Should I feel Bad that I want Hatton to Lose?

[Slapsie Maxie]

Sitting at work and pondering on the fight

I really want Hatton to lose. I want the wheels to come off the gravy train. I want to see FW's face when he sees the cash cow flop like a sack o spuds.

I can't believe that two years ago, I sat ringside at the McGee fight cheering Hatton on and thinking he was going to be the biggest British star since Naz.

then I went through a stage of thinking that Hatton was being held back by Warren, really wanted the big fights but was being avoided or had bad luck

now, I think he is afraid that he will get found out if and when he steps up, scared to fight outside his hometown and is happy to milk cash from the people they can still persuade to hand over their hard earned and watch him beat up on increasingly unrecognisable stiffs while he pads his wallet

I feel bad for wanting a brit fighter to lose, but think that seeing Hatton cold cocked will be retribution for SN's lousy matching policy

I suspect i am not alone in this.

slapsie

P.S - for Hatton, one can of course also substitute Calzaghe

[Kilburn]

Trouble is, if Hatton loses legitimately against Stewart imagine how pitiful his comeback opponents will be?

I don't want Hatton to lose tonight, but I refuse to watch him again until he fights a 50-50. That means Pinto, Branco, Harris, Augustus or N'Dou.

[Slapsie Maxie]

I guess the other way of expressing the question is

"how badly do you have to treat the paying public for them to turn from partisan support to active dislike?"

Hatton's last showing did it for me. Underpreparing for a poor opponent who is a late replacement for the "name" you have sold tickets on the basis of is like saying

"thanks for the money, now f**K off while I spend it on chips" to the average punter

Slapsie

[steve richards]

Sitting at work and pondering on the fight

I really want Hatton to lose. I want the wheels to come off the gravy train. I want to see FW's face when he sees the cash cow flop like a sack o spuds.

I can't believe that two years ago, I sat ringside at the McGee fight cheering Hatton on and thinking he was going to be the biggest British star since Naz.

then I went through a stage of thinking that Hatton was being held back by Warren, really wanted the big fights but was being avoided or had bad luck

now, I think he is afraid that he will get found out if and when he steps up, scared to fight outside his hometown and is happy to milk cash from the people they can still persuade to hand over their hard earned and watch him beat up on increasingly unrecognisable stiffs while he pads his wallet

I feel bad for wanting a brit fighter to lose, but think that seeing Hatton cold cocked will be retribution for SN's lousy matching policy

I suspect i am not alone in this.

slapsie

P.S - for Hatton, one can of course also substitute Calzaghe

Slapsie i have looked at Hatton over the last few years also and thought the same, They could make fights with the following easily, Witter, Harris, Urkal, N,dou, Mitchell, Judah, Cotto(who is a star in the making and will step up to the plate with anyone), Hatton has got potential, but at 35-0 how much more does he need to learn ( or is he doing all the learning in the gym like mitchell ) In the last year he has lost alot of fans and respect from fight fans, i really dont think whe wants to move on, If he earning big money for fighting lightweights and lower grade opposition why would he, Hatton is only about 24 or 25 i think, he's going to be 80-0 by the time he is in his 30's. Calzaghe also has been stagnent over the last couple of years, If he gets to Tarver in the spring i think he will beat him or he could go for the other belts in the super middle, most of the belt holders would be matched easily ( more easily than Tarver i would have thought), On one hand from a business point of veiw i can under stand why Warren looks after fighters and does'nt let them get mashed up, but the tv companies must have a thing or too to say about the quality of the matchmaking?

[Wilko]

Totally see your point Slapsie. I was thinking about Hattons career the other day and thinking "what has he achieved in the 7 years he's been a pro?".

For the last couple of years it really has been a case of B level opponent and MEN arena and cash in. It's a tired out formula now and has to change. Same with Calzaghe.

From a business point of view I understand it but if i was Hatton my pride would get in the way and I would demand to be facing the best out there.

If he were to be defeated tonight then it would certainly bring a few changes. if they would be for the better or worse it's impossible to say.

Talking of a loss though I really can't understand what all the fuss is about having an unbeaten record. For me a good or a great fighter is one who tastes defeat and comes back the better for it.

If Ricky were to face one of the elite of the division and lost then so what. I would think more of him for being brave enough to take it on in the first place.

Does anyone know how ticket sales have gone for tonight? Perhaps if the arena is half empty it will give Warren and Hatton the shake up they need.

