BoxRec

Newly minted WBA Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton is enjoying the fruits of his labor after banging out a unanimous decision over tough southpaw Luis Collazo last weekend in Boston. "I'm over the moon," exclaimed the undefeated Englishman. "When I first started boxing, I just wanted to become a world champion and now I've won four titles and am a world champion at two different weights. It really doesn't get better, especially with topping the bill for the first time in the United States."

Hatton's maiden voyage last Saturday into the welterweight ranks didn't come easy as the determined challenger was forced to dig deep by the proud Brooklyn based reigning champion. "Collazo was a lot tougher than people were giving him credit for beforehand," said Hatton. " I felt stronger than him but there was a significant difference between junior welter and welter. I think he's going to come back a better fighter, in fact he might even be an avoided fighter now because he's a lot better than people give him credit for, definitely."

It's still up in the air as to whether Hatton will remain at welter or drop back down to compete on more familiar territory. "I'm a natural light welterweight and nothing has changed," he said. "I have to thank my strength coach Kerry Kayes because seven weeks before this fight, I was due to meet Juan Lazcano at light welterweight. And then I was fighting Collazo at welterweight, so I had seven weeks to build into a welterweight. If I stay at welterweight, I'll only get better because I'd develop more into the weight. But, I showed that I can cut it, that's the main thing; if a big fight is offered at junior welterweight, I'll come back down but I showed that I can do it at welter as well."

While Hatton's chief target for the future, Floyd Mayweather, continues to pursue Oscar De La Hoya, the Englishman and his co-promoters, Fight Academy and Banner Promotions, have a wealth of options to explore when "The Hitman" returns to action in the fall. "I'm not saying I won't fight Collazo again but, to be honest, I fought Collazo and I beat him," said Hatton. "I'd much rather fight the winner of Gatti-Baldomir or Mayweather or go back down to light welter and fight Cotto or Corrales and Castillo. If the opinion is that there are better fighters at welterweight, then I'll stay there and if the better fighters are at junior welterweight, then I'll move back down."

After campaigning long and hard for the opportunity to headline a major fight card in America, Hatton felt right at home in Boston, which coincidentally was suffering through a rather Manchester-like cold and rainy weekend. "I want to thank the people of Boston," he said. "They made me and my team feel fantastic, the whole week. Much credit to all the people that came over from England to support me. It was just like being at Manchester, really. Even though I came across the water to fight, it was just like being in my hometown; the support was brilliant".

A Collazo rematch makes bad business sense, although it was an entertaining fight, there are bigger fights out there.

Hatton v Gatti could do absolutely phenomenal business if well marketed, Gatti though tarnished somewhat, is still considered an exciting fighter, and his and Hatton's styles are bound to produce an interesting fight.

I think that Gatti will pose Hatton some problems too, he was completely outclassed even before he got in the ring with Floyd, and he fought tentatively and was just not in the right head space. He is more likely to fancy his chances with Hatton, and his ability to take a shot will make it dangerous whilst it lasts.

Whilst I think Collazo probably deserves a rematch, I can't see it happening. You just know HBO are hoping Gatti gets past Baldomir (not a certainty by any means) so they can set up Gatti-Hatton. There's no chance that Hatton will be defending that WBA strap either.

People (yanks) are having a good dig at Hatton over this. Some saying Hatton is not a man of his word.

But why give Collazo a rematch when you can fight the likes of Corrales, Castillo, Mayweather, Cotto or Gatti. Plus Collazo in a rematch is high risk, low reward. Hatton is doing the right thing by not giving him the rematch. I'm sure Collazo will come again anyway.

Basically there hoping for Gatti or Baldomir next. Because:

Castillo - Cfighting Cotto (obviously Cottos fighting Castillo) - so they're both out of the question, mentioning them is purely hype

Corrales - if he loses against castillo it won't look too good. If he wins he may be fighting Cotto or make a big defense at lightweight - possibility but doubtful without any belts. Would be a great fight.

PBF - busy with DLH

Margarito - can Ricky not pronounce his name? Or is he scared of him 1 or the other.

Maussa, Collazo and Gatti although decent fighters are not super fights by any stretch.

