If Hatton gets offered a title fight against malignaggi..

[stujones]

I think Hatton's decision to call it a day again needs to be carefully considered. I think he can take a lot of positives from last nights showing. He was facing a fringe world class fighter on the back of a three and a half year lay off and was winning with two rounds to go. That for me highlights the class that he had in his prime - there aint many British fighters who can hold their own at fringe world class at the peak of the powers.

I think he needs a least a week to talk to all friends, family and people who he respects before making a decision.

There were clearly a lot of mistakes made - 1) Senchenko was all wrong for Ricky, Senchenko is a massive Welterweight and has the style to cause a prime Hatton some problems. Not suggesting a 100% prime Hatton would lose to him, but Senchenko is awkard.

Malignaggi style wise is easier, a very small Welterweight, no power, no real strength and has many many miles on the clock also.

If Ricky thought during the fight "crikey because boxing game is harder than I thought it was" and thats why he is calling it a day (and to be honest sometimes in the corner he had that look) then why oh why didn't they make sure he was getting harder training sessions. All the questions on whether Ricky had it or not should really be answered in sparring. It was a very long training camp (if you count the initial weight loss) I thought many many many of those questions should have been answered before he went public on his decision to return.

RIcky is a grown man, but I cannot help but think people should have been advicing him more carefully on the opponent and also if he "still had it" before the 24th.

Also when Ricky developed that Shiner, the fight should have been postponed - I know its not in Ricky's nature but I think the public are doing Ricky somewhat a disservice by saying "look at their faces its clear Shenchenko was hitting him at will" - Ricky was always going to swell him quickly as the eye didn't heal. Just like Eubank in the second Thomson fight.

[Tykemania]

No way was he 6-2 and I also disagree that would have halted him in his prime - we'll never know, of course - but he went in with bigger punchers and managed to survive.

Ah come on, I don't think he was ever hit like that by any of those big punchers, it really was a perfect body shot.

[Roars Like Me]

Following on from Golden boy's comments about an easier foe than Sencehnko, does anybody think the Kastidis fight would have turned out any better for Ricky?
I'm unsure still as Rickky would have been the bigger guy but Michael can bang a bit.

[ScottDetonator]

According to Ricky, he isn't fighting again. If you listen to the post fight conference, you can see it in him, he just doesn't believe he has it anymore to perform at the top level but that was straight after the fight.

Watching the fight, Ricky's timing was out very badly, so why was it that bad? Was he that bad in sparring?

It does look to me, that Ricky could take another easier opponent to try and fix the timing issue, then look ahead at Malignaggi. Public demand may make a case for him to carry on. If Ricky looks back at the fight and a couple of weeks pass, you never know.

[stujones]

No way was he 6-2 and I also disagree that would have halted him in his prime - we'll never know, of course - but he went in with bigger punchers and managed to survive.

Ah come on, I don't think he was ever hit like that by any of those big punchers, it really was a perfect body shot.

I think Ricky was hurt a couple of times to the body before in this fight. Not majorly hurt but was feeling them. Ricky has shown past vulnerabilities to the body - I think it was Jason Rowland who hurt him there briefly and, in a brief moment of success, Jose Luis Castillo made Ricky lift his knee up following a body shot.

[misterpunch]

i'm very disappointed with the posts that say hatton should carry on and have a crack at PM. and especially those on here that say he should have some kind of "party farewell fight" - what are you watching the sport for? put him in with a non dangerous foe? ok, why not get a heavy bag and let him pound away at that for 20 minutes? no danger there! the guy is finished. his boxing spirit has died. yes he could go and last a couple of rounds with paulie and he'd be counted out. fighters need to know when to get off the bus. give the guy a break and give him a chance to be just a fella again. i throw my hands up in despair at some of these posts.

[Lenny]

You could see the frustation in Hatton's face at his timing issues. Yes, he showed a lot of energy to come forward round after round but he wasn't creating the angles of old, hell, he wasn't even able to do the wrestling of old (although this tactic would always have been a bad idea up at welter). He looked miles away from being the fighter he was.

Yes it was a terrible choice of comeback opponent but I think Hatton really wanted a test to push himself as much as he could. That or they looked at a guys record who had lost to Paulie and thought it would be easy enough without realising he was massive, fights on the backfoot, has a beautiful jab and a decent enough chin. If he hadn't taken that bodyshot and had managed to squeak a SD, then I'm sure he'd put it all down to rust and move on to the Malignaggi fight

[ILikeBeer]

I hate to say it and I mentioned it on another thread but I really do think this fight will happen.

