Hatton may be stripped of IBF title this week

jomothepure · Post by **jomothepure** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:21

Oz paper The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Hatton may be stripped of his IBF title if he does not agree to fight the winner of Ben Rabah-N'Dou next out. The timescale is so short that he may actually be stripped this week, and this weekend's eliminator fight upgraded to full title status.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/hatton ... 36365.html

This is absolutely ridiculous. Surely the IBF and the Hatton camp would have discussed this before the Urango fight? The fight with Castillo was/is all but agreed, so either Hatton's camp knew he'd be stripped if he didn't face his mandatory, or the IBF have moved the goalposts. I'd personally think it's the former, which makes the Urango fight pretty meaningless in the wider scheme of things, not to mention a waste of money re the sanctioning fee.

Of course, Hatton-JLC doesn't really need a title - the IBO trinket would suffice - but all the same I f'ing hate this sort of thing. Absolute joke.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:28

Wouldn't the IBF make a ton from the Castillo-Hatton match up?

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:30

If this was the case, wouldn't it be better for team Hatton to wait a few months and fight the winner of Witter vs Castillo (Castillo is his mandatory, aswell as Harris/Lazcano winner) in the winter.

That way a proper title is on the line, and he would make the fight even bigger. Castillo vs Hatton (as it stands) has probably lost a bit of credibility as a Super fight given new questionmarks raised about Castillo given his less than impressive performance last time.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:32

stujones wrote:If this was the case, wouldn't it be better for team Hatton to wait a few months and fight the winner of Witter vs Castillo (Castillo is his mandatory, aswell as Harris/Lazcano winner) in the winter.

That way a proper title is on the line, and he would make the fight even bigger. Castillo vs Hatton (as it stands) has probably lost a bit of credibility as a Super fight given new questionmarks raised about Castillo given his less than impressive performance last time.

Castillo is there to be taken and Team Hatton don't want Witter to beat them too it

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:35

Witter vs Castillo is possibly the most intriguing match up at Light Welter - both haven't looked great of late. Could Castillo test the Witter stamina, would Witter be too strong for the ex Lightweight champion.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:35

Title or not it doesn't matter. HBO won't approve Rabah for PPV! They wouldn't approve him two fights ago on a non PPV.

Castillo has a big reputation, is exciting, and is still bankable - not due to his brilliant wins over Lazcano, Diaz and Casamayor, but rather his thrilling loss to Corrales.

And Hatton is still Ring champion so he can be champ & not even pay sanctioning fees.

If the IBF strip him it doesn't matter one bit.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:37

Agree it would be a great fight, each has power, Castillo would take the fight to Witter which means Witter would be in his elimant but Castillo may pick holes in Witters defense with his accuracy. And of course there are the stamina and issues of Castillo fighting a real 140lber

Mark my words though it won't happen

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 30 Jan 2007, 09:41

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Agree it would be a great fight, each has power, Castillo would take the fight to Witter which means Witter would be in his elimant but Castillo may pick holes in Witters defense with his accuracy. And of course there are the stamina and issues of Castillo fighting a real 140lber

Mark my words though it won't happen

I generally agree, but I do think there are degrees of taking a fight to Witter that Junior doesn't like. i.e. the latter stages of Ndou vs Witter, when Lovemore was getting desperate.

Slowly coming forward and lunging, thats when Witter is in his element - Castillo can be take the fight a bit quicker and more effectively than that. However, will Castillo make Witter fight at a pace he doesn't like. He would have to resort to those Corrales wars.

lowersmiths · Post by **lowersmiths** » 30 Jan 2007, 10:34

hatton will take the path of least resistance, which means castillo and not witter

Lenny · Post by **Lenny** » 30 Jan 2007, 10:55

hatton will take the path of higher profit, which means castillo and not witter

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Jan 2007, 12:55

stujones wrote:
Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Agree it would be a great fight, each has power, Castillo would take the fight to Witter which means Witter would be in his elimant but Castillo may pick holes in Witters defense with his accuracy. And of course there are the stamina and issues of Castillo fighting a real 140lber

Mark my words though it won't happen
I generally agree, but I do think there are degrees of taking a fight to Witter that Junior doesn't like. i.e. the latter stages of Ndou vs Witter, when Lovemore was getting desperate.

Slowly coming forward and lunging, thats when Witter is in his element - Castillo can be take the fight a bit quicker and more effectively than that. However, will Castillo make Witter fight at a pace he doesn't like. He would have to resort to those Corrales wars.

We don't know yet how good Castillo is going to be at 140, he certainly struggled last time out, against a big rugged 140 lber. Perhaps he had an off night, but I think it is also possible Castillo is past it. He's got a lot of miles on the clock and he took some big digs in bouts too. He's no spring chicken either.

The IBF would be complete twats to strip Hatton, they will lose a fortune in sanctioning fees, who the fekk is interested in Rabah?

Hatton doesn't really need the belt in any case, they can threaten to strip him if they wish, he's still going to fight Castillo, and it will be a 12 round PPV fight belt or no belt.

boxingchat · Post by **boxingchat** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:10

Hatton could and should have done a deal before the Urgano fight to secure the title long term. A bit of step a side cash and a promise the winner of him V Castillo would face N'dou or Rabah would have sufficed but when you work with Amatuers making no money and having no foresight this is what happens.

Te WBA are getting sued by M'Baye because of Hatton doing a similar thing and the IBF have previously been messed about by Hatton and have also a strct code of conduct they must follow following their recent troubles so they cannot bend any rules. The rules are the rules so he IBF cannot be blamed for this.

