I'm on a personal mission - To tell everyone that Hatton is NOT on the slide.

[ono]

Over the last few weeks various comments made by members on this site have got my back up a little bit. Comments relating to Hatton being 'over the hill' or 'he doesn't perform well abroad or he's 'past his prime.' These sort of phrases are basically cliches that are not really specific to Hatton's situation. The very simple reason for Hatton not looking good is because his last 2 opponents were southpaws. He never ever looks decent against southpaws. Especially strong southpaws. He always struggles. Everything about the southpaw stance gives him trouble.

Against Urango, Hatton was circling him the wrong way....like he was fighting an orthadox fighter. During the training for that fight, Billy Graham was caught a lot of the time training Hatton like he was due to be fighting an orthadox fighter.

Eamