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| June 4th was undoubtedly the biggest and most momentous day in a British Boxing Ring in 2005, maybe in many years. On that night, Ricky Hatton, in a show of heart, courage, willpower, guts and tenacity, bludgeoned his way to the IBF junior welterweight crown, ripping the title from long serving champion Kostya Tzsyu.
In that fight, Hatton proved the critics and doubters wrong by stopping the champion at the end of 11th round of a memorable |
 Click for larger image © Punch Promotions Mark Robinson |
fight. Incidentally, it needs to be mentioned that these were the same critics and doubters who said afterwards that Hatton had fought an old Tszyu and fought a dirty fight. Still, you can never please the cynics can you?
On November 26th, Hatton makes the first defence of his crown against fellow champion Carlos Maussa in a unification match-up that has made more headlines for events outside the ring than inside the ring.
To cut a long story short –and I wont dwell on this one– Hatton split from long time promoter Frank Warren, who claimed that Ricky still had 3 fights left in his contract. This led to Warren trying to block the Maussa bout. But now, after all the ballyhoo, the fight is taking place.
Hatton is unbeaten in thirty nine professional fights with twenty nine knockouts. Although criticised by the doubters –yes, them again—Hatton, in my opinion, has fought some decent class opposition on his route to the title. If you looked at anyone else’s pro record and it had the names Freddie Pendleton, Mikhail Krivolapov, Eamonn Magee, Vince Phillips, Ben Tackie, Michael Stewart and Ray Olivera, you would say that his road to the crown was educational and impressive. And to cap all this, he knocks the will and fight out of the undisputed number one man in the division. Well he was the undisputed number one man division “til the critics tried to tarnish Hatton’s win over Kostya.
So what of Maussa? Apart from the shock win over Harris, very little is known. He seems to have a decent professional record with only two defeats in twenty two bouts, but if you look at his record Harris is the only recognisable name he’s defeated. In his only other bout against a name opponent he was stopped by Miguel Cotto in eight rounds, two years ago. He appears durable if his two defeats are anything to go by.
I cannot possibly see anything but a Hatton win. Although the critics mock his weight sometimes, and yes he does blow up before fights, he will be in tip top condition come fight night. His stamina and sheer will to win, for me, is second to none. And Maussa will find that out.
I’m taking the class act in and out of the ring called Ricky Hatton to make another statement come fight night, by taking Maussa out by about the 7th round,
cementing his status as the number one man in the division. And yes, I’m including Mayweather when I make that assessment.
Lee Bellfield
