BoxRec

Ricky- you must be delighted that you have finally inked a fight with Kostya Tszyu in your hometown of Manchester?
Yes-this is always what I have dreamed of and I must give credit to allegedly for delivering such a big fight for Ricky Hatton and my huge army of fans. Last year 2004 was a frustrating year of highs and lows with fights against Sharmba Mitchell, Kelson Pinto and Vivian Harris all seeming to fall through. However with positive performances against Mike Stewart and Ray Olivera the year ended on a high note for me. I became the first fighter to stop both these experienced fighters and kept myself up in the top of the rankings and knew eventually that a big fight would come up for me. Stopping Mike Stewart in an official eliminator meant at some point I was going to get a shot at the well recognised IBF belt. allegedly and I took a lot of stick during 2004 and people were questioning whether we just wanted easy paydays but ultimately Frank delivered the biggest fight of my career and one of the biggest nights that British Boxing has seen in recent years. It will be a huge night for the city of Manchester and the UK boxing fans to see such a major fight.

Were you surprised that the 22,000 tickets for the MEN Arena sold out in just two and a half hours?
I knew that the tickets would sell but in 2 hours and 30 minutes was amazing- some of the pop stars that have appeared at the Arena have not sold tickets so fast- indeed Destiny’s Child are playing the week after the fight and they did not sell out so fast. It is not like the fight is at 9pm but in the early hours of the Sunday morning. It clearly shows both how loyal the fans are and also how excited they are at seeing two of the best fighters in the world. If I was a paying fan I too would be intrigued at watching Ricky Hatton fight Kostya Tszyu over twelve rounds. Overall it Is full credit to my fans-they know it is the biggest fight of my career and they are fully committed to supporting my cause.

Are you adapting your training programme to the 2am start time planned for the fight?
At the moment my schedule is as it has always been and training at 12 noon until 3pm like today. When I get 5-6 weeks from the fight however we will be changing the training time to start at one or two in the morning so my body can acclimatise. I know it will be hard and I know it will be difficult but I would fight Kostya Tszyu at any time day or night. Be assured I will be there fully fit and to the best of my ability on the night. Whatever I have got to do I will do and this is such a big opportunity that it is not a major issue other than adapting my training routine accordingly. It doesn’t worry me in the slightest.

What do you see as Kostya Tszyu’s biggest strengths?
He is very good at dictating the pace of the fight and I recently watched a DVD of his training routine and he plans meticulously but almost to the extent that the pace is not too intense. My sessions are like today with 2 hours of intensive and explosive training to match my style in the ring. With Kostya Tszyu the pace is very similar and perhaps people are mesmerised by the big right hand. They are watching him to see when and where it is coming from and this seems to slow the pace down. This actually works for Tszyu as when they drop the pace and watch and wait for the big right hand it actually gives him more time to place it at the right speed in just the right area. This is why he has a big win ratio and it appears that he is always in control. He is very clever in this respect in what he does. He is a thinking fighter but I do not think his style is that awkward to read it is just he is very good at it.

Have you identified any weaknesses in Kostya Tszyu as yet?
It is very difficult to spot any huge weaknesses that are so obvious and so glaring- my main belief is that I aim to put the pressure on him and change the pace at which he is used to fighting. I will not be mesmerised by the potential of this big right hand landing but fighting at my own fast pace. I only remember one fighter that really took it to him and that was Ben Tackie but no disrespect to him in that he rumbles forward and even though he put the pressure on him in spurts Tszyu just leaned back and Tackie was not effective. My view is to adopt the same strategy on moving forward to Tszyu but doing it quickly so I am able to be on top of him and do it at speed. In this way he will not have the leverage to launch the big right hand as I will be close up in his face throwing my own combinations and body shots. Tackie was not quick enough to carry out what is the right game plan whereas I think I have that speed and youth to be effective. My plan is to have good defense and good movement- his stance is quite wide with not a lot of foot movement. He tends to lean back whereas with my speed I will be on him much faster than anyone has done before. He is still very dangerous but even Jessie James Leija had some success but you got the feeling he was not able to maintain it for the full twelve rounds where my style is to maintain a high work rate with speed for the full distance. I am accurate and a more hurtful puncher and feel I can carry on where fighters like Tackie and Leija had some limited success. When people have the bottle to take it too him then they do have some success. My aim is to set the pace and put pressure on Tszyu but without being too reckless.

