Billy Graham "collazo is the new Winky"

[moonbeam]

Graham: "Collazo is the new Winky"

By Ant Evans: Ricky Hatton's trainer Billy Graham has put fighters in and around 147lbs on notice - former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo is the new Ronald 'Winky' Wright. Graham's superstar charge defeated Collazo on a tight points decision in Boston last weekend but was run very close indeed by the Puerto Rican New Yorker. Now 'the Preacher' is predicting Collazo will be the division's dangerman for years to come and emulate Winky Wright, who has been the bane of the middleweight divisions for years.

"That kid is Winky Wright waiting to happen," Graham said upon his return to England. "Collazo's just turned 25, by the time he's 27 no-one will be landing any punches on him just like with Winky Wright. He looks a lovely kid, too, and I hope the performance he gave last week with Ricky has established him as the star he deserves to be. I tell you - give this kid another year and he'll be the new Winky Wright. He's going to give everyone in and around the welterweight division absolute nightmares."

"It's no secret that I didn't want the fight," Graham continued. "When I first saw tapes of Collazo I thought 'What a awkward so-and-so' and couldn't understand why he was on the list of opponents HBO would approve. Then I saw some more tapes of Collazo, particularly his fights with Jose Rivera and Miguel Angel Gonzalez, which were wicked fights, all action fights, and I understood just what calibre of a fighter he was.

"I always expected a real rough, hard, brutal fight and I made sure Ricky did too. I think Ricky deserves enormous credit for stepping up and taking the whole fight to a kid who was so much bigger than him. Collazo has a wicked, Winky like, defense and a seven inch reach advantage and still my kid landed more punches in the fight.

"Ricky is the best junior welterweight in the world and it just so happens he's so good and so brave he can take it to welterweights as well. Collazo was a welterweight when he was a teenager, and is physically much bigger than Ricky, but the sort of fighter I've got overcame all that."

Hatton, also, paid tribute to the deposed champion. He said: "I think Collazo's going to come back a better fighter, in fact he might even be an avoided fighter now because he's a lot better than people give him credit for, definitely.

"I'm not saying I won't fight Collazo again but, to be honest, I fought Collazo and I beat him. If the opinion is that there are better fighters at welterweight, then I'll stay there and if the better fighters are at light welterweight, then I'll move back down."

Hatton pointed out that he is still a natural junior welterweight, albeit one who also holds the WBA welterweight title and a win over a man - Collazo - who holds a win over the reigning junior middleweight champion Jose Antonio Rivera.

The three-title world champion said: "I have to thank my strength coach Kerry Kayes because seven weeks before this fight, I was due to meet Juan Lazcano at light welterweight. And then I was fighting Collazo at welterweight, so I had seven weeks to build into a welterweight. If I stay at welterweight, I'll only get better because I'd develop more into the weight. But, I showed that I can cut it, that's the main thing; if a big fight is offered at junior welterweight, I'll come back down but I showed that I can do it at welter as well."

Collazo's team have been screaming for a rematch with the Hitman but, while not ruling it out, Hatton's co-promoter Robert Waterman said: "It was a tough, hard fight and was very close but Ricky won. Ricky threw and landed more shots and also scored the only knockdown of the fight. I think it is very disingenuous for anyone to suggest it was a 'robbery'.

"As for a rematch, it is a possibility because it will be another great fight but Collazo only won the title on a split decision (from Rivera) and he never gave Rivera a rematch."


I would love a rematch, but i dont think it would happen.

[jazlynn]

Rivera never asked for a rematch.... Rivera said that he was moving up to 154.........

[Purist]

exactly!

And if Collazo is the new Winky then is Hatton the new Vargas

[jazlynn]

But I didnt say Collazo.... If you read the article Ricky's trainer said that.......

[El Gamo]

What is Hatton's trainer talking about? That is a load of nonsense isn't it ? What did Collazo do to even be in the same sentence as Winky?!?!

[cockey cockney]

Collazo aint in the same league as Winks, nowhere near it in fact!