[bennie]

Hatton tells everyone he's "up" for this fight and looked in good shape at the weigh-in, so I'm expecting a good display tonight. But I agree: until there's a genuine 50-50 opponent staring across the ring at him, beating the Mike Stewarts of this world won't mean much.

[Slapsie Maxie]

If Ricky were to face one of the elite of the division and lost then so what. I would think more of him for being brave enough to take it on in the first place.

[/quote]

I agree

The problem with the current strategy is that Hatton will become increasingly less

1) profitable - as punters see through the crap matches

2) Marketable - as he slips down the rankings

3) Motivated to train - as we saw in the last fight

I would think it would be better for him to step up and take a risk than face an inevitable defeat at the hands of a lesser opponent as he goes soft beating up on fighters below him.

The only way it will change is if he sees himself fighting in front of half empty halls rather than 17,000 braying mancs half of whom don't know one end of the fight game from the other but like singing "blue moon' when jazzed up on dope and Red Stripe

Slapsie

[Coconut]

Hatton tells everyone he's "up" for this fight and looked in good shape at the weigh-in, so I'm expecting a good display tonight. But I agree: until there's a genuine 50-50 opponent staring across the ring at him, beating the Mike Stewarts of this world won't mean much.

That's also an important point. If he's saying he's keen and wipes out Stewart then I can forgive him and the fans have ammo with which to whine about FW.

If he says he's keen and turns up lacking conditioning and with a face like a slapped haddock like against Vilches, and goes twelve miserable rounds, then he's effectively 'pulling a DLH' and is all mouth and no trousers

[Wilko]

I think for me the thing that really highlights how much Hatton's career has stalled in the progress Cotto has made in less time.

Provided that Hatton does get through tonight then why not stick him on the Danny Williams - Vitali Klitschko undercard in December and get him some decent exposure against someone like Ndou? If they were serious about his career that would be viable.

Some people have said Hatton is becoming like the Sven Ottke of British boxing but for me he's more like the Brien Nielson - meaningless title being defended over and over again at home against a lower level opponent.

[Old bones Ian]

at least Sven Ottke faced some class opponents, Brewer, Mitchell, Mundine, Reid i know he got some dubious decisions in some of those contests, but at least he faced top level competition.

Hatton will step up in 2005 i don't think he has much choice.

One other thing, i posted this question on another thread but didn't get a answer. Whats the WBO ruling on accidential head clashes, if one fighter is too badly injured , does it go to points or is it a cuts loss?

Only Stewart is at long odds to win inside the distance against Hatton. and Hatton could get a cut

[steve richards]

at least Sven Ottke faced some class opponents, Brewer, Mitchell, Mundine, Reid i know he got some dubious decisions in some of those contests, but at least he faced top level competition.

Hatton will step up in 2005 i don't think he has much choice.

One other thing, i posted this question on another thread but didn't get a answer. Whats the WBO ruling on accidential head clashes, if one fighter is too badly injured , does it go to points or is it a cuts loss?

Only Stewart is at long odds to win inside the distance against Hatton. and Hatton could get a cut

If Vann Is the ref Hatton would'nt get stopped if stewart came in with a chainsaw and chopped off both him arms and legs

[MightyWarrior]

There've been bigger shocks than seeing Hatton lose tonight. We've seen it before: a supposed "non-puncher" lands with the prefect shot, and it's lights out.
But I agree, a lot of fans will see it as come uppance for Warren if the unthinkable happens tonight.

What's worrying is how they're talking about Mitchell next ( again ). I'm wondering, how exactly is Warren going to make this fight, seeing as he's already blown off Mitchell for being over-priced?

What will have changed? And any talk of bringing Cotto over, as SN have hinted, is just laughable.

[steve richards]

There've been bigger shocks than seeing Hatton lose tonight. We've seen it before: a supposed "non-puncher" lands with the prefect shot, and it's lights out.
But I agree, a lot of fans will see it as come uppance for Warren if the unthinkable happens tonight.

What's worrying is how they're talking about Mitchell next ( again ). I'm wondering, how exactly is Warren going to make this fight, seeing as he's already blown off Mitchell for being over-priced?

What will have changed? And any talk of bringing Cotto over, as SN have hinted, is just laughable.

How long would Hatton last with Cotto?, Warren & Arum could make that fight easily, I will be shocked if Hatton looses but i will be more shocked if he ever fights anyone who gives him a good test.

[Wilko]

What are the odds that 12 months from now we'll still be hearing "Franks promised me if I win my next fight I'll be against one of the top names in the division next time out"?