The cynic in me thinks one of the big reasons for Hatton choosing now to come back was because Malignaggi won a world title. No one expected Paulie to go to the Ukraine and win the title, but he did and as soon as it happened we get Hatton making waves about a comeback. I think Hatton thought he'd never get an easier route to a comeback world title because he'd already steamrollered Malignaggi. Big money comeback and a chance for Ricky to wear a World title again without putting his body at too much of a risk because Paulie isn't a hard puncher. Hatton 2012 is essentially a businessman and this fight would make money.

The sad thing is it still will. Paulie will want the pay day. Golden Boy will want the pay day. Hatton certainly wont turn the pay day down but more to the point I believe he will genuinely convince himself he can beat Paulie. More to the point Goldenboy will do their level best to convince Hatton he can beat Paulie.

Hatton needs to get talking to Calzaghe, Steve Collins etc and learn how to walk away. He has nothing left to prove and he gave fight fans- both avid and casual, some of the best nights of boxing excitement for the best part of a decade.

This. ^

[Lenny]

I hate to say it and I mentioned it on another thread but I really do think this fight will happen.

The cynic in me thinks one of the big reasons for Hatton choosing now to come back was because Malignaggi won a world title. No one expected Paulie to go to the Ukraine and win the title, but he did and as soon as it happened we get Hatton making waves about a comeback. I think Hatton thought he'd never get an easier route to a comeback world title because he'd already steamrollered Malignaggi. Big money comeback and a chance for Ricky to wear a World title again without putting his body at too much of a risk because Paulie isn't a hard puncher. Hatton 2012 is essentially a businessman and this fight would make money.

The sad thing is it still will. Paulie will want the pay day. Golden Boy will want the pay day. Hatton certainly wont turn the pay day down but more to the point I believe he will genuinely convince himself he can beat Paulie. More to the point Goldenboy will do their level best to convince Hatton he can beat Paulie.

Hatton needs to get talking to Calzaghe, Steve Collins etc and learn how to walk away. He has nothing left to prove and he gave fight fans- both avid and casual, some of the best nights of boxing excitement for the best part of a decade.

This. ^

He got knocked out, tried to come back 3 years later and got stopped again then retired. He's hardly Antwun Echoles

[dondada]

No way was he 6-2 and I also disagree that would have halted him in his prime - we'll never know, of course - but he went in with bigger punchers and managed to survive.

Ah come on, I don't think he was ever hit like that by any of those big punchers, it really was a perfect body shot.

Aye, you might be right mate. Can happen to anyone.

I'm just a bit doubtful that a prime Hatton would have suffered that way, especially against a supposed 'non-puncher' but if you get hit in the wrong place, you've had it, whoever you are.

[dondada]

I think Hatton's decision to call it a day again needs to be carefully considered. I think he can take a lot of positives from last nights showing. He was facing a fringe world class fighter on the back of a three and a half year lay off and was winning with two rounds to go. That for me highlights the class that he had in his prime - there aint many British fighters who can hold their own at fringe world class at the peak of the powers.

I think he needs a least a week to talk to all friends, family and people who he respects before making a decision.

There were clearly a lot of mistakes made - 1) Senchenko was all wrong for Ricky, Senchenko is a massive Welterweight and has the style to cause a prime Hatton some problems. Not suggesting a 100% prime Hatton would lose to him, but Senchenko is awkard.

Malignaggi style wise is easier, a very small Welterweight, no power, no real strength and has many many miles on the clock also.

Stu - you really are BoxRec's equivalent of Talk Sport's Adrian Durham, i.e. find out whatever the general consensus is on any given issue and construct an argument to go against it. You do it very well. Then again, you should, given the amount of practice you've put into it.

The reason he was winning, IMO, was solely due to the high pressure tactics of the first five rounds and he was nicking them on work rate, not boxing ability (at that level). He couldn't sustain it. He then went into an irreversible decline from round six onwards.

The truth is, he looked poor, even in the rounds he was winning strangely enough, and ended up being battered.

[DavidPayne]

Ricky found a ceiling for the 34 year old version of himself.

Personally, I felt it foolish and short sighted to look beyond a British title fight with Junior Witter.

Would have provided a wonderful conclusion to both careers.

Hatton would have won, the place would still have been jammed and he could have walked off into the sunset with a British title belt.

Something, if I'm correct, he never fought for.

If he looks amazing in victory, he could have had the Maglinaggi fight on the back of that.

Senschenko was a big ask from a cold start style wise, size wise etc.

Witter is buggered too, older and no bigger than Ricky.

Neh mind.

Find peace Ricky. It was fun, frustrating too, but on the whole fun. It coudl have been a little more perhaps but hey ho, no career is perfect.

