Hatton to fight Senchenko

[Kirkland Laing]

I'm amazed at this. Nobody can knock him over choosing this guy. Although he lost to Paulie he was an unbeaten alphabet belt holder one fight ago. He's a proper welterweight and he can punch.

How many fighters in of Ricky's level making a comeback after being out for years have ever chosen an opponent this difficult for their first fight? You've got to give Hatton a lot of respect for this one. Definite possibility of an upset here although if and when he wins it's obviously going to be Paulie next.

He got punched around the ring by a total non-puncher in his last outing... It's a shit fight.

Paulie beat Senchenko to the jab all night, landed punches then got out of the way. Senchenko just plodded forwards and basically got battered all night. Ricky might have faster hands and feet than Senchenko but he's going to be a lot easier to hit than Paulie was and Senchenko can punch. It's hard to see Hatton doing a better job on Senchenko than Paulie did and he's definitely going to walk into some big punches.

[Master]

Senchenko fought reasonably well against Pailuie, I think he thought he would get the decision any way fighting at home. Paulie boxed amazingly well, the best I have ever seen him at this weight but he won because of the injuries he caused Senchenko. As you know Paulie is not a hard puncher.

[Gandalf]

I still think this is a ridiculously tough fight for a first comeback. Hatton took years to warm up for the Tszyu fight and that was a young, fresh Hatton. Hatton is coming into this off of a mad layoff and some seriously worrying wobbles and a KO loss. I suppose it is Hatton saying do or die. 'I've got it still or I am going to look a twit'. It's hard to say and Hatton of recent times has been somewhat revisionist and delusional. All that talk of P4P belts, then the aborted comeback. I just worry that he is going to get to the venue and think 'Fuck, I'm 34! My time was several years back'.

Mind you, in saying all that, it just makes this fight so exciting! I've not been so buzzed for a fight in ages and to think it is Ricky Hatton of all people! Cotto/Trout? Marquez/Pac? Honestly good fights, but the return of Ricky Hatton is a thrill all of its own. It's great to see him looking in such trim too. You don't do all that work for a laugh, if he really means it, then I'm in for the ride.

[El Kabong]

So because nobody cared to answer the first time I asked, I'll ask again: Who is training Ricky?

[Gandalf]

I didn't see that. Bob Shannon.

A guy with a dodgy hair do.

[Beanz]

I didn't see that. Bob Shannon.

A guy with a dodgy hair do.

It's not dodgy he is the last of the Mohicans

[El Kabong]

I didn't see that. Bob Shannon.

A guy with a dodgy hair do.

Never heard of him....who else does he train. Also I take it the feud with Graham is still on then?

[Gandalf]

I didn't see that. Bob Shannon.

A guy with a dodgy hair do.

Never heard of him....who else does he train. Also I take it the feud with Graham is still on then?

I wish it was settled, but clearly those two will never be at ease after all this, and obviously it is the fault of Hatton. He has his stubborn ways.

Shannon trained Matt Hatton and isn't really all that known. I guess he will largely be keeping Hatton in shape and Hatton will be using his brains for this partnership.

[Beanz]

I didn't see that. Bob Shannon.

A guy with a dodgy hair do.

Never heard of him....who else does he train. Also I take it the feud with Graham is still on then?

He used to train Matthew Hatton, Denton Vassell,Prince Aaron, Matty Askin. I think now that Ricky has a trainers license himself that Bob is their as a sounding board and motivator as well as a tactician. He breathes boxing but is not renowned for completely turning fighters around.

[El Kabong]

I figured he might use his brother's trainer...seems like a bad choice to me, but I'm not the one mounting the comeback. Wouldn't Jeff Fenech make sense?

[Master]

I figured he might use his brother's trainer...seems like a bad choice to me, but I'm not the one mounting the comeback. Wouldn't Jeff Fenech make sense?

Fenech did wonders for Tyson, has he improved since then or were you being sarcastic.

[El Kabong]

I figured he might use his brother's trainer...seems like a bad choice to me, but I'm not the one mounting the comeback. Wouldn't Jeff Fenech make sense?

Fenech did wonders for Tyson, has he improved since then or were you being sarcastic.

Well #1 Tyson isn't the same kind of fighter as Hatton. #2 Fenech was a solid pressure fighter in his own right and in training another pressure fighter closer to his own skill set they might have had some success......but nah let's just get Matty Hatton's trainer yeah that's a MUCH better idea.

Ricky needs someone that will get him to stop being so damned stiff with his upper body

[Beanz]

I figured he might use his brother's trainer...seems like a bad choice to me, but I'm not the one mounting the comeback. Wouldn't Jeff Fenech make sense?

Fenech did wonders for Tyson, has he improved since then or were you being sarcastic.

Well #1 Tyson isn't the same kind of fighter as Hatton. #2 Fenech was a solid pressure fighter in his own right and in training another pressure fighter closer to his own skill set they might have had some success......but nah let's just get Matty Hatton's trainer yeah that's a MUCH better idea.

Ricky needs someone that will get him to stop being so damned stiff with his upper body

Fenech is hardly renowned as a trainer and I am not sure, (maybe @Andre or someone could enlighten us) but he seems to be in and out of trouble in Australia so not sure if he would even get a visa to come and train here. I can't see Ricky changing his style this late on whether that is for worse or better so Shannon should perform a similar role to Graham with the old school style training that Hatton seems to love. Ricky has alluded to his need to improve defensively with more head movement and is employing ropes across the ring to get his own fighters to duck and weave more, and hopefully he will use the same methods himself to loosen his upper body movement.

[Andre]

Ive no idea what Jeff could bring as a trainer.

[THE THIRD MAN]

Senchenko is 35 and was stopped by Malignaggi Age is a factor here, Senchenko was outclassed in his last fight and maybe the Hatton camp thought that Katsidis might be a little more dangerous and unpredictable? This is a safe bet for Hatton.

You are right. I don't think Paulie suddenly developed a huge amount of power by going up to 147,sure he has a little more pop in his punches but the Senchenko stoppage was realised through accumulation. You would have to assume that Ricky is banking on Senchenko's lack of creativity supplying him with a similar wealth of opportunities.

Senchenko has not been used to fighting away from home or to such a huge partisan crowd and he is fairly predictable and straight ahead as a boxer. Ricky may not have the same ability to overwhelm him early with unrelenting pressure but his good feet and habit of throwing great shots inside from awkward angles should allow him to land regularly to the body. If he can stop him earlier than Paulie after such a long time out surely that throws him right back in the mix with a Malinaggi rematch and the chance to grab a belt.

Agreed, I always thought a possible Katsidis match up was way to dangerous first up even if Katsidis looks shot. He still has power and i doubt Hatton wants such a war in his comeback fight. Senchenko is a much more logical opponent, Hatton needs the win, he needs confidence and then he needs to be active.