BoxRec

Autobarn wrote:Hattonis allowing Witter to be mythologised as a worthy fighter being ducked.

Wales wrote:

Autobarn wrote:Hattonis allowing Witter to be mythologised as a worthy fighter being ducked.

Agreed!

Wales wrote:hang on a moment el-bandito, I didnt say I didnt want the fight. As it happens I'd like to see them face each other. Its just a pain in the arse when every thread turns into the same (now) tedious debate on Witter being the second coming and Hatton being a money grabbing chicken (something I dont buy)

oliverfennell wrote:

Wales wrote:hang on a moment el-bandito, I didnt say I didnt want the fight. As it happens I'd like to see them face each other. Its just a pain in the arse when every thread turns into the same (now) tedious debate on Witter being the second coming and Hatton being a money grabbing chicken (something I dont buy)

Well, as somebody said elsewhere: We'll agree to stop talking about it if Hatton agrees to fight Witter - deal?

Terry D wrote:All I can do is ask "are you now thinking of fighting Witter?", upon the response of "no" I can then ask "wouldn't it be fitting to fight him and KO him", upon the response of "yes and no" I'm left having to ask the question a third time and coming across as deliberately obtuse. I know the answer of a third question would be along the same lines and if it is a choice between asking the question again a third time, plus knowing the answer already, then it is better in my mind to ask about the Mayweather fight itself.

If you want the point pushed then why not put the call out for one of the many guys who get paid for asking questions to visit the place (for more than just an open-day scrum) and put him on the spot? I asked twice and in my opinion if someone asked me the same question three times in a row I'd think I was dealing with a feebe or a prick.

Witter is a good fighter and maybe the fight will happen. Al we can say is that for now Witter has the WBC title but a middling fighter like Hopkins thinks there are 'bigger' fights out there for him. Is this also down to Hatton? Get that US TV fight, actually impress, and then see what the score is. If Witter cannot get Hopkins into the ring, for the prestigious WBC title, then what message is that giving?

oliverfennell wrote:

Captain Hook wrote:Nobody is saying they "don't want the fight".

I'm personally just saying give the guy a break, he's just been knocked out by the best p4p in the world and is due a gimme. He's getting slated left, right and centre on here.

You know what? I agree with you. He is due a gimme and he has been copping too much flak. I am among those calling longest and loudets for a Witter fight, but I'm not taking anything away from Hatton's achievements so far. A lot of people are being hypocritical about him, having been firmly on the bandwagon in the lead-up to the Mayweather fight but now totally denouncing him. I'm a fan of both guys; more so Witter, but I'll support Hatton vs anyone else.

But that's not the point. Yes, Hatton is due a gimme. I'll even go so far as to say Maliganaggi is a good fight for him. But I want to at least believe he'll fight Witter in the near future. I want to hear Hatton saying the right things. Hell, even if the fight never happens, I want to at least believe Hatton wanted it to happen and it was just politics that got in the way. But it's what he's saying, the excuses he's making and has been making for EIGHT YEARS that stick in the craw.

Terry D wrote:You try to gloss over the fact no one goes to his fights because you know I put forward an irrefutable point in the argument.

Terry D wrote:As for the third question being asked of Hatton. Everyone knows where you stand on the issue. You started numerous threads on it. So here is my thoughts on that elusive third line of questioning. You are a card crarrying journalist who feels deeply aggrieved about this situation. The job of the journalist should be to highlight news and wrongs. You also love to travel. Why not pick-up your journalist card, and your rail card, and put the question forward? Your deep feeling on the issue will off-set the journey and you will be doing what you enjoy and settling the issue. That is not a pop, just my perception. You could do more in person than a million of these threads.

Terry D wrote:

oliverfennell wrote:

Terry D wrote:All I can do is ask "are you now thinking of fighting Witter?", upon the response of "no" I can then ask "wouldn't it be fitting to fight him and KO him", upon the response of "yes and no" I'm left having to ask the question a third time and coming across as deliberately obtuse. I know the answer of a third question would be along the same lines and if it is a choice between asking the question again a third time, plus knowing the answer already, then it is better in my mind to ask about the Mayweather fight itself.