[twenty six]

Ricky said in his interview that he felt the body shots early on and a prime Hatton would have been aware of that and avoided such shots later in the fight.
I dont think anyone's querying the power and accuracy of the shot, but purists would say Ricky in his prime wouldn't have put himself in a position to take such a shot.

[J]

I have kept quiet on all of this, from the day the comeback was announced.

I couldnt get excited about it and had a feeling this would be the outcome.

shoudl have stayed retired, if he wanted to come back it should have been within 12 months and build himself up. Brit level fight european then fringe world class.

not after three years out straight in with a recent world champ not at welter weight..

[Datsue]

http://m.ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/17 ... malignaggi

Despite the loss,Goldenboy still want to do it.


What will Ricky do?

I'm not looking at that but if what you say is true, that's positively f**king ghoulish.

Leave the lad alone, FFS. Terrible idea.

This. Oh, this.

[Datsue]

I think Hatton's decision to call it a day again needs to be carefully considered. I think he can take a lot of positives from last nights showing. He was facing a fringe world class fighter on the back of a three and a half year lay off and was winning with two rounds to go. That for me highlights the class that he had in his prime - there aint many British fighters who can hold their own at fringe world class at the peak of the powers.

I think he needs a least a week to talk to all friends, family and people who he respects before making a decision.

There were clearly a lot of mistakes made - 1) Senchenko was all wrong for Ricky, Senchenko is a massive Welterweight and has the style to cause a prime Hatton some problems. Not suggesting a 100% prime Hatton would lose to him, but Senchenko is awkard.

Malignaggi style wise is easier, a very small Welterweight, no power, no real strength and has many many miles on the clock also.

Stu - you really are BoxRec's equivalent of Talk Sport's Adrian Durham, i.e. find out whatever the general consensus is on any given issue and construct an argument to go against it. You do it very well. Then again, you should, given the amount of practice you've put into it.

The reason he was winning, IMO, was solely due to the high pressure tactics of the first five rounds and he was nicking them on work rate, not boxing ability (at that level). He couldn't sustain it. He then went into an irreversible decline from round six onwards.

The truth is, he looked poor, even in the rounds he was winning strangely enough, and ended up being battered.

& also, this, too.

[jimcook]

i'm very disappointed with the posts that say hatton should carry on and have a crack at PM. and especially those on here that say he should have some kind of "party farewell fight" - what are you watching the sport for? put him in with a non dangerous foe? ok, why not get a heavy bag and let him pound away at that for 20 minutes? no danger there! the guy is finished. his boxing spirit has died. yes he could go and last a couple of rounds with paulie and he'd be counted out. fighters need to know when to get off the bus. give the guy a break and give him a chance to be just a fella again. i throw my hands up in despair at some of these posts.

i agree. theres lots of stuff hatton do now....charity work, celebrity tv, etc. he doesnt need the money. theres no sense in risking his health in hard fights and theres nothing to be gained in watchin him beat up journeymen. the game has been good to ricky, he can put something back in now helping the new generation.

also , senchenko is very far from top class...im relatively sure even the likes of khan would beat him handily. bradley, brook ,alexander etc would all wipe the floor with him.

[Coco]

Hatton would still be in with a good chance of beating PM, it just depends what he wants now.
While the Russian is obv not in elite class he is still a decent world level operator and a very rusty Hatton came within a round of scraping a victory.
Ricky's main strength is his strength which is diminished at welterweight, he is a much better light welter but this would not be an issue against PM, esp if he had a warm up fight.

[orbtastic]

Suspect Hatton not wanting to "give Junior a payday" was fairly high on his agenda too, although it's [Senchenko] clearly an easier sell, plus a win would have got him up the WBA rankings.

[stujones]

I think Hatton's decision to call it a day again needs to be carefully considered. I think he can take a lot of positives from last nights showing. He was facing a fringe world class fighter on the back of a three and a half year lay off and was winning with two rounds to go. That for me highlights the class that he had in his prime - there aint many British fighters who can hold their own at fringe world class at the peak of the powers.

I think he needs a least a week to talk to all friends, family and people who he respects before making a decision.

There were clearly a lot of mistakes made - 1) Senchenko was all wrong for Ricky, Senchenko is a massive Welterweight and has the style to cause a prime Hatton some problems. Not suggesting a 100% prime Hatton would lose to him, but Senchenko is awkard.

Malignaggi style wise is easier, a very small Welterweight, no power, no real strength and has many many miles on the clock also.

Stu - you really are BoxRec's equivalent of Talk Sport's Adrian Durham, i.e. find out whatever the general consensus is on any given issue and construct an argument to go against it. You do it very well. Then again, you should, given the amount of practice you've put into it.

The reason he was winning, IMO, was solely due to the high pressure tactics of the first five rounds and he was nicking them on work rate, not boxing ability (at that level). He couldn't sustain it. He then went into an irreversible decline from round six onwards.

