Hatton Senchenko Saturday Night Fight/Chat thread

[Beanz]

Ricky was never great defensively but his clever and FAST feet and the ability to slip punches and find awkward angles and space to throw punches was just not there tonight. There is no point in treading water when you used to be in the front pack of swimmers in the 100m butterfly. He was conceivably even or just ahead on the scorecards but he was definitely slowing and never really had the accuracy he had back in the day. Senchenko probably fought better than many people thought he would but really he was mediocre at best. He admitted that he couldn't make the adjustments he used to post fight so Ricky knows this is it, lets just hope he can guide some of his own stable to bigger and better things and find some satisfaction in that. Thanks Ricky. It was a blast.

[Gandalf]

Totally, Hatton himself said he had already won and I hope that wasn't just bluster. He has a huge house, a family, his business and hopefully another big paycheck from this. He needs to accept that there is no turning back the clock and just get on with life. He proved he can get in shape, but hopefully he will have learned that he just doesn't quite have the edge anymore. There is no shame in that as boxing like most sports has a short shelf life.

[Freedom]

[IamInuit]

Ricky was never great defensively but his clever and FAST feet and the ability to slip punches and find awkward angles and space to throw punches was just not there tonight. There is no point in treading water when you used to be in the front pack of swimmers in the 100m butterfly. He was conceivably even or just ahead on the scorecards but he was definitely slowing and never really had the accuracy he had back in the day. Senchenko probably fought better than many people thought he would but really he was mediocre at best. He admitted that he couldn't make the adjustments he used to post fight so Ricky knows this is it, lets just hope he can guide some of his own stable to bigger and better things and find some satisfaction in that. Thanks Ricky. It was a blast.

Thought he lost his legs midway and started to gas but also thought he would grind it out. I remember being the only guy in the room at a ppv event cheering for this pale face warrior over Zu.
I feel privileged to have watched his career in real time. 1st ballet hall of famer and a true pleasure to have witnessed.

[Memphis]

I hope Ricky decides to call it a day, I hope nothing happens or no one has any words of wisdom to make him reverse the decision I think he made whilst on the canvass tonight. He doesn't owe anyone anything and doesn't need to give anymore.

I think it was obvious that he didnt have what it takes anymore and I'm pretty sure by the back end of the fight he knew it too. The event, the crowd and the adrenaline meant that he was able to bustle his way into an early lead (without actually landing that many punches) but once it settled into a boxing match he was out of his depth and hoping to limp across the finish line for the win.

I'm hopeful that his post fight interview was nothing more than a few obligatory words spat out in the heat of the moment when emotions were running high. The losses column may be plus one right now but Hatton's no loser. When the interviews have finished and the smoke has cleared I hope Hatton calls time on whats been a brilliant career. He may have been able to squeeze past Senchenko, he may have been able to squeeze past Malignaggi and call himself a World champion again. Something tells me that wouldn't have been enough. Would getting a win over a man you've already beaten and winning a belt you've already won be enough to put out the fire? If a belt was all it took I'm sure there are plenty of WBU or IBO titles out there just dying to be wrapped around the waist of someone as popular as Ricky Hatton.

Had Hatton beaten Senchenko and Malignaggi he would have certainly been chasing the unwinnable fights against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, his popularity and ability to generate revenue would have almost certainly meant that he got them. The loses would have been equally as devastating as his previous attempts.

I don't want to go all Rosie Perez but sometimes when you lose you actually win. Hatton won tonight, he couldn't beat Senchenko but he won a bigger battle by turning his life around, getting back into physical shape, getting back in the ring after three and a bit years out and competing with a guy who's no mug. Not falling asleep with a Stanley knife in your hand is also a bonus.

Be proud of yourself, be proud of what you have achieved throughout your career but most of all be proud of where you are now as opposed to where you were during your darkest times and ensure they never return.

[Mars_ax]

A few final thoughts on this fight and Ricky Hatton:

I don't recall any fight where Hatton was hit with as many big punches or looked as beaten up, his face was a mess in the post fight interview.

Hatton gave it his all, showed the heart of a champion, and went out on his shield. He may have lost this fight, but he'll leave boxing a winner in the minds of his fans.

I mean this with no disrespect, but Hatton has mental issues, and for the sake of his health, he needs to permanently retire from boxing. Hopefully his fans, friends, and family will rally around him and give him support or we could see something much more tragic then what happened tonight.

[Kirkland Laing]

I thought he started the fight a shadow of his former self and got worse. After four rounds what little he had left was gone, his punches got wider and he was missing almost comically with those big wild haymakers. He swung himself off his feet at least once.

He must have been doing more than four serious sparring rounds in the gym for well over a month now so his people must have known what was coming. But by then the opponent was set and his promotional company had a lot riding on this, his comeback got announced just after his promotional company lost their TV contract.

I think even Hatton had a good idea he was done long before he got in the ring tonight but he went through with it for a variety of reasons. It's a shame he got stopped and ironic it was with a bodyshot but may be the best thing for him in the long run. Hopefully he can just retire now and live a happy life.

[ruthless rocco]

i don't see why hatton has to retire after this.

it was his strategy that let him down. you can understand the body might take time to adjust to being back in the ring. you can expect some power loss, speed loss, loss of timing...but he should have had a better strategy to cope with the loss of skills. he should have been smarter and realized that trying to get a glamorous KO wasn't a good idea. especially since he was taking on a decent fighter.

if he had been fighting a bum he could have gone in and head hunted and gone for the kill the whole fight, but he was fighting a former champion who had just lost his title in his previous fight. a fighter who is taller, with a greater reach and who is naturally bigger.

hatton should have realized that he wouldn't be as dominant at this weight as he was when he was in his prime and fighting at a lighter weight. i wonder what he was expecting. is he surrounded by people who think he can KO anyone he comes across?

i think that if he were to go back to the gym and train consistently with a proper coach that knows something about boxing and he were to try to learn how to fight according to his current skill level he could make a return and be successful. but if his plan is to just try to bomb thru any and every opponent then he may as well retire cause thats not a realistic plan.