No, it's not asking the same question three times.

1) Q: Will you fight Witter? A: No/not yet
2) Q: Why not? A: Because he's been slagging me off
3) Q: But you did that to Mayweather; what's the difference here? A: ....

Don't get me wrong, Terry, that's a good article, and I understand it can be uncomfortable to ask difficult questions. But question 3 has not yet been answered or, indeed, been put to the man himself in any official interview, despite the fact that has been asked ad infinitum on here, other websites and in BN. If he can satisfactorily answer questions 2 or 3, then all power to him, but until he does, they will continue to be asked.

Also, given that anybody who knows you knows quite clearly where you stand on the Hatton-Witter issue (and I'm not judging you for your opinion), then you will have to expect a bit of cynicism over the fact you didn't press the issue. You might not agree with it, but you KNOW there is a huge demand for this fight, and so with that in mind, I feel you could have pursued the angle a bit more. It is certainly of more interest than Mayweather retrospective IMO.

Answer 3 is fairly easy to figure out. There is genuine ill-will there. Not the phoney "let's pretend to have a ruck to sell this dog-turd of a fight". There is genuine 'walk past one another on the street and not say a word dislike' and that is fairly easy to see and it is real.

Pre-Mayweather was panto season. Was there any other outcome imaginable other than gushing praise on both sides? With Witter it is real and that is obvious over the years. I'd say it goes back to the Thaxton fight.

As for the legacy issue.

Witter's support is Internet based and print based. You try to gloss over the fact no one goes to his fights because you know I put forward an irrefutable point in the argument. It is easy to call for the fight when sat in a warm office, less hard to show your support when it comes to the cruch, and this suggests that not everyone is calling for it because they think Witter is shit-hot.

As for the third question being asked of Hatton. Everyone knows where you stand on the issue. You started numerous threads on it. So here is my thoughts on that elusive third line of questioning. You are a card crarrying journalist who feels deeply aggrieved about this situation. The job of the journalist should be to highlight news and wrongs. You also love to travel. Why not pick-up your journalist card, and your rail card, and put the question forward? Your deep feeling on the issue will off-set the journey and you will be doing what you enjoy and settling the issue. That is not a pop, just my perception. You could do more in person than a million of these threads.

Captain Hook wrote:But as you admit Oli, a lot on here have taken this as an opportunity to ruin Hatton's reputation and achievement, and it amazes me.

Captain Hook wrote:Nobody is saying they "don't want the fight".

I'm personally just saying give the guy a break, he's just been knocked out by the best p4p in the world and is due a gimme. He's getting slated left, right and centre on here.

Terry D wrote:

DG. wrote:

Terry D wrote:All I can do is ask "are you now thinking of fighting Witter?", upon the response of "no" I can then ask "wouldn't it be fitting to fight him and KO him", upon the response of "yes and no" I'm left having to ask the question a third time and coming across as deliberately obtuse. I know the answer of a third question would be along the same lines and if it is a choice between asking the question again a third time, plus knowing the answer already, then it is better in my mind to ask about the Mayweather fight itself.

If you want the point pushed then why not put the call out for one of the many guys who get paid for asking questions to visit the place (for more than just an open-day scrum) and put him on the spot? I asked twice and in my opinion if someone asked me the same question three times in a row I'd think I was dealing with a feebe or a prick.

Witter is a good fighter and maybe the fight will happen. Al we can say is that for now Witter has the WBC title but a middling fighter like Hopkins thinks there are 'bigger' fights out there for him. Is this also down to Hatton? Get that US TV fight, actually impress, and then see what the score is. If Witter cannot get Hopkins into the ring, for the prestigious WBC title, then what message is that giving?

D-HOPS thinks there are EASIER fights out there for him.
Turn down a SHOT AT THE WBC BELT - what is wrong with fighters today?

