BoxRec

Before you say it I'm not making excuses for Ricky before the fight even happens but I can see this happening...

This fight has been announced way earlier than any of his previous which means he has 5 and a half months to prepare. This is also the fight he's been waiting for for quite some time. I can see a danger of him going hell for leather and possibly over training for this one.

I hope Billy's team pull the reins early on and stagger his training otherwise we could see a very tired Hatton in the ring in June.

I'm not even gonna start with predictions just a bit of food for thought..

Can't see Hatton over training, what does worry me is the size of Hatton when he's between fights, i saw him on sky last night and he had a double chin, i know Hatton is a big light welter but he does'nt seem to look after himself that well between fights, he'll be well up for zoo but what will he do untill April when he starts training?

steve richards wrote:Can't see Hatton over training, what does worry me is the size of Hatton when he's between fights, i saw him on sky last night and he had a double chin, i know Hatton is a big light welter but he does'nt seem to look after himself that well between fights, he'll be well up for zoo but what will he do untill April when he starts training?

I dont think Tszyu keeps himself in good shape between fights either... Think i heard he blows up too.

Probably wrong though

He doesn't, Kostya was fat as fornicate during his layoff before the second Mitchell fight. Thing is though, Kostya has a 15 week training camp, so he has plenty of time to lose weight and get in proper fighting shape.

Yep, Tszyu was on good terms with the Pie Shop. I know Manchester's not short on beer and pastry but Australia's not too badly off for them either. But Tszyu was coming off a LONG layoff where his roadwork had to be limited.

Tszyu's training sessions are legendary, mind. I know Hatton's supposed to be a hard trainer but Tszyu's sessions sound awesome.

I don't think it's possible to overtrain for a fight that won't happen.

lirva33 wrote:I don't think it's possible to overtrain for a fight that won't happen.

lirva aaaaaaaaaargh. mate give it up.

lirva33 wrote:I don't think it's possible to overtrain for a fight that won't happen.

What are you talking about....signed sealed and done mate. Hopefully after the press conference the doubters will keep shdum..

Undertraining overtraining whatever I think Hatton is gonna be blown away by Tszyu in 2 or 3 rounds. He's never faced anthing like the power Tszyu will land with. Anyone picking Hatton is in fantasy land.

Jedi Knight wrote:

lirva33 wrote:I don't think it's possible to overtrain for a fight that won't happen.

What are you talking about....signed sealed and done mate. Hopefully after the press conference the doubters will keep shdum..

You're forgetting about the old 'injury' excuse that will come out between now and June.

I actually am beginning to believe this fight may happen

I would hope, so much riding on it , that a professional team would time the training right.

RH blows up like a Fugu between fights, but, even for some of the crap he has been in decent shape, so I would expect him to come in on tip top for the fight of his life.

I also suspect he will give the performance of his career, get beaten by the better man, but gain more respect that all the fights before gave him combined

Slapsie

For the sake of being too negetive we will assume the fight goes on.

In which case I can't see him over training there profesionals and they would know the work rate and time frame to get him in the best shape, HE read my lips, HE can be.

For my money its mentally that they will have to focus him . he has got a long time , to think about that steely eyed glare he is gonna get from across the ring, probably too long, plus the thousands of times he's gonna be told watch the right hand .

Then when you take into account the fact that they will study Zoo more and more over the months and come to relize he is a far far better Boxer than people give him credit for.

Personally I think they will relize that Hatton is Taylor made for Zoo and fight Harris instead,

The other problem they may well have is Httons fitness level when he reaches the best HE can be.

Ricky is renowned for being strong and fit , but he has never faced anyone who can pressure him , Its one thing looking strong and fit when your hitting the bag , or opponents of the calibre he's been facing .

Its another thing when your under pressure from the hardest punching jnr welter in the world. Will his mental fitness stand up to be followed by his physical fitness.

Basicly thats the problem with nursed fighters what happens when they step up to the plate you don't know till it happens.

Still heres hoping it goes on , Cos Warren seems to have gone quiet about it

Ricky has had plenty of practice at training for fights, the process should be like a well oiled machine by now. I'm sure Billy Graham will not allow him to overtrain

Hatton should take a tune-up, IMO. A low key, patsy job. 6 months seems like a long time to be stewing on the bigest fight of you're life. The sharpness would help also.

That would be most unwise. What if he gets badly cut and loses, or gets injured in training, or sustains an injury in the fight which delays it.

