Isaac Hlatshwayo for Hatton?
Posted: 11 Feb 2008, 12:27
Ricky Hatton could face South Africa's Isaac Hlatshwayo on home turf at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24.
The Hitman, a lifelong blue, last graced these shores with a bloody and hard-earned nine-round knockout of Puerto Rican beanpole Carlos Maussa in Sheffield in November 2005 and then made his way to the States, where he fought four times, including a lucrative shot at WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jnr in Las Vegas in December. Now he's back to face the respected but little-known Hlatshwayo (not natural rival Junior Witter, sadly, a fight that never looks like happening) as he looks to build to another marquee fight at 29.
Hatton, 43-1 (31), blames Puerto Rican referee Joe Cortez for his loss to Mayweather in that the surprisingly fussy Cortez never let him mix it inside and made him 'chase' the fight after deducting a point from in the sixth round, both of which played into the hands of the slick, counterpunching Mayweather. "I would fight Mayweather again - just with a different referee," barked Ricky, who was slowly picked off and floored and stopped in the 10th. "Maybe he (Cortez) just had an off-night. And I was a little bit over-keen, overeager and I made the cardinal sin of losing my composure."
But, he added: "What sort of a champion would I be if I didn't come back and try and prove myself?"
Enter Hlatshwayo. In 29 fights, the man from Soweto has lost only to world class Kendall Holt in a 12-rounder in Atlantic City. It was Hlatshwayo's first major contest at light-welterweight, after a fine winning run in the lightweights (including a decision over Nate Campbell), and he was never in it. Hlatshwayo struggled to get close to Holt in the early rounds, picked up a bad cut in the sixth and was floored three times down the stretch, although he made it to the final bell where he conceded two scores of 119-106 and one of 116-109. Holt went on to floor Colombian banger Ricardo Torres on a controversial night in Barranquilla last September for the WBO light-welterweight title (ahead on points, the American was stopped on his feet in the 11th when seemingly unhurt); Hlatshwayo has bounced back with two wins at full welterweight, where he handed Australian prospect Robert Medlely his first defeat in October last year.
So what more do we know? The 30-year-old Hlatshwayo is no banger, with only nine early wins, and his chin didn't look the best against Holt - but he's a fine all-round exponent with workrate, aggression and solid boxing skills. Billed as "The Angel", Hlatshwayo turned pro at lightweight back in 2000 and took scalp after scalp on the way to the major world rankings. Victims included Phillip Ndou (who retired immediately afterwards) Samuel Malinga (remembered for hammering the likes of Colin Lynes and Ted Bami here), Cassius Baloyi (moving up briefly; Baloyi won a major world super-featherweight title in his very next fight), Martin Jacobs (desperately unlucky to drop a 12-round verdict to Colin Dunne here in 2002), Aldo Nazareno Rios (blew away Jason Cook here), Patrick Malinga (lost a good fight here to Alex Arthur) and the excellent Nate Campbell, whom he took a split decision over after 12 thrilling rounds in Tampa in April 2006 for his biggest win.
Hlatshwayo was an impressive 25-0 and a clear 2-1 favourite when he entered the Holt fight in November 2006 but - well, we know the upshot. More ominously, the South African was rocked by Rios in the 12th and final round of their February 2006 encounter - a man hammered in nine by Hatton a few years earlier.
Hlatshwayo looks brave and highly capable, but not capable of beating Hatton.
The Hitman, a lifelong blue, last graced these shores with a bloody and hard-earned nine-round knockout of Puerto Rican beanpole Carlos Maussa in Sheffield in November 2005 and then made his way to the States, where he fought four times, including a lucrative shot at WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jnr in Las Vegas in December. Now he's back to face the respected but little-known Hlatshwayo (not natural rival Junior Witter, sadly, a fight that never looks like happening) as he looks to build to another marquee fight at 29.
Hatton, 43-1 (31), blames Puerto Rican referee Joe Cortez for his loss to Mayweather in that the surprisingly fussy Cortez never let him mix it inside and made him 'chase' the fight after deducting a point from in the sixth round, both of which played into the hands of the slick, counterpunching Mayweather. "I would fight Mayweather again - just with a different referee," barked Ricky, who was slowly picked off and floored and stopped in the 10th. "Maybe he (Cortez) just had an off-night. And I was a little bit over-keen, overeager and I made the cardinal sin of losing my composure."
But, he added: "What sort of a champion would I be if I didn't come back and try and prove myself?"
Enter Hlatshwayo. In 29 fights, the man from Soweto has lost only to world class Kendall Holt in a 12-rounder in Atlantic City. It was Hlatshwayo's first major contest at light-welterweight, after a fine winning run in the lightweights (including a decision over Nate Campbell), and he was never in it. Hlatshwayo struggled to get close to Holt in the early rounds, picked up a bad cut in the sixth and was floored three times down the stretch, although he made it to the final bell where he conceded two scores of 119-106 and one of 116-109. Holt went on to floor Colombian banger Ricardo Torres on a controversial night in Barranquilla last September for the WBO light-welterweight title (ahead on points, the American was stopped on his feet in the 11th when seemingly unhurt); Hlatshwayo has bounced back with two wins at full welterweight, where he handed Australian prospect Robert Medlely his first defeat in October last year.
So what more do we know? The 30-year-old Hlatshwayo is no banger, with only nine early wins, and his chin didn't look the best against Holt - but he's a fine all-round exponent with workrate, aggression and solid boxing skills. Billed as "The Angel", Hlatshwayo turned pro at lightweight back in 2000 and took scalp after scalp on the way to the major world rankings. Victims included Phillip Ndou (who retired immediately afterwards) Samuel Malinga (remembered for hammering the likes of Colin Lynes and Ted Bami here), Cassius Baloyi (moving up briefly; Baloyi won a major world super-featherweight title in his very next fight), Martin Jacobs (desperately unlucky to drop a 12-round verdict to Colin Dunne here in 2002), Aldo Nazareno Rios (blew away Jason Cook here), Patrick Malinga (lost a good fight here to Alex Arthur) and the excellent Nate Campbell, whom he took a split decision over after 12 thrilling rounds in Tampa in April 2006 for his biggest win.
Hlatshwayo was an impressive 25-0 and a clear 2-1 favourite when he entered the Holt fight in November 2006 but - well, we know the upshot. More ominously, the South African was rocked by Rios in the 12th and final round of their February 2006 encounter - a man hammered in nine by Hatton a few years earlier.
Hlatshwayo looks brave and highly capable, but not capable of beating Hatton.
