BoxRec

Jim has been around boxing for a long time and seen a lot of fighters.

Is he wearing rose-coloured glasses or would Ricky do as poorly as he says?

http://www.britishboxing.net/news_2440- ... reats.html

We've yet to see the best of Hatton against the best opposition.

Certainly in his early career it looked as if he was something abit special (to say the least).

I feel that after the Castillo fight you may have to reassess. I saw Ricky sparring a few weeks back and it was as good (if not better) as anything I've ever seen in person - seriously.

I was honestly gobsmacked at how fluid Ricky's combinations were and how he moved with such ease. His punches were accurate in both timing and placement and his feet seemed to be moving before he'd even thought, it looked perfect! I really think he's peaked. You'll see on Sat. Trust me.

Nice one STP.

I don't think I'm going to cave in and get Setanta though...

too premature to say really.

Would Ricky really lose all those fights by KO?

He took some heavy shots from Kostya without appearing to be hurt or are we now saying that Tsuyu's power was overrated?

If Ricky is going to get credit for something surely it is his chin.

not seen all the guys mentioned there.

seen most though.

hatton loses to.

pryor
chavez
whitaker
arguello - a little split on it though cos arguello wasn't a natural 140 pounder.

hatton beats.

benitez
mcgirt
cervantes

not seen the others mentioned there.

hitman_hatton1 wrote: hatton beats.

benitez
.

The defensive genius? Not sure he does too well against the slickest fighter he'd ever face.

I don't think Hatton gets ko'd by all those but I think he loses to most

STP wrote:We've yet to see the best of Hatton .

Do you think? He looks past prime to me

we all had Cotto down as a guy who wasn't quite going to make it. Cotto got over his growing pains. Hatton may or may not get over his. Next Sat won't be easy - Castillo still has his wits about him. Despite not making a mark on Ngoudjo, that may be deceptive - look how Castillo has marked up lighter skinned guys. I think/hope they will bring the best out of each other.

In the first 5 rds v Urango, Ricky DID look class with the darting punches and lateral movement. He'll be better prepared this time meaning he'll either be more consistent OR there will be no excuses.

I think we're equating growing pains with damaged goods.

I just hope for a great fight that justifies a rematch as both in in need of a(nother in JLC's case) great rival. Winner can take on Malignaggi. Light welter is looking pretty good. It even may have a terrific future - what with Khan and Ajose Olusegun (haven't written him off yet!).

You shouldn't be having growing pains if you are 28 and you're going into your 43rd fight.

Some of those fights are hard to call. I think his performance on Saturday could influence my views on alot of these fights.

For example, I would really be on the fence regarding Hatton vs Arguello. Arguello was exceptional, but I think a tad overated. A young and green Ray Mancini gave Arguello all the trouble in the world an Hatton is similar to Ray but better IMO. He is also bigger than Ray, ultimately I think it was Pryor's size that was the difference in his fight with Alexis.

However, the problem I have is would Hatton have a problem getting inside Arguello, would Arguello bust him up. Hatton on his Maussa performance especially would probably lose - although the first 6 rounds vs Urango I can see him beating Arguello... question is could Ricky sustain it?

Pryor is another fight who I would give Ricky a chance with depending on his performance vs Castillo. Whilst they don't fight the same way, alot of Castillo's attributes are shared with Pryor. Namely workrate and strength (although, whether Castillo is as strong at 140 remains to be seen). If Hatton batters Castillo, then I'd probably be inclined to say he does Pryor.

At the moment, I would say Chavez batters Hatton, but again Castillo vs Hatton could make me change my mind (although, I would probably always pick Chavez cause he was that much better). It is also worth pointing out, that Chavez wasn't that GREAT a champion at 140. His best days were at Super Feather and Lightweight. The similar styles of Castillo and Chavez will make a future assessment of a mythical Hatton fight so much easier.

I think Benitez and Whittikar would outclass Ricky. Hatton beats McGirt and Ceventes IMO also.

Cannibal wrote:You shouldn't be having growing pains if you are 28 and you're going into your 43rd fight.

well, he won a title pretty late, didn't he, and he obviously hasn't got used to being a champion. Hatton took way too long being a fringe contender/top contender with the WBU fights.