With thr IBF, WBA and the WBC being held by Witter, Hatton looks to
have burnt all his bridges with the so-called big three.

Awful ratings on HBO, poor crowds and no titles the future looks bleak.

Rmout has it Bob Arum has been approached to raise the sinking ship.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:22

Well of course, the IBF SHOULD uphold their own mandatories, however, do their mandatories deserve their positions, always questionable.

What were the ratings on HBO? I know that Hatton wasn't that well received for this last fight, however, I am sure that a fight with Castillo will do a lot better on HBO.

The Paris was a strange choice of venue, it's not a big auditorium from what I know, and it's hardly one of the marquee venues in Vegas, however, they probably stumped up a nice fee, whereas the MGM or Caesar's probably weren't going to jump at the fight, as it wasn't a thrilling prospect.

Hatton needs a convincing performance, and an exciting one next time out, another dull performance could see his profile seriously dented, as he's not looked great in his previous two fights, though I understand the Collazo fight was well received as there were plenty of shots thrown and landed.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:31

It just goes to show the alphabets are more hassle than they're worth.

Hatton can vacate alphabet belts and still be champ. He'll be introduced by Buffer as the "World champion" or the "Universally recognised champion."

About this amateur stuff, wasn't it amateurish putting Calzaghe in with Bika - a known fowler, spoiler and tough man - on HBO (big impression, right) in October after allegedly said he could only make a Beyer fight in September? Thus letting Kessler have the opportunity to unify.

That move stank and so did the fight. For that matter, never bothering to fight Ottke (a rival champ that made 20 defences! & part unified!) is another bad move and avoiding Kessler yet another.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:33

Does anyone think the IBF are angling for a pay off from Hatton?

Couldn't they pay the Ndou-Rabah winner step aside money?

Hatton-Ndou would be a decent scrap.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:40

the IBF seem to have a thing about anonymous fighters as champs.

The Blade · Post by **The Blade** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:46

viciousmaussa wrote:Title or not it doesn't matter. HBO won't approve Rabah for PPV! They wouldn't approve him two fights ago on a non PPV.

Castillo has a big reputation, is exciting, and is still bankable - not due to his brilliant wins over Lazcano, Diaz and Casamayor, but rather his thrilling loss to Corrales.

And Hatton is still Ring champion so he can be champ & not even pay sanctioning fees.

If the IBF strip him it doesn't matter one bit.

Dead right

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:55

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Does anyone think the IBF are angling for a pay off from Hatton?

Couldn't they pay the Ndou-Rabah winner step aside money?

Hatton-Ndou would be a decent scrap.

The step aside money would come from Hatton, but the IBF don't get any of it, not to my knowledge anyway.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:55

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Does anyone think the IBF are angling for a pay off from Hatton?

Couldn't they pay the Ndou-Rabah winner step aside money?

Hatton-Ndou would be a decent scrap.

The step aside money would come from Hatton, but the IBF don't get any of it, not to my knowledge anyway.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 13:58

Step aside money would goto the eliminator fight but the IBF may want under the table money on top of that

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 30 Jan 2007, 14:18

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Does anyone think the IBF are angling for a pay off from Hatton?

Couldn't they pay the Ndou-Rabah winner step aside money?

Hatton-Ndou would be a decent scrap.

You know, you could be right. Surely, normally they would only ask Hatton to sign to fight once there was a winner from the eliminator?

Why are they asking him to agree to fight the winner, surely they could wait until there actually IS a winner.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 30 Jan 2007, 15:46

If Hobson were good they'd agree to the fight and pay the judges to score a draw

The Hawk · Post by **The Hawk** » 30 Jan 2007, 15:53

Looks like he'll be stripped, these belts are a pain when fighters get to an elite level in stopping fights with other elite fighters. I'd rather see Hatton fight Castillo than defend it against who the IBF want instead.

Hatton is seen as the number one in the world regardless if that IBF belt goes into the ring or not in June, he should just enter with the Ring Belt and get the fight on.

As long as he's winning he should go after fights that mean something, if there's a belt so be it, if not then fight who's seen as a real challenge. He's had more trouble than enough after beating Tszyu keeping a hold of any 140 pound title, just go after the fights!

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 30 Jan 2007, 17:11

Incedintly, anyone knows what happens to the ring belt say if Hatton gets stripped and then Witter unifies with all four belts.... Witter has then carried out the alledged criteria for the ring belt ownership.

The reason why I say alledged is cause they have given it out willy nilly for certain fighters and then others cannot seem to obtain it no matter what they do.

The Hawk · Post by **The Hawk** » 30 Jan 2007, 18:04

stujones wrote:Incedintly, anyone knows what happens to the ring belt say if Hatton gets stripped and then Witter unifies with all four belts.... Witter has then carried out the alledged criteria for the ring belt ownership.

The reason why I say alledged is cause they have given it out willy nilly for certain fighters and then others cannot seem to obtain it no matter what they do.

I know what your saying Stu, I would think as Hatton was awarded the Ring Belt for becoming the "True" Champion at 140, thats his status as the Ring Champion is there as long as he's active and winning at 140 pounds. Even if Witter beat the other belt holders and held all four belts, he's still not beat the "True" Champion and holder of the Ring belt. If Witter did win them and Hatton was still winning at the weight, I could not see the Ring taking their belt off their Champion who was never beat in the ring and giving it to Witter, afterall Hatton should be beat inside the Ring first at 140 to lose the title or no longer be active at 140.