[MRMANICK]

Well thats it. He must be the new winky because he beat on the great ricky hatton.Please. Gimme a break. How could he say that without laughing?

[moonbeam]

I meant a rematch with Hatton and Collazo sorry if i didnt state that very well

[bigragu]

do you think he might be saying this to cover for Hatton's gift?.....Why would he make a comment like that?....I honestly think he wants people to look more to how great Collazo is than just how bad Hatton was.....it's good if he can make people think that...but true boxing fans can see through a smoke screen....

[Gandalf]

Lets all go a little easy on Collazo here, he may very well be a very good boxer and this was simply his first chance to really shine under the glare of acres of attention....I know I will be paying attention where Collazo decides to head in the future...

He's young and has skills, he can mature into a key player in the division....give him time...

[sexydarin]

Collazo ain't the greatest, but he was good enough to make Hatton miss the few punches he did throw. hatton looked terrible. I was a fan of Hatton, but if i see another lacklustre performance like he gave against Collazo then i will never watch ricky hatton again. Terrible fight.

[skel1983]

Collazo ain't the greatest, but he was good enough to make Hatton miss the few punches he did throw. hatton looked terrible. I was a fan of Hatton, but if i see another lacklustre performance like he gave against Collazo then i will never watch ricky hatton again. Terrible fight.

WTF

Hatton was trying his dam hardest he was getting clocked clean and still bulldozing forward every second of every round, so because things didnt go to plan, you will not watxh him fight again Also i wouldnt call that a terrible fight at all, it was quite entertaining. Basically Hatton came in underestimated Collazo and thought he could go in there and take him out with no problems, but that didnt pan out, to be honest who gives a shit if you dont watch him again because the guy was all heart he just didnt expect that much of a fight.

[AdamGB]

Unfortunatly I think the Ricky Hatton haters are (deliberatly?) missunderstanding what Billy Graham means... he is saying that Collazo is the WW equivilant... he will become an avoided fighter because Billy Graham thinks that his style will give any one a tough fight and he is only 25 so he still has time to develop/

Billy Graham isn't saying that nearly beating Ricky Hatton makes Collazo as good as Winky just that he will probably follow a similar career path based on this performance.

Yo guys either need to get you're arses in a ring or give Hatton some respect... he fought a hard fight and won it... JUST but you haters are acting as if he's been trash talking and acting like Judah or tarver or something...

If Graham had said that Ricky Hatton is so good that nearly beating him makes you as good as Winky right then you may have an excuse to get anal... he's just a boxing coach who has watched a fighter and is giving him props and saying how he may develop...

[skel1983]

Unfortunatly I think the Ricky Hatton haters are (deliberatly?) missunderstanding what Billy Graham means... he is saying that Collazo is the WW equivilant... he will become an avoided fighter because Billy Graham thinks that his style will give any one a tough fight and he is only 25 so he still has time to develop/

Billy Graham isn't saying that nearly beating Ricky Hatton makes Collazo as good as Winky just that he will probably follow a similar career path based on this performance.

Yo guys either need to get you're arses in a ring or give Hatton some respect... he fought a hard fight and won it... JUST but you haters are acting as if he's been trash talking and acting like Judah or tarver or something...

Well said Adam, the shit Hatton is getting is not disimilar shit to that of pricks like Judah who has been exposed so many times ive lost count. Its just unreal.

[AdamGB]

Cheers Skel

Collazo ain't the greatest, but he was good enough to make Hatton miss the few punches he did throw. hatton looked terrible. I was a fan of Hatton, but if i see another lacklustre performance like he gave against Collazo then i will never watch ricky hatton again. Terrible fight.

you're not a real fan... you're whats known as a band wagon jumper. If you expect a boxer to be 100% all of the time and walk through every challenge they have hen you may never find a boxer who's fan you can truely be...

fight fans expect so much from boxers its ridiculous... just shows a lack of understanding about the sport... making all these demands and calling fighters worst than shit for not reaching them but not understanding how hard it can get in the ring...