Autobarn wrote:we all had Cotto down as a guy who wasn't quite going to make it. Cotto got over his growing pains. Hatton may or may not get over his. Next Sat won't be easy - Castillo still has his wits about him. Despite not making a mark on Ngoudjo, that may be deceptive - look how Castillo has marked up lighter skinned guys. I think/hope they will bring the best out of each other.

In the first 5 rds v Urango, Ricky DID look class with the darting punches and lateral movement. He'll be better prepared this time meaning he'll either be more consistent OR there will be no excuses.

I think we're equating growing pains with damaged goods.

I just hope for a great fight that justifies a rematch as both in in need of a(nother in JLC's case) great rival. Winner can take on Malignaggi. Light welter is looking pretty good. It even may have a terrific future - what with Khan and Ajose Olusegun (haven't written him off yet!).

Cotto looked like a future All time great come up, I thought most thought that. I have actually been a tad dissapointed with his progression, even now at 147. Obviously outstanding still, but I thought he was going to be the man to spark Floyd and his defence seemed to be water tight.

I remember when seeing a 23/24 Cotto coming up and thinking "Ricky, avoid this guy like the plague".

hitman_hatton1 wrote:not seen all the guys mentioned there.

seen most though.

hatton loses to.

pryor
chavez
whitaker
arguello - a little split on it though cos arguello wasn't a natural 140 pounder.

hatton beats.

benitez
mcgirt
cervantes

not seen the others mentioned there.

Didn't Chavez have many controversial fights though? Hatton's size might trouble Chavez.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Jim has been around boxing for a long time and seen a lot of fighters.

Is he wearing rose-coloured glasses or would Ricky do as poorly as he says?

http://www.britishboxing.net/news_2440- ... reats.html

Maybe the guy respects the old fighters too much like alot of fans.

I'd pretty much go along with his picks for all the fighters I've seen from the list (haven't seen McGirt or Caventes).

On the Arguello fight, I agree Alexis would bust him up and stop him but I disagree that "Hatton would not be so aggressive after tasting the power of Alexis." The Tszyu fight showed that at his best Hatton is willing to walk through punches and not be put off, if anything he might be too brave for his own good as he lacks the head movement to slip the punches on the way in. His clinching of late has been more to do with stamina issues IMO.

Katon! wrote:Maybe the guy respects the old fighters too much like alot of fans.

To be fair Max those some pretty special fighters he's picked out there, I'd give Hatton a much better chance against say a Ray Mancini level fighter.

Cervantes was a superb fighter.

A lot like Carlos Monzon in style, though not quite as good.

He'd beat Ricky pretty badly.

To be fair Max those some pretty special fighters he's picked out there, I'd give Hatton a much better chance against say a Ray Mancini level fighter.

True but his article sounds like he's doing the typical the older generation were better thing/

Hatton v greats - harsh or realistic?

premature

I hope Ricky has at last aclimatetized to the setup and emotions of fighting in the states.He is a great kid and can fight, Ive a feeling he will do a job on Castillio.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:

hitman_hatton1 wrote: hatton beats.

benitez
.

The defensive genius? Not sure he does too well against the slickest fighter he'd ever face.

I don't think Hatton gets ko'd by all those but I think he loses to most

defensive genius.

tell that to bruce curry and harold weston.

definitely a myth goes round about wilfred.

he was a very good fighter and i'd never say he wasn't.

but he was beatable and not some complete and utter genius.

i think hatton could have pulled it out with his pace and workrate.

Weston didn't land too many punches at all on Benitez in either fight and got a gift draw first time around.

What if, what if - Many fights are one sided affairs, so as with Calzaghe v Manfredo you knew who would win before the fight started - In a good matchup between two world class fighters you can never be certain so the list is a bit of a nonsense - I think Ricky will just nick it against Castillo but both are top level so if Ricky lost it wouldnt be a great shock - To be honest I think this one will be far tougher than Tzsu and wont elevate Ricky at all as was the case against Collazzo.

I would fancy a prime Pryor to beat Ricky at his own game – aggressive, but intelligent, pressure fighting.

Before he fell in love with the crack pipe Aaron Pryor was an insatiable ball of aggression with well-honed skills to back up his bravado.

I have to admit I am a big fan of the Cincinnati native; for me, it will always be ‘Hawk Time’!

Having said that, the very fact that Hatton can be mentioned in the same breath as this smorgasbord of immortals says a lot for his position in the game and achievements to date.

As a fight fan and boxing aficionado himself, I am sure Ricky would be chuffed to bits!