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This Saturday sees the much debated return of Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton as he faces tough, but limited Ukrainian, former WBA welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Senchenko, 32-1-0 with 21 KO’s, is a relatively one dimensional fighter, loves to work off the jab, has decent but not destructive power, and is tough.
Anyone who has seen his record will now be screaming that he got stopped by “Old Feather Fist”, Paulie Malignaggi, who relived Senchenko of the WBA belt in Donetsk this past April.
The fight was stopped due to Senchenko’s eye being grossly swollen, with him unable to see any shots that were coming his way. The ref did the fair thing, and I don’t believe Senchenko was hurt as such.
Malignaggi could tag him all night, with ease, because Malignaggi is underrated as a fighter and skillful at what he does.
The question I would ask in that scenario is -‘Who is better at hitting and not getting hit…Malignaggi or Hatton?’
You know the answer, whether you like it or not.
That is no bad thing though; you will always get more value for money with Hatton. He won’t move like Malignaggi, but he shouldn’t need to…well…he never used to.
Hatton, in his prime, was great to watch and a great fighter. He was ferocious and unrelenting, the way he could turn on a sixpence on the inside and deliver staggering body shots was a thing to behold.
It is safe to say, however, that Ricky Hatton is not in his prime anymore. What he has in advantages here is experience…at an entire different level than Senchenko, who has fought just twice outside Ukraine, and nowhere like Manchester Echo Arena when Hatton is fighting.
The visitor is going to face a seriously hostile crowd and even a flick of the wrist towards Senchenko’s way will be met by the crowd with deafening, angry glee. The Ukrainian says it will not bother him.
I don’t care what he says, he’s been protected as a champion to this point and I think on the night he will think different, and it would be hard for anyone not to.
The problem here is that no one has really seen what Hatton is like after more than three years off. It’s not even just the 3 ½ years, it’s the volume of reported drink and drugs, the ups and downs of the rock and roll lifestyle, the ballooning in weight…etc.
Can anyone, let alone Hatton, do all of that and then come back to such a demanding sport?
Duran did it, he was brilliant at it, but it soon took its toll and I am wondering if we have already seen it take the toll on Hatton.
At the beginning of 2008, Juan Lazcano gave Hatton a real hard night’s work, then Ricky beat Malignaggi who, as we have mentioned, can’t punch, then Pacquiao annihilated “The Hitman”.
The reality here is that it all depends on which Hatton shows up Saturday night; if it is the Hatton of old wanting to make an impression in front of his adoring fans and he sets a pace that Senchenko hasn’t seen before, then Hatton could very well put him away early.
Hatton can’t move like Malignaggi, but he sure as hell hits harder.
Or, there might be a realisation that Ricky just doesn’t have it anymore; if there’s one thing you have to admire here, it is not an easy night’s comeback. Hatton is testing himself, he could have picked an easier path, but he didn’t, which shows us ‘The Hitman’ is still there, just how much of him is left we will find out Saturday.
The selection here is Hatton for the win, obviously, as an impartial, unbiased writer analysing this fight from a completely neutral basis…and because…
“There’s Only Onnnne Ricky Hatton”!