When you say superfight do you mean - non-stop great action with amazing PPV sales..?

Well if you do, then Hatton - Gatti would be a superfight.

From a health point of view I'm not too sure I want to see Gatti in another tough fight. As we all know Gatti has been in countless wars and the last few times I have heard him being interviewed his speech pattern has definatly changed, not a good sign.

KOJOE90 wrote:From a health point of view I'm not too sure I want to see Gatti in another tough fight. As we all know Gatti has been in countless wars and the last few times I have heard him being interviewed his speech pattern has definatly changed, not a good sign.

I actually think Gattis speech is the same, may have to look again, ...I do worry about Gatti... I'd hate to see him end up like Bobby Chacon... but I do think he's got people around him such as Buddy Mcgirt who would llok out for any signs of deteriration... trouble is though when the signs start to show it is usually too late... realistically Gatti shouldn't be put through any more wars...

johnswan1 wrote:Newly minted WBA Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton is enjoying the fruits of his labor after banging out a unanimous decision over tough southpaw Luis Collazo last weekend in Boston. "I'm over the moon," exclaimed the undefeated Englishman. "When I first started boxing, I just wanted to become a world champion and now I've won four titles and am a world champion at two different weights. It really doesn't get better, especially with topping the bill for the first time in the United States."

Hatton's maiden voyage last Saturday into the welterweight ranks didn't come easy as the determined challenger was forced to dig deep by the proud Brooklyn based reigning champion. "Collazo was a lot tougher than people were giving him credit for beforehand," said Hatton. " I felt stronger than him but there was a significant difference between junior welter and welter. I think he's going to come back a better fighter, in fact he might even be an avoided fighter now because he's a lot better than people give him credit for, definitely."

It's still up in the air as to whether Hatton will remain at welter or drop back down to compete on more familiar territory. "I'm a natural light welterweight and nothing has changed," he said. "I have to thank my strength coach Kerry Kayes because seven weeks before this fight, I was due to meet Juan Lazcano at light welterweight. And then I was fighting Collazo at welterweight, so I had seven weeks to build into a welterweight. If I stay at welterweight, I'll only get better because I'd develop more into the weight. But, I showed that I can cut it, that's the main thing; if a big fight is offered at junior welterweight, I'll come back down but I showed that I can do it at welter as well."

While Hatton's chief target for the future, Floyd Mayweather, continues to pursue Oscar De La Hoya, the Englishman and his co-promoters, Fight Academy and Banner Promotions, have a wealth of options to explore when "The Hitman" returns to action in the fall. "I'm not saying I won't fight Collazo again but, to be honest, I fought Collazo and I beat him," said Hatton. "I'd much rather fight the winner of Gatti-Baldomir or Mayweather or go back down to light welter and fight Cotto or Corrales and Castillo. If the opinion is that there are better fighters at welterweight, then I'll stay there and if the better fighters are at junior welterweight, then I'll move back down."

After campaigning long and hard for the opportunity to headline a major fight card in America, Hatton felt right at home in Boston, which coincidentally was suffering through a rather Manchester-like cold and rainy weekend. "I want to thank the people of Boston," he said. "They made me and my team feel fantastic, the whole week. Much credit to all the people that came over from England to support me. It was just like being at Manchester, really. Even though I came across the water to fight, it was just like being in my hometown; the support was brilliant".

I'm sorry but the truth is that Ricky is not a two weight world champion, the title he took from Collazo is strictly cosmetic... either he has a rather shaky vision of the boxing world or he thinks most boxing fans have only half a brain... even his claim of being the best 140 pounder is shaky, ok he beat Tszyu but not Cotto nor Witter.... in reality Ricky is still to prove that he's the best 140 fighter in Britain!!!....

Oh c'mon, he's undoubtedly the best 140b'r in Britain, who has Witter beat? His best win on paper is Lovemore N'dou (didn't impress) who himself is sub-par world class...

I don't see why he should give him a rematch. It was close, could have went either way, but it wasn't a robbery. Would Collazo have given Hatton a rematch, had he won the fght? I doubt it. Did he give Rivera a ematch? Did he shite.

