Boxing Analysis: Ricky Hatton – Living The Dream?

Click for larger image © Jane Warburton Saddo Boxing

Ricky Hatton’s much vaunted American invasion almost descended into the worst moment of his entire career on Saturday night, as he was forced onto the back foot and punished by the deceptively heavy-handed Luis Collazo in the 12th round of their war of attrition for the WBA world welterweight title. Had you tried to envision, prior to last night’s eye-opening main event, a

battered and exhausted Ricky Hatton in the 12th round of a world title fight, you would have quickly shaken it off as a fan’s nervous paranoia in anticipation of ‘The Hitman’s’ most important fight to date. Did Ricky win the fight? Most certainly, if you had bothered to actually score the fight on a round per round basis; however, never did a fight more aptly illustrate the phrase “won the battle but lost the war”.

It all started off so well for Manchester’s favourite son, catching Collazo with a leaping left hook not 20 seconds after the initial bell, sending the New Yorker sprawling to the canvas. The knockdown unfortunately disguised the fact that the champion was simply caught cold and off balance, which led to Hatton expending unnecessary energy early on in an attempt to blow Collazo away. Of course, you could forgive Ricky for being lulled into a false sense of security; not a single soul could have anticipated what would follow in the subsequent 11 rounds. Collazo quickly regained his composure and the contest unraveled into a see-saw type affair, momentum shifting countless times throughout. Collazo would land the cleaner, more eye-catching shots, routinely snapping Hatton’s head back, but one round later would wilt under the intense pressure from “The Hitman’. Hell, M. Night Shyamalan would have lost count of the twists in this bout.

I believe the judges should be commended for their scoring of the bout. It would have been so easy to be swayed by Collazo’s classy combinations, as each round he won was far more obvious than any round Hatton won, barring the first. Rounds scored for Hatton did not consist of slick, hurtful, aesthetically pleasing salvos of power punches, but rather were marked by periods of sustained pressure and energy-sapping shots on the inside. Those rounds were easy to score if viewed closely and, in an event all too rare in boxing, the judges got it spot on.

I am constantly reminded of the fickle nature of boxing fans. While it is true that last night’s display was no way to introduce yourself to the notoriously hypercritical American market, the reactions of some of the fans last night left me in a suspended state of bemusement. One fan, no doubt destined to take a seat next to Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley on the HBO broadcast team, somehow managed to conclude that the entirely orthodox Antonio Margarito would flatten “The Hitman’ based on last night’s performance, to which I sarcastically quipped, “Yes, Margarito and Collazo are eerily similar in style”. Did it ever occur to anyone that Collazo is simply underrated? Let us not forget that this was Ricky’s first fight at welterweight, first time as the main event in the US. There was a lot of pressure on Hatton to justify not only the hype but the fight deal with HBO. Add to that an awkward southpaw and you have all the makings of a hard night’s work.

Parallels can be drawn between last night’s fight and the first Mayweather-Castillo fight. Mayweather was outgunned in that fight, however. Hatton was simply matched by Collazo every step of the way. The comparisons lie in the aftermath of the contests. Both fights provided the naysayers with the excuse they needed to wail, “We told you so”. Looking at Mayweather now and how he handled Castillo in the rematch, is it not fair to suggest that the knee-jerk reactions following last night’s performance are premature?

Hatton has already said that he will happily give Collazo a rematch, living up to his gentleman tag. If and when that fight comes to fruition, however, you can bet that Hatton will be anything but gentlemanly and will lay any doubt to rest.