Have you and trainer Billy Graham identified your game plan for defeating Tszyu?
It may sound stupid but the plan to beat Kostya Tszyu is pretty obvious as I have described. A high work rate and speed backed by a volume of punches and good defense is the basic plan. The game plan is almost set and he will stand tough with the right hand cocked and it will be upto me to put on concerted and effective pressure for a long period of time. I just think as strong as he is, he is not an exceptional in-fighter. Against Sharmba Mitchell and Zab Judah he just pushed and shoved but because he is so physically strong he can get away with it. I will be throwing volumes of combinations to head and body and he will not be able to push me around. I don’t think he is a very good inside fighter and so if I move in quick and throw volumes of punches I will have some definite success. My danger zone is going to be where Tszyu is in the range to explode one of his big right hands. I anticipate for the early rounds making sure my movement is good enough so I avoid his big right hand. I have the respect for him that I will not decide to see how strong his right is- I have seen the impact on many videos. My plan is to avoid it totally and if I am up close and in his face he will not have the leverage to land with power effectively. I feel my on-fighting is superior and couple with speed and movement I have all the skills to defeat him.

In a recent interview Kostya Tszyu felt the big difference that will matter in this fight is the relative level of opposition both fighters have faced. Do you see this as a deciding factor?
I suppose that is a fair comment but to balance that I have youth and this should not be under-estimated either. I have the speed, energy and determination in a level that perhaps some of his opponents have not shown. It is always a balance. Experience is a plus. Youth is a plus. I have had 38 fights but in all honesty I am as fresh as a daisy. When I have had to move up in the experience level as with Vince Phillips and Ben Tackie I barely lost a round rather than struggle to cope with the more experienced fighters. Against Ray Olivera and Mike Stewart they are experienced fighters but I was the fighter who became the first one to stop both of them in 2004. This is directly related to key issues on my side- speed and youth and the ability to throw high volumes of punches round after round. This is a balance and what Tszyu has in experience advantage I have the advantage in youth, desire and speed. I am 120% ready for Kostya Tszyu. I think he will struggle with my work rate and my intensity. In his only loss to Vince Phiilips he did struggle when Phillips put the foot on the pace went up and Tszyu looked out of sorts and struggled. I will be setting a fast pace from round one. Honestly I believe I have the skills and desire to beat him. In the last 4 years he has not had a close and intense fight at the pace I will be fighting. He just has the experience in recent years of fighting at his own slower pace. I know I am the underdog but I have total faith in my ability and I think it will be a long fight with Tszyu going after me early when his pace and speed will be at his best. After that I will come into my own.

How do you think the crowd will impact the fight on the night?
Tszyu has fought in front of many big crowds across the globe in Sydney and the US but I bet they have not been a quarter of the noise as the crowds that fill the MEN arena in Manchester to watch me. He will find the atmosphere intimidating whilst I will find it a huge lift. 22,000 fans is worth a couple of rounds at least and fair play to Kostya Tszyu for coming to Manchester. Although he will arrive two weeks prior to the fight he still needs to recover from the jet lag but hats off to him and his team and I know this in reality will have zero impact on the result and thus I am not relying on anything other than my boxing skills. What will be fantastic is me being able to show my loyal fans I can win at the highest level in world boxing.

In the Junior-Welterweight division do you see Kostya Tszyu as the best fighter?
I still rate Tszyu as the division’s best fighter and his last performance against Sharmba Mitchell was impressive. He is in most people’s mind the holder of the best fighter at 140 pounds. That is why my challenge is motivating me so highly. The other fighter I really rate is Miguel Cotto and although I am not thinking beyond the Tszyu he would be an ideal first defense in a IBF/WBO unification match.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Yes, of course, it's like Tyson (I think it was) said, 'They all have a gameplan before they get in the ring with me.'

However, I do think that Hatton makes an excellent observation regarding the Phillips, Tackie and Urkal fights. In all of these fights Tszyu was put under pressure, but in terms of boxing skills, I think Hatton is at least equal with all men, and superior to two of them. Urkal lacked the firepower to really make the most of it, but he gave Tszyu a real hard fight throughout. I remember people saying how beatable Tszyu looked that night.

I've always said that if Hatton gets pushed back or made to hesistate at any point in the fight, it's all over, he HAS to keep Tszyu backing up.

Hatton does have better footwork than Tszyu, but that's partly because Tszyu's timing is so good, he is prepared to be outmanouevered until he finds his range, and then he unleashes the beast.

Nobody thus far has been able to stand up to a beating from Tszyu and come back to win.

Riddick Blowe wrote:nice job giving away your entire gameplan, ricky.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Perhaps if he pressures Tyuzu for 12rounds andstays close to him he could win a UD. I don't think Kostya has the highest workrate so if Ricky pressures and keeps on him early it cause plenty of problems.

Does everyone buy Tyuzu is a poor in-fighter though? Workrate may not be his forte but I think he packs a wicked body attack and uppercut of his own.

