Hatton at 144 pounds
Hatton at 144 pounds
Unbeaten IBF#1/WBO#1 and WBA#2 ranked jr welterweight Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton has come under increasing criticism during his build-up to face IBF champion Kostya Tszyu about his weight. In early TV appearances on Showtime and Sky Sports to promote the fight the 26 year old WBU champion appeared to have gained signifcant weight since his last fight in December 2004. However today after eight weeks of training he tipped just 144 pounds on the scales at the Pheonix Gym. Thus with over three weeks to go he is just four pounds off his target championship weight. He laughed off comments about his weight, "This is my physical make-up and I do gain weight in between fights but my build up to this key fight is that I will be in the best shape of my life. With just 3 weeks to go and only four pounds to lose I am well on course." The IBF title fight takes place at the MEN Arena in Manchester on June 4th.