[Chris the fighter]

I don't think I would ever want a Brit fighter to lose particularly to a Yank
but I do see your point that Hatton has had a lousy year this year and that he and allegedly have to take some blame.
You can't really blame them for Pinto pulling out of the fight in April to be fair or Harris and his pay demands which without USTV were I think too high.
But the Mitchell fight for sure was makeable and a win would have got him Tsyzu. But I agree going through the motions against B class foes has not helped. He is still a top ten light welter but that wasted year could be costly.

[Slapsie Maxie]

like I said, I would never normally want a brit to lose to anyone which shows how pissed off I am with the whole SN charade

They are taking us for prime schmucks and I for one "am mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore" copyright Peter Finch

Slapsie

[Kilburn]

Ah yes "Network", haven't seen that for a while. Watched "Quiz Show" recently and quite enjoyed it.

[Old bones Ian]

i have no desire to see Hatton lose tonight, i would rather he won , then at least he MAY face a top fighter next, if he lost then imagine what his comeback opponent would be like.

saying that i'm still having a tenner on stewart, as the odds are good, and he is a capable fighter.

[Eric the Viking]

To answer the question in the thread title:

No.

[KOJOE90]

I'm a big Hatton fan and honestly think he can mix with the elite, however I can see where Slapsie is coming from.

I'm really struggling to get excited about this fight, which is very unusual for me, but still want Hatton to win.

I've said a number of times on this Forum that Hatton is turning into the UK's version of Brian Nielson, which is a great shame.

[Smit]

For Prediction league purposes i want Hatton to win

But i really couldn't care apart from that. If he wins then he'll pull out of both the IBF and WBO #1 positions.

If he loses he'll continue to fight B Grade fighters

[mrbassie]

I won't go so far as to say I especially want him to lose, but for exactly the same reasons as stated it wouldn't bother me one bit. If he loses hopefully he'll go crawling to Witter.

[Manos de Oro]

In two minds over this. Hatton, I felt, was the goods when he was coming through, and I expected him to pan out to true world class. Add this to how well he comes across in interviews and he is one of my top 3 favourite British fighters. On the other hand, his career has become a disgrace: to himself, to UK boxing fans, to the 'WBU title' caption under his last 14 fights; the equivalent of a shit smear.

I would hate for him to suffer a bad KO or get seriously hurt. Personally, I like Hatton. From a business/money standpoint though, would anyone really care if one of these cherry-picked opponents were to derail the gravy train? I'd hardly be jumping for joy, maybe feel a little satisfaction, but there would be no great sense of loss there for me.

The reason for this is Hatton himself, not allegedly. Warren, despite all his faults, has provided Ricky (someone I believe would have - or will have* - a somewhat short career at the top flight, making 4 or 5 defences max) with financial security, with the reputation of being a World Champion around his hometown, a long period of non-ppv TV exposure, a championship career (despite it being a phony one).

Warren has delivered all this. He knows the way British fighters in the past have burnt out after visiting the top flight, and has saved Hatton and Calzaghe from the familiar fate of reaching the top, then crashing to rock bottom. I doubt we'll hear of Hatton or Calzaghe living in a 1 bedroom flat in a housing estate 10-20 years from now.

Yeah, he has not delivered either man a genuine world class 50-50 fight for a 'real' world title. And in my opinion, he has no intention to. I believe the career of Hatton in particular, maybe Calzaghe as well to an extent, was planned out well in advance. There's no chance of either of them fighting at the level they're capable of unless either man himself forces it.

I'd be surprised if Calzaghe has ever forced anything, and I think the Johnson fight was only accepted because Johnson was seen as weak. Calzaghe should have 'Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere' as his entrance music when he fights this Egyptian bloke.

Hatton's different, he did force a real fight, unfortunately his opponent wobbled more than him and it fell through. I think he should have forced the Mitchell fight when he had the chance. He would have been a silent favourite to win that for me, if it had happened. Whatever happens in his career from now on, he should call his autobiography 'Massive opportunity missed - the Ricky Hatton story'.

*yeah, right.

[Guest]

YES, YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD. HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrbassie]

I like Hatton too, but he needs a kick up the arse. After Stewart it's back to square one: Cotto says he'll fight him in Manchester but he won't because 'why should he?', Mitchell won't fight in Manchester and Tszyu certainly won't fight in manchester. There goes Warrens empty big next fight promise. Hatton either needs to leave Warren and go to America and get an American promoter or threaten Warren that he will, otherwise he's gonna be another Howard Eastman (at best).