If Ricky can take Kostyas shots and stay out the way he'll win a UD. Thats the key question though.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:He may have looked 'confused and slow' against Judah, but only for the 1st round. Judah is unorthodox, fast and very hard hitting, but once Tszyu found his range, it was all over. It wasn't luck on Tszyu's part, he nailed him.

My point about the Tackie fight was that Tszyu never tried to engage him, he boxed very conservatively, but Tackie's limitations made it easy for him. Phillips was all over Tszyu the whole fight, and Tszyu found the pace too hectic. However, Tszyu changed his training habits after that fight, and stopped relying on his power and strength so much. Urkal really pushed Tszyu for parts of their fight, in what was definetly his best performance, I remember a part of the fight where he had Tszyu on the ropes, really laying into him.

nickd wrote:I just dont see how Hatton can take Tszyu's right hands which he will have to do to win. He's been clobbered with rights in the past and hurt badly by Magee and Phillips - Tszyu's right hand is on a whole different planet. For Hatton to do his best work he needs to be right in the pocket up close, but one step back from Tszyu and Hatton is right in the zone. I don't think Hatton is a particularly hard puncher to the head, he throws mean body shots but will they be that good against top fully fledged 140lbers? I doubt that.

I'd like to see Hatton do it but I just can't see how he can outbox Tszyu and/or avoid his right hands all night.

MightyWarrior wrote:

nickd wrote:I just dont see how Hatton can take Tszyu's right hands which he will have to do to win. He's been clobbered with rights in the past and hurt badly by Magee and Phillips - Tszyu's right hand is on a whole different planet. For Hatton to do his best work he needs to be right in the pocket up close, but one step back from Tszyu and Hatton is right in the zone. I don't think Hatton is a particularly hard puncher to the head, he throws mean body shots but will they be that good against top fully fledged 140lbers? I doubt that.

I'd like to see Hatton do it but I just can't see how he can outbox Tszyu and/or avoid his right hands all night.

Well he took Phillips right hand ok, and I wouldn't say Tszyu definitely throws a harder punch than Vince - the American did win that particular shoot out after all.


Who knows, maybe Hatton is getting the Russian at exactly the right time. To give FW some credit - he is generaly good at picking the right fights and the right time...

The signs might be there that Tszyu is showing his age - Mitchell barely landed a punch and Kostya was still cut by the end of the first. Plus those injuries that have kept him so inactive recently - wear and tear might be starting to show.

MightyWarrior wrote:

nickd wrote:I just dont see how Hatton can take Tszyu's right hands which he will have to do to win. He's been clobbered with rights in the past and hurt badly by Magee and Phillips - Tszyu's right hand is on a whole different planet. For Hatton to do his best work he needs to be right in the pocket up close, but one step back from Tszyu and Hatton is right in the zone. I don't think Hatton is a particularly hard puncher to the head, he throws mean body shots but will they be that good against top fully fledged 140lbers? I doubt that.

I'd like to see Hatton do it but I just can't see how he can outbox Tszyu and/or avoid his right hands all night.

Well he took Phillips right hand ok, and I wouldn't say Tszyu definitely throws a harder punch than Vince - the American did win that particular shoot out after all.


Who knows, maybe Hatton is getting the Russian at exactly the right time. To give FW some credit - he is generaly good at picking the right fights and the right time...

The signs might be there that Tszyu is showing his age - Mitchell barely landed a punch and Kostya was still cut by the end of the first. Plus those injuries that have kept him so inactive recently - wear and tear might be starting to show.

MightyWarrior wrote:

nickd wrote:I just dont see how Hatton can take Tszyu's right hands which he will have to do to win. He's been clobbered with rights in the past and hurt badly by Magee and Phillips - Tszyu's right hand is on a whole different planet. For Hatton to do his best work he needs to be right in the pocket up close, but one step back from Tszyu and Hatton is right in the zone. I don't think Hatton is a particularly hard puncher to the head, he throws mean body shots but will they be that good against top fully fledged 140lbers? I doubt that.

I'd like to see Hatton do it but I just can't see how he can outbox Tszyu and/or avoid his right hands all night.

Well he took Phillips right hand ok, and I wouldn't say Tszyu definitely throws a harder punch than Vince - the American did win that particular shoot out after all.


Who knows, maybe Hatton is getting the Russian at exactly the right time. To give FW some credit - he is generaly good at picking the right fights and the right time...

The signs might be there that Tszyu is showing his age - Mitchell barely landed a punch and Kostya was still cut by the end of the first. Plus those injuries that have kept him so inactive recently - wear and tear might be starting to show.