That's a mad idea.

Hut*Hut wrote:Hatton should take a tune-up, IMO. A low key, patsy job. 6 months seems like a long time to be stewing on the bigest fight of you're life. The sharpness would help also.

I don't agree, it's far too risky. Hatton has always been an active, busy fighter so a few months break should not hurt him. As long as his weight is kept under control.

In taking a 'warm up' fight he could get cut, injured lose focus etc. Anything could happen.

He needs to concentrate and focus 100% on Tszyu.

Hatton and zoo will live and breathe each other for the next couple of months, the will know each other inside out, which could make for a slow start, Hattons trouble will be the class off opponent he has faced in the last 12 months should have been a bit better, i would have given him more of a chance, he could beat zoo he is strong enough to but what will happed when zoo lands with the right hand?, i hope hatton wins and unifies the titles( not with the wbu) at least we won't have hand picked fighters for the rest of his career.

Still say he should have faced Leija at some point, would have been a good confidence builder for him, he hasn't fought anyone to really prepare him for a good technical fighter, aside from lightweights like Pedersen and Rios who he could just walk down and bludgeon to defeat.

People keep talking about Tszyu's big right hand, which of course is a valid point when you think of Hatton being dropped by Eamon Magee a few years ago.

However I presume (and hope) that Hatton will have a great deal more respect for Tszyu's power than he did for the tough Irish fighter. Therefore I suspect that he will not be so reckless coming in and be slightly more defencive minded than he was early on against Magee.

I would imagine a large part of Hattons preparation for this fight will involve avoiding that right hand.

steve richards wrote:Hatton and zoo will live and breathe each other for the next couple of months.

That reminds me of when Tommy Hearns was being interviewed after his rematch with Ray Leonard. Hearns was saying he even had a picture of Ray Leonard in his bathroom, which he was looking forward to taking down

In my opinion Hearns won that fight, by the way.

DK2112 wrote:

Jedi Knight wrote:

lirva33 wrote:I don't think it's possible to overtrain for a fight that won't happen.

What are you talking about....signed sealed and done mate. Hopefully after the press conference the doubters will keep shdum..

You're forgetting about the old 'injury' excuse that will come out between now and June.

I think you're talking about Calazaghe mate. How many times has Hatton pulled out of a fight because of an injury??
Even when his preparation has been disturbed with minor injuries he's still gone out and done the business.. 8)

Just as an aside, conversed online with some Americans who know what they're talking about t'other day (Lucius Shepard and some other guys), and they mentioned a very pertinent point:

That Tszyu is probably the best in the game at breaking down movers and runners. They were really interested to see the old man put under pressure and in a dogfight with a young pressure fighter.

Which makes me think, with all the UK going "Watch the right hand, Ricky", do you think Hatton will try and stay on the outside, and try to frustrate Kostya with the corkscrew jab et cetera?

Is this the best tactic for him (playing to Zoo's strengths)? Or should he try and make it a dogfight from the get-go?

Survive the early storm and gradually crank up the pressure to boiling point, if he tries to rush Tszyu immediately, I think he's going to get hurt and or cut. Break him down to the body, push him to the back foot and try and muscle forward onto him, but keep moving and turning at all times.

Crank up the pressure on him in the mid rounds, use the jab frequently, Ricky actually has a very decent jab when he uses it frequently, and work forward constantly.

Whatever strategy he uses Tszyu has the experience to make it bloody hard, I don't think there's a perfect strategy, but rushing in blindly seems highly unlikely to be the tactic they use.

I think Ricky will use a cultured offence like he did against Tackie, but he will have to work a lot harder than that to keep Tszyu honest.

If Tszyu gets Hatton on the back foot, he's got problems.

Tszyu is a good hard trainer but it will be interesting to see what happens if the fight goes on past the mid stages...no doubt by that point Hatton will have smashed home his fair share of body shots and don't forget Tszyu will be having another sizeable lay off before this fight. His Mitchell scrap only went three rounds and before then he had been out for nearly 2 years...i am perhaps clutching at straws but maybe the inactivity and blowing up between fights could take it's toll, plus Tszyu is 34. Just fishing for hope

Fair points, James and Steve.

By the by, James, are you still up for doing that coagulation of all the world bodies' rankings-thingy you were talking about? Or did I imagine that? Gissa shout if you need a hand...