stujones]

As for Ricky Hatton, I will remember him as having perhaps the best managed and marketed career of any British fighter ever, and perhaps any fighter as a whole. Skills and ability wise he was a decent little fighter, but the way he sold himself to the man in the street, transcended the sport and perhaps made himself apear to be a greater fighter than in fact he was for a period of time was wonderful management. Allot of that he did off his own back both in the beggining drumming supporters and after he hit the big time with various media work and appearances. Imagine if Pacquaio had turned out to be too small/weak at 140lbs, he'd have us (well some of us) believing that he's P4P no1 and rematching Mayweather (which May said he would have gone for if Ricky won)

For me, the honour you mention goes to Calzaghe.... a brilliantly managed career. He has the mystique now that he "could have" beaten the best.... reality it probably no chance. Hatton doesn't have this now.