Honestly, all the hysteria over this fight has got me baffled. Close decisions happen in boxing all the time, and you seldom hear people banging on about rematches then.

IMO all the 'controversy' over this fight is being drummed up by people who were left with egg on their faces over the Hatton-Tszyu fight (the ones who said Hatton was overprotected/overrated), and take every opportunity to deride Hattons Skills and accomplishments. It all gets a bit boring sometimes.

Phew! Rant over. Thankyou for listening!

lvlarc_uk wrote:When you say superfight do you mean - non-stop great action with amazing PPV sales..?

Well if you do, then Hatton - Gatti would be a superfight.

1. No I mean elite fighters squaring off
2. It may just be a case of Hatton beating Gatti up

Kevo wrote:IMO all the 'controversy' over this fight is being drummed up by people who were left with egg on their faces over the Hatton-Tszyu fight (the ones who said Hatton was overprotected/overrated), and take every opportunity to deride Hattons Skills and accomplishments. It all gets a bit boring sometimes.

Agree with that

The same people who will say something negative about every fighter that Hatton beats.
I can even imagine the slaging posts about Mayweather, if ever Hatton was to pull it off later in his career.

You'd have thought it would be easier to just admit you were wrong! I think their problem was that they were so adament Hatton wasn't for real, that they couldn't backtrack for the fear of looking like idiots. So instead of saying ' fair enough, I was wrong, lets move on', they scrutinize and crticise his every move.

These are the same people that will lable you a 'nut hugger' (I fornicating hate that term!!!) for arguing with them, while at the same time, are kissing Mayweathers/Cottos arse at every opportunity!

Blast their oily hides!

jamesmcdonnell wrote:A Collazo rematch makes bad business sense.

Bollocks. Only Hatton's accountant should make such a statement.

Hatton's as good as said he's in it for the legacy and reputation - Callazo has left a question-mark over Hatton. Yes Hatton got the decision, but in last Saturday's fight Ricky was far from convincing.

Ideally Hatton's gotta correct this before he touches any other welterweight. Collazo and Hatton is unfinished business - whether good or bad...thats the reality.

Kevo wrote:You'd have thought it would be easier to just admit you were wrong! I think their problem was that they were so adament Hatton wasn't for real, that they couldn't backtrack for the fear of looking like idiots. So instead of saying ' fair enough, I was wrong, lets move on', they scrutinize and crticise his every move.

These are the same people that will lable you a 'nut hugger' (I fornicating hate that term!!!) for arguing with them, while at the same time, are kissing Mayweathers/Cottos arse at every opportunity!

Blast their oily hides!

Not at all... I praised him after he beat Tzsyu but if you can't see any flaws in his past two fights then you must be watching a different fight...
As for criticising Hatton if he beat Mayweather thats just a silly statement as for one thing Hatton will never beat mayweather... and I doubt they will ever fight now as Hatton must know he can't win...

Having watched the Collazo fight again tonight I'm pretty certain that Collazo deserved the decision... the only thing that saved Ricky for me was the first round knockdown and the fact that his knockdown wasn't counted... if that wasn';t a knockdown I'm a Dutchman...

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Basically there hoping for Gatti or Baldomir next. Because:

Castillo - Cfighting Cotto (obviously Cottos fighting Castillo) - so they're both out of the question, mentioning them is purely hype

Corrales - if he loses against castillo it won't look too good. If he wins he may be fighting Cotto or make a big defense at lightweight - possibility but doubtful without any belts. Would be a great fight.

PBF - busy with DLH

Margarito - can Ricky not pronounce his name? Or is he scared of him 1 or the other.

