My critique of Hattons autobiography

[TopGun]

Disapointing but an easy read.

I found myself reading this book in quite quick time. Not because it was a book I couldn't put down but mainly because it was quite basic easy read a little like a childs book.

I must say having travelled a lot to see Hatton over the years I feel very let down. As a fan there was nothing in there that I didn't already know. For me an autobiography needs to be warts and all. This really was not the case. Perhaps Ricky should have left writing it for a few more years as you often find a person who writs their autobiography when they are little older tend to be more open and honest about their life story.

Ultimately Ricky never tells you why he fell out with Billy other than money but alluded to the fact some other things happened outside of this that his Dad knew off.

He never tells the reason you why he fell out with his parents.
He never discusses how much his purses were for any of the big fights.
Rarely goes into much depth at all about any real topics.
Not a great deal of stories about other boxers behind the scenes that I imagine he must have encounted.

Real shame, but perhaps my expectations were too high? I think it may be a good read for the casual sports fan but for a true boxing fan thenI'm afraid you will be disapointed.

I would give it a 6/10

[Emmseegee]

Disapointing but an easy read.

I found myself reading this book in quite quick time. Not because it was a book I couldn't put down but mainly because it was quite basic easy read a little like a childs book.

I must say having travelled a lot to see Hatton over the years I feel very let down. As a fan there was nothing in there that I didn't already know. For me an autobiography needs to be warts and all. This really was not the case. Perhaps Ricky should have left writing it for a few more years as you often find a person who writs their autobiography when they are little older tend to be more open and honest about their life story.

Ultimately Ricky never tells you why he fell out with Billy other than money but alluded to the fact some other things happened outside of this that his Dad knew off.

He never tells the reason you why he fell out with his parents.
He never discusses how much his purses were for any of the big fights.
Rarely goes into much depth at all about any real topics.
Not a great deal of stories about other boxers behind the scenes that I imagine he must have encounted.

Real shame, but perhaps my expectations were too high? I think it may be a good read for the casual sports fan but for a true boxing fan thenI'm afraid you will be disapointed.

I would give it a 6/10

I would put money on Hatton having another Autobiography when he is older....
He is a bit like Katie Price, knows how to scrape money from every opportunity.

Still loved following his career tho!

[JimJim2009]

Possibly knocked out in time for the lucrative (relatively speaking) xmas market.

He may wish to do another one, once Fwank has published his own auto-biography this year. I am sure Fwank won't hold back on putting across his side of the argument on the disputes and splits he has had over the years.

[TopGun]

Possibly knocked out in time for the lucrative (relatively speaking) xmas market.

He may wish to do another one, once Fwank has published his own auto-biography this year. I am sure Fwank won't hold back on putting across his side of the argument on the disputes and splits he has had over the years.

Now that is a book I suspect will be a good read!

[JimJim2009]

Yep, I think he will settle a few scores with it.... !

[TopGun]

Yep, I think he will settle a few scores with it.... !

We won't have to worry about him holding back. Going to be a cracking read....I always enjoys Franks column in the Sun

[JimJim2009]

He's said on several occasions that he knows the person who tried to kill him. I wonder if he'll finally name him ?

On a completely unrelated note, I look forward to reading Fwank's take on Terry Marsh. Fwank steered him expertly, and was always cheesed off that Terry sold his epilepsy story to the Sun before even telling Fwank that he had the condition. That must have really taken the biscuit when you think about it.

[Parson Cross]

I don't think anyone is ever going to "put it all out there" for fear of legal repercussions.
Some people who were an integral part of Team Hatton don't get mentioned once.
Maybe they know where the bodies are buried !!!!

[veriton]

what kind of play does the witter swerve get? I read hatton's first book and it hardly got a mention

[sweetscience]

im sure what he has to say in a new book from his last... is it worth buying if you read the first one ?

[TopGun]

what kind of play does the witter swerve get? I read hatton's first book and it hardly got a mention

He says that he asked Frank for the fight but Frank wanted to build it a little bigger first but then it kind of fizzled out. He speaks a bit about it but believes it would have been an easy win for him

[veriton]

kind of fizzled out

witter would have stood him on his head and therefore saved him from getting KO'd by "super strong" pacquiao

[winkveron]

Like Fergie's "autobiography", most of these books should just go straight into the fiction section, or better yet the bin.

[fasteddie]

Like Fergie's "autobiography", most of these books should just go straight into the fiction section, or better yet the bin.

[fasteddie]

i doubt ricky would mention anyone else or praise anyone cause he is self obsessed imo,well thats how he comes across to me in interviews

[stevieb_8006]

i doubt ricky would mention anyone else or praise anyone cause he is self obsessed imo,well thats how he comes across to me in interviews

I was just thinking that. hes a bit of an egomaniac. Prob contributing to his problems post retirement.

[ra2006]

I was back in the UK/Europe over xmas and picked up a few Autobiogs to read over the festive period.

These were in order of reading

- Alex Ferguson (OK got taken in by the hype, not bad though)
- David Millar riding through the darkness. (Even if you are not a cycling fan it is a bloodly good read)
- Ricky book.

I was hugely disapointed as I had read the David Millar one before which was execellent, well written and it was really warts and all regarding his doping history and really went into how he ended up in that dark place. This was stuff he had never gone into detail during his interviews was in this book, he opens up and really bares his soul.

Rickys book was nothing really groundbreaking, infact all the stuff in there I could have googled, there was nothing that insightful, he waffles on with a predictable outcome on his thoughts. I felt a little bit robbed!!

[hurlock]

Does he say what his Rice Krispies say now ??

[banjo]

Is it the same as his earlier Autobio with a few extra chapters added on or is it a whole new book?

Not read any boxing bios for a while, they were getting too samey.

[TheGoods]

Hugely disappointing. Doesn't even tell the Tyson - In bed with wife - tuck him in joke.

[jamesmcdonnell]

What do you expect - Hatton is a pretty straightforward kind of bloke, you can't really expect metaphysical musings from a man like Ricky.

Also, there are many things which get left out of books, due to legal reasons, publishers simply will not leave themselves open to libel over contentious passages in books. This is more than likely why nothing was revealed about the split with Billy Graham.

[Tuan_Jim]

These type of boxing books are trashy, disposable cash-ins. Invariably bought by as a Christmas present for some unfortunate boxing fan relative.

There's some incredible boxing literature out there. Why anyone would expect any value from a book by Hatton, or Calzaghe, or Khan, or Haye, or basically any of these dull British celebrity boxers defeats me.

[TopGun]

These type of boxing books are trashy, disposable cash-ins. Invariably bought by as a Christmas present for some unfortunate boxing fan relative.

There's some incredible boxing literature out there. Why anyone would expect any value from a book by Hatton, or Calzaghe, or Khan, or Haye, or basically any of these dull British celebrity boxers defeats me.

I disagree, I read a lot of autobiographies and some of them are excellent, not all sports people. The stories you get and insight into their world is fascinating. I was expecting a lot more from this book.

[big lennox]

David Haye's book, written by Elliot Worsell, is excellent. Several leagues above the normal autobiography/biography. It is insightful, atmoshperic and well written

[TopGun]

David Haye's book, written by Elliot Worsell, is excellent. Several leagues above the normal autobiography/biography. It is insightful, atmoshperic and well written

I read that one too. That was better and more insightful and it wasn't even an autobiography. That gave me more insight and little things I didn't know about Haye and training camps than Hatton's and his was written by himself. I rest my case.