The truth is, he looked poor, even in the rounds he was winning strangely enough, and ended up being battered.

If I had the time to know who Adrian Durham is and listen to his programme then I don't know whether to be offended or not.

General consensus that he was poor? Paulie Malignaggi said he was doing okay considering the task he set himself (Paulie had him 4 rounds up), Ryan Rhodes said he was doing well just a bit over eager, Richie Woodhall was praising him for the first 6 rounds, Ian Darke was praising him for the 5 rounds.

Even the man himself as down as he was said there were lots of positives from his showing. A bit of perspective is needed - he was fighting a fringe world class guy on the back of a 3 year lay off. The fact that he was competitive was some positive.

I completely agree with your post - BUT, isn't that 2nd paragraph largely the story of Hatton's career. He didn't outbox Kostya Tszyu (he walked onto some fantastic right hands), he walked onto some peaches against Juan Lazcano (a fighter I would say isn't as good as Senchenko), he looked average in large parts against Collazo.... just outworked them - won rounds clearer than on Saturday (although I thought it was difficultish to make a case for Senchenko in any of the opening four rounds)

Saying that there were "positives" from the fight doesn't mean I was proclaiming "oh you guys are talking rubbish it was the Ricky Hatton of old and he just got unlucky". I mean there were some positives - the guy was coming off a lay off and was highly competitive for nearly 9 full rounds against a fringe world class guy.... as good if not better than a fair few of his opponents during his prime championship years.

Ricky in his pomp wouldn't have gassed as he did and would have beaten Senchenko - not looking great, but winning pretty clearly. Probably lasting 3/4 further round of the equivalent of the first four rounds and then possibly struggling down the stretch, but never in danger (as he did somewhat against Urango and Collazo - two men physically stronger than Ricky).

Senchenko is a big strong Welterweight, stronger than Ricky. It was a stupid fight to take with so much Ring Rust - missing saps the strength even more. It was a silly silly fight to take on. He didn't look great, but I think he could take heart that for the first 5 rounds - he was not allowing Senchenko to take control, he was missing (but not as much as in the later rounds), backing Senchenko up with good foot work and getting up close quickly. He gassed cause he was missing (ring rust), Senchenko was stronger, Ricky was too anxious early and he wasn't match fit. As Paulie Malignaggi said - people have tune ups for a reason.

[orbtastic]

I think his gassing has a lot more to do with his lifestyle than the amount of shots he missed with. He wasn't exactly reknown for having great stamina late in fights in his peak years.

[Syntax Error]

I just seen Ricky on Granada Reports & he sounds as if he has come to terms with the fact that he is finished as a fighter.

He said he wishes he still had it, but he knew during the fight that he didn't have it anymore & he wasn't going to put his family or his body through hell to fight again.

Well done Ricky; I salute him for that.

I just hope he keeps that promise.

[Crease]

If Hatton gets offered a title fight against malignaggi..

Ricky should leav well enough alone. His punch resistance isn't what it used to be... Saying that, although Paulie is a feather-fisted fighter, Hatton hasn#'t go it any more.

The Ricky Hatton of old is long gone.... All that's left is an old warrior trying to relive days gone by.

I know that sounds harsh, but I was heartbroke for Ricky last Saturday, and I don't want to see something like that ahppen to him again.

[Alba]

http://m.ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/17 ... malignaggi

Despite the loss,Goldenboy still want to do it.


What will Ricky do?

I'm not looking at that but if what you say is true, that's positively f**king ghoulish.

Leave the lad alone, FFS. Terrible idea.

Its borderline exploitation in some respects

[stujones]

I just seen Ricky on Granada Reports & he sounds as if he has come to terms with the fact that he is finished as a fighter.

He said he wishes he still had it, but he knew during the fight that he didn't have it anymore & he wasn't going to put his family or his body through hell to fight again.

Well done Ricky; I salute him for that.

I just hope he keeps that promise.

x2 - just hope he finds peace in himself. The only aspect of any aspect he has said both pre and post fight that makes me think he may change his mind is when he said he enjoyed the training and the actual competition in the ring when asked by Paul Dempsey if he enjoyed it, he answered yes.

I'm just glad it wasn't as sad as Michael Brodie, Danny Williams and a few others that's why I am not a fan of people saying he is "finished" as a fighter.... a "finished" Ricky Hatton is still as good as 3/4 of active British fighters P4P.

I wish Ricky could have found out if he had it or not in the months before the fight - taken the blueprint from Henry Maske's preperation following a 10 year retirement.... but it wasn't to be and just hope whatever his decision, he sticks by it. I hope he at least keeps himself in good shape.