Maussa, Collazo and Gatti although decent fighters are not super fights by any stretch.

if corrales beats castillo there's a chance of hatton-corrales. more of a chance than if castillo beats corrales. arum needs to give cotto some elite credibility and he probably feels castillo's had enough hard fights to be cotto's coming out party. that would be easier to make as arum promotes both

silkov wrote:Having watched the Collazo fight again tonight I'm pretty certain that Collazo deserved the decision... the only thing that saved Ricky for me was the first round knockdown and the fact that his knockdown wasn't counted... if that wasn';t a knockdown I'm a Dutchman...

problem was collazo pushed ricky over. all he had to do was put in another couple of punches, but he shoved him down in the heat of the moment and it therefore wasn't counted a knockdown. it's ironic, ricky's KD of Collazo was legit, though Collazo wasn't hurt, more of balance. but when Hatton went down, he was badly hurt, but it wasn't the punch that got him of fhis feet

silkov wrote:

Kevo wrote:You'd have thought it would be easier to just admit you were wrong! I think their problem was that they were so adament Hatton wasn't for real, that they couldn't backtrack for the fear of looking like idiots. So instead of saying ' fair enough, I was wrong, lets move on', they scrutinize and crticise his every move.

These are the same people that will lable you a 'nut hugger' (I fornicating hate that term!!!) for arguing with them, while at the same time, are kissing Mayweathers/Cottos arse at every opportunity!

Blast their oily hides!

Not at all... I praised him after he beat Tzsyu but if you can't see any flaws in his past two fights then you must be watching a different fight...
As for criticising Hatton if he beat Mayweather thats just a silly statement
as for one thing Hatton will never beat mayweather... and I doubt they will ever fight now as Hatton must know he can't win...

Well then, you're obviously not one of the people i'm referring to! Most of them make their home over on the current scene (thankfully).

As for Hatton having flaws, you're right. Anyone who doesn't see this must be blind or deluded! And where did I mention Hatton beating PBF? I've never thought he would, so I wouldn'tcontradict myself by saying he would, especially after Saturdays display.

Kevo wrote:You'd have thought it would be easier to just admit you were wrong! I think their problem was that they were so adament Hatton wasn't for real, that they couldn't backtrack for the fear of looking like idiots. So instead of saying ' fair enough, I was wrong, lets move on', they scrutinize and crticise his every move.

These are the same people that will lable you a 'nut hugger' (I fornicating hate that term!!!) for arguing with them, while at the same time, are kissing Mayweathers/Cottos arse at every opportunity!

Blast their oily hides!

I hate to say this but I think there are some fans who don't like Hatton simply because he is British.

Just in case you didn't know Boxing News had it 114-114.

I have some questions especially for the British contingent on this site.....

What are the papers over in Britain saying about Hattons performance against Collazo? Is it overall positive, negative, neutral, or depends on which one you're reading.

I have often noticed British papers can be pretty hard on their athletes, is this true?

Is Ricky a tabloid target over in England? If so what has been said about him in the past (outrageous in nature)?


(This might not be a correct thread to post these questions on, but I didnt want to make a new thread to clutter up the board, I am going to post the same questions in the Current Scene board also)

silkov wrote:

Kevo wrote:You'd have thought it would be easier to just admit you were wrong! I think their problem was that they were so adament Hatton wasn't for real, that they couldn't backtrack for the fear of looking like idiots. So instead of saying ' fair enough, I was wrong, lets move on', they scrutinize and crticise his every move.

These are the same people that will lable you a 'nut hugger' (I fornicating hate that term!!!) for arguing with them, while at the same time, are kissing Mayweathers/Cottos arse at every opportunity!

Blast their oily hides!

Not at all... I praised him after he beat Tzsyu but if you can't see any flaws in his past two fights then you must be watching a different fight...
As for criticising Hatton if he beat Mayweather thats just a silly statement as for one thing Hatton will never beat mayweather... and I doubt they will ever fight now as Hatton must know he can't win...

Ooops. Just re-read this thread. My post wasn't aimed at you, just a general rant

KOJOE90 wrote:Just in case you didn't know Boxing News had it 114-114.

I would love to say Hatton was brilliant etc and bring on Maywaether, but thats just not what I see. I actually think Hatton has wasted a lot of his talent by spending too long in the comfort zone fighting aging lightweights and blowing up like a balloon inbetween fights. For a fighter who relies so much on his fitness it beggars belief that Hatton has been allowed to carry on with his beer and kebab lifestyle..... its probably taken years off his career... who needs an opponent beating you up when you're doing it to yourself!....