BoxRec

A few years ago I took a good friend of mine along to a Ricky Hatton fight at the York Hall. My mate is not especially interested in boxing but I assured him that Ricky was the next big thing. Ricky, roared on by a passionate travelling contingent, duly put on a good show before despatching Guiseppe Lauri. My friend was impressed, wanted to do it again, come and support Hatton in "the big fight". I promised him that when the world title fight came along I would get him top ringside seats.

Down the bill we watched a promising Super Middle called Toks Owoh suprisingly get beaten by a tough american journeyman brought over to add a name to the Owoh record.

So last week my mate got round to asking me whatever happened to Hatton. I painfully had to explain nothing, still going, still unbeaten, still not world champion, don't worry when he gets a shot I'll get the tickets for you. He looked a bit bemused. Seems like a long time to wait for a world title fight, he said, I thought he was a big star with big support. Complicated, I said, boxing politics, elusive opponents, need for US tv support etc.. He still looked bemused.

To cheer him up I told him the american journeyman down the bill who we both liked and who we chatted to afterwards was now one of the world's biggest fighters, a world champion, conqueror of the best fighter of the last ten years, about to sign a multi million pound fight for the undisputed LHW championship.

"So Glencoffe is one of the biggest names in boxing and Hatton is still waiting for his first shot?" Poor guy he looked even more bemused.

I don't want this thread to be hijacked again by the Hatton haters because, compared to them he has made something of his life and is an exciting dynamic fighter who I still think will win a big title someday. However it did strike me as a shame that so many british fighters are victims of their own success - keep winning, keep drawing crowds, why take risks.

Right down the bill that night was a man who did nothing while he was winning and once he started losing, the world opened up for him. By the end of this year he could, just could be the biggest name in boxing, the heavyweight champion of the world, the right hand of God. Step forward Danny Williams.

Lose your unbeaten record, lose the promotional hype yet gain self respect and a proper career at least. So Danny needed to become damaged goods before he could become THE goods. I would have told my friend Danny's story but that would just have confused him even more.

Yes, good post, I agree with all the sentiments, you sum up very well the frustration of being a boxing fan.

Especially as so many lads out there want to like it but quite often find it a bag of shite and there are plenty of other good sports to get their interest.

And that's the thing with the likes of Hatton, many people could be forgiven for thinking we all dislike him for some reason and want to see him get beaten up.

I can only speak for myself but that couldn't be further from the truth. There is absolutely nothing more I would like (in boxing) than to see Hatton regularly fight the top guys in the US and indeed over here and participate in real meaningful genuine world title fights and give British boxing some of those magical big fight nights.

That's what we all want (I think) but we get exceptionally brassed off when as each year passes by it looks even further away from ever happening as we see Frank Warrens master plan unfold.

The master plan being that there isn't really a master plan at all, just keep on mugging off the punters and his Sky paymasters as long as he possibly can, keep the financial good thing (a.k.a cash cow) going....

great post!!!
I was there that night too... was a good evening of boxing...hard to believe it was over 4 years ago now, how time flies!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post

Yep great post, succinct

Was there too that night. Remember Danny looking very nervous in the dressing room but he got the job done in six against a very ordinary US journeyman Quinn Navarre. Like many of his fights though you could see alot of talent bubbling under the surface, but some imaginery forcefield would only let bits of it out at a time.

Remember watching Toks go up and down stairs and outside York Hall sorting out tickets and thinking 'you'd better get your head on mate... this is no easy bout and your mind's not on the job'.

Nice lad Toks, could talk for Nigeria, but the wheels came off that night. Johnson was excellent and basically took him to school, and apart, bit by bit. He'd not long lost to Ottke and those in the know felt that he may show Owoh up and he did. Toks fought his heart out but just never really got to grips with Johnson and at the time. It was a shame, because he had strength, power and no little ability – but he had just a bit too much belief in his own hype.

I remember thinking that Johnson was one of the most well-schooled fighters I'd seen. He had a bit of everything. I remember commiserating to Toks after that fight and saying that Johnson would probably never box that well again – proved me wrong eh? Poor Toks has never recovered from that night and even worse for him, after the Johnson fight, Toks realised that to get to the top he'd have to put in the work in the gym and he did just that, and really buckled down and trained extremely hard for a fight after that against Richie Woodhall. He was in great shape physically and mentally and was raring to go, only for the former WBC champ to pull out and retire. I think that took the sails out of him completely and he's lost his last three bouts. I think we'd have seen a different Owoh that night had Woodhall not injured his back and gone through with the fight.

Hatton was good that night. Full of menace but yet to show the maturity he did against Phillips and Tackie – jumping in with hooks to the body, but his opponent just didn't have the strength to hold him off or stop him in his tracks. You could tell he was going to be class though and no doubt, four years later, we're still waiting for the real 50/50 acid test a fighter with his ability deserves to be/should be in. It's a real risk taking on Oliviera though, Hatton's not cut for a while, you almost feel that he's due one and with a clash between the winner of Tszyu or Mitchell in the offing, is it really worth the risk?

Olivera's not a risk, he's totally shot and won't get near lightwelter. He's gonna get beat up. You didn't think Frank would put Ricky in with someone who could actually beat him did you? Olivera being billed as "the man who's never been stopped" as usual. We gonna get them talking about him being the only man to beat Vivian Harris which is gonna piss me off. Harris fought him as a young man and when Olivera was a legitimate danger man.