Preview Analysis: Kostya Tszyu vs. Ricky Hatton.

FINALLY, IT’S HERE!

It was made and announced four or five months ago, but Hatton fans have been waiting for this fight for the last three or four years. For about two years now, the boxing community all over the world has been demanding that Ricky Hatton “steps up” and starts fighting the elite in the division. And now he takes on the very best! There are so many questions that are going to be answered by this fight, the main two being: How good is Ricky Hatton, and, is Tszyu still the man? I’m sure the majority of British boxing fans who have any interest in this fight will have watched the documentary on Hatton that was shown on Wednesday night. I was watching the show with my Father. As we were watching the highlights of previous Hatton fights, my Dad made the observation, “He takes a few doesn’t he?” I replied “Well, that’s what makes it such an interesting fight.”

Click for more Preview Analysis of this week’s HUGE main event!

I have wondered in the past why there seem to be many fans of the sport out there that just plain don’t like Hatton. He goes to throw punches and generally have a tear-up and always seems to be in an exciting fight, much like Arturo Gatti. So why has it worked for Gatti but not so much Hatton? Look at Gatti’s opposition over the years, apart for Oscar de la Hoya and his upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather, his opposition has been nothing special, so why is it only Hatton that gets slated for not fighting the best?

Ricky is on a mission to silence the critics and I for one believe he will, win or lose. The great thing about this sport is that a fighter can gain more respect in a hard-fought loss than an easy victory. Look at Jesus Chavez after his fight with Erik Morales. The guy fought twelve rounds with one arm and got up after being knocked down repeatedly. You have to give that man respect.

Kostya Tszyu assures us that he is not treating this as “Just another fight.” He has explained that he needs challenges to get him motivated and at this stage of his career, each fight is about cementing his legacy. Being the first man to beat Hatton would not do any harm to that at all. Even though he destroyed Sharmba Mitchell with consummate ease can we be sure that two years out of the ring due to two different injuries is not a sign of Kostya’s body starting to deteriorate slightly. Three rounds did not really test his endurance. Mitchell is a thoughtful fighter that likes to take his time, very different to Hatton’s all out pressure style.

Tszyu’s power is immense. Known for his powerful right hand that blasted Zab Judah into la la land, Tszyu showed just how effective his left hand can be, whether it’s setting an opponent up for the right or landing short hooks and uppercuts. There is plenty more to Tszyu’s style than just throwing out the straight right.

My Prediction.

OK, I don’t mind admitting that I’m biased. I’m British and I’ve been a Hatton fan for a while. I’m not too ashamed of this bias because I know there are other writers on this site that have an allegiance to Australia and Kostya Tszyu and are going to be backing their man.

In the past, British fighters have been given very little when it has come to a big fight on the world stage. Benn vs. McClellan, Bruno vs. McCall, McGuigan vs. Pedroza, Honeyghan vs. Curry, Williams vs. Tyson are all examples of fights in which it was seen that the only way the British guy was going to win would be through a lucky punch or by some fluke. Yet all these wins came out of sheer grit and determination from the British fighter. Both Benn and Williams came through huge punishment in rounds one and two to come back and win and it is going to be the same for Ricky Hatton. Tszyu is going to be extremely dangerous in the early rounds, but if Ricky can exert his non-stop attack, I can see him grinding Kostya down the same way Vince Phillips did.

I’d be very, very stupid to write off Kostya Tszyu. He’s the favorite to win for a reason. I just think that his age will start to show in the later rounds, I think he will also be surprised by the non-stop pressure Hatton will put on him. Like I said to a friend last week, this has got Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera written all over it. Remember that Pacquiao was 4/1 against in that fight. The odds aren’t that long for Ricky Hatton.

The Aftermath.

If Hatton Wins…..

Depending how he wins, I’m sure there will be some cheeky people that will dare to say that Tszyu was past it and not what he once was. These excuses won’t wash with me. These people need to remember how much they credited Tszyu as the best in the division after his three round demolition of Sharmba Mitchell. Tszyu has said himself, “Kostya Tszyu at thirty-five would destroy Kostya Tszyu at twenty-five.” That is from the horses’ mouth and is good enough for me. If this is a close fight, Hatton’s next fight will be a rematch against Kostya Tszyu in Las Vegas. Should Hatton win that, he will go on to face Cotto, Mayweather, Harris and maybe Gatti, but probably not in that order. By that time, Junior Witter will have made his mark on world boxing and Hatton will finish his career in the biggest domestic match ever seen in Britain; making a nice bit of money to retire on. A Hatton win would leave Tszyu in an awkward position. Tszyu would definitely want a rematch, which would turn into a must-win fight for him. Two losses to Hatton would surely be the end of the road for him.

If Tszyu Wins…..

After Tszyu wins this, I think he will either opt to fight the winner of Mayweather and Gatti, or he will look to move up to welterweight and fight Zab Judah again, but this time for the welterweight title. Tszyu will also look to fight De la Hoya or Shane Mosely for a big payday. Kostya is coming to the end of his career and wants big money and career defining fights. He will find these in the weight class above.

So where would that leave Hatton? I doubt that Tszyu would offer him a rematch, and I’m sure critics will instantly start the “I told you he wasn’t that good” mantra. Hang on a minute, he has lost to a pound-for-pound future hall of famer, not some bum. Ricky could go on selling out the MEN, fighting fringe world-class and good domestic fighters and maybe look to get a showdown with Junior Witter. Whether he would get another shot at an elite top-five or top-ten fighter in the division is a mystery.

Ben Lynch can be reached at benjlynch@hotmail.com