THE 1 QUESTION TO ASK HATTON IS,

What do you say to the FANS who say you have so far had the

1) Its in me contact!
2) Get a belt.
3) Be exciting
4) Won't gIve him a payday.

As delaying tactics re: NOT fighting Witter - Witter has done everyting asked of him, what say you?

You are our Martin Lawrence DG! I'm waiting for your anti-Hatton breakdown of the game of snooker.

"You see Hatton is the white ball and the white ball gets power over all the other balls on the table. Why? Because the white ball is bigger in diameter. You can't see it because whitey is messing with the lights. The brown ball gets hit by the white ball and the white ball knocks the shit out of it. The brown ball is Kostya Tszyu. Why? Because he was shit. He was 99 by the time they fought. In fact that wasn't Kostya Tszyu it was his double, Imposter Tszyu. The green ball is the WBC title and the white ball fears the green ball. It won't go near it because it fears the inner-Witterness of the fight ball. You with me on this?"



Only kidding DG, you have got too cool a name to mess with. If that was me in the Thaxton interview, plus I'd beaten Tszyu and Castillo then fought Floyd, I would keep the guy dangling until one of us retired.

Although to be fair when Ray did to Hagler it was not nice. But then we're not following a tickling contest are we?

oliverfennell wrote:

Captain Hook wrote:But as you admit Oli, a lot on here have taken this as an opportunity to ruin Hatton's reputation and achievement, and it amazes me.

Yeah, I agree 100%. The only reason I haven't spoken against them is because in a way I hope even these extreme and unfair criticisms force Hatton's hand. But let it go on record that I am not one of those people.

My take on Hatton:

- Yes, his WBU reign was overlong and criticisms of this are valid

- No, Kostya Tszyu was not shot and Hatton beating him was one of the greatest nights in British boxing history

- But he didn't capitalise on that and his next three fights were not career-enhancing

- Castillo was probably past his best, but he was still very dangerous, and Hatton simply could not have done a better job against him, and I think the fans should focus on this rather than Castillo's limitations

- Mayweather was always going to beat him, but I rooted Hatton as much as anybody. Contrary to what some say, he did himself proud in defeat

- I don't think anybody can begrudge him a gimme

- But he absolutely MUST fight Witter in the next 12 months

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:I used to spend hours on this debate and don't bother with it now. 1 interesting swing in public opinion is that knowledgable Ricky Hatton fans are now calling for this fight all over the place.

I had long arguments with JamesMcCdonnel & ViscousMaussa/Autobahn who both disagreed with me about Ricky ducking Witter. But now they've done a 180 and most British boxing fans who know the sport want this fight on their top3 biggest fights lists.

Even Lloyd Honeyghan when asked straight after the Mayweather loss in front on the cameras about Hatton's career said 'Ricky should go back to 140 but avoid Witter because he'd lose'. People who know boxing have lost allot of respect for Ricky Hatton over this issue and avoiding your number 1 challenger tarnishes a legacy like nothing else, especially after a brutal loss to a naturally smaller Mayweather despite him being P4P no1

DG. wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:I used to spend hours on this debate and don't bother with it now. 1 interesting swing in public opinion is that knowledgable Ricky Hatton fans are now calling for this fight all over the place.

I had long arguments with JamesMcCdonnel & ViscousMaussa/Autobahn who both disagreed with me about Ricky ducking Witter. But now they've done a 180 and most British boxing fans who know the sport want this fight on their top3 biggest fights lists.

Even Lloyd Honeyghan when asked straight after the Mayweather loss in front on the cameras about Hatton's career said 'Ricky should go back to 140 but avoid Witter because he'd lose'. People who know boxing have lost allot of respect for Ricky Hatton over this issue and avoiding your number 1 challenger tarnishes a legacy like nothing else, especially after a brutal loss to a naturally smaller Mayweather despite him being P4P no1

And that just about sums it up!

Remember when DLH was called Chicken DLH all ovr the place?

We need a new dish.

Hatton ala Chickarn!

Not as funny as Oscar De la 'Chicken Tikka Anna Kournikova' Hoya!