There are so many questions to answer leading to this fight. Is Tszyu over the hill? If his last defense against Sharmba Mitchell is any indication, then the answer to that is a resounding no. Will Tszyu’s past injuries catch up with him? No reason why they should. Will Hatton’s vicious body attack have an effect? Time will tell. In Hatton’s case, one of the main questions is how he reacts if or when Kostya lands one of his big right hands. Will the challenger cut early? How will that and the fact that Tszyu is a major, major step up in class affect the outcome? The fact that there are so many questions makes this one of the most fascinating fights of the year, so let’s try to break it down.

Hatton is the hometown fighter having fought at the MEN arena many times. Although a level below Kostya, Hatton has still fought fighters of world class. His list of victims include: Freddie Pendleton, Mihail Krivolapov, Eamonn Magee, Vince Philips, Ben Tackie and Ray Olivera, which is still very impressive. It could be argued that Pendleton, Philips, Tackie and Olivera were slightly past their best, but I would still have tipped Hatton to beat them in their prime. Kostya is coming off one of the most impressive wins of his career but Hatton is by far the more active fighter with Tszyu suffering a string of injuries and setbacks. That being said, Hatton must be wary of the big right hand.

I was amazed when reading some of the U.S. journalist’s opinion on the bout that no one gave Hatton a prayer. They were obviously influenced by Hatton’s portly demeanor at a press conference for the bout. This is not unusual for Ricky who tends to put weight on between fights. Make no mistake about it; Hatton will be in the best condition of his life both physically and mentally. This is a genuine 50/50 match-up in my opinion. More so than the other 140-pound title fight between Arturo Gatti and Floyd Mayweather Jr. later in June.

Hatton’s best tactic in this fight is put educated pressure on Kostya while at all times watching for the champion’s big right hand. Hatton will fight at a pace that Tszyu will not relish and Ricky has proven on many an occasion he can keep that sort of pace up for twelve rounds. I am tipping Hatton to dethrone the champion late in the fight courtesy of his vicious body attack, forcing a stoppage in round ten. If that happens, dare no one criticize the champion and say he was over the hill.

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