BoxRec

Ok, so we've heard that Ricky's next fight will be in Deember against Urkal. I thought something official was to be announced by now in relation to the fight going ahead?

Anyway, my point is this: If Hatton-Urkal does happen in December, then that's another year in which Ricky has only fought twice. In 2004, I'm sure Ricky fought 4 times!

Ricky admits that he does envisage himself being in boxing too long, so I feel he needs to decure the 'Big Fights' asap. Is it me, or does anyone else get the feeling that Ricky's career is stalling at the moment?

Also, with Ricky probably not fighting until December, he'll have been out of the gym for a long time. Time in which he might put on more weight. You know what they say: "The older you get, the harder it is to shift the weight". If Ricky puts on more pounds, then this is not good at all.

I like Ricky. He's a likeable person, down to earth. I wish him the best, but now is the time. As mentioned earlier, he'll not have a long career.

Why on earth is he waiting until December for his next fight? That is beyond ridiculous. Does he really want to be taking 7 months between fights while in his prime? Especially with such a seemingly routine defence. He should be getting it out of the way ASAP.

Wednesday, July 12 2006


The WBA wants to see progress in regard to welterweight champion Ricky Hatton's mandatory defense against Oktay Urkal. A letter from WBA executive Gilberto Jesus Mendoza on Tuesday informs Team Hatton that Friday is the deadline to receive documents for the bout, otherwise a purse bid will be called in ten days. Below is the text of the letter:

Dear Mr. Hatton:

Please consider this communication as a reminding notice of the terms by which the WBA Championship Committee approved WBA Welterweight Championship between Luis Collazo versus Oktay Urkal on May 13, 2006 in Boston, MA. The resolution sent to all parties involved indicated several requirements in order to approve the bout. On paragraph 3, section a, establish a time period of one hundred and twenty (120) days from the date of the bout (May 13th, 2006) to the winner (Richard Hatton) to face mandatory challenger Oktay Urkal. Until this moment the WBA Championship Committee has not receive any communication from you about this obligation. We decided to set July 14th, 2006 as due date in order to receive all documents necessary to approve the HATTON VS. URKAL title bout. Otherwise, we [will call] a purse bid 10 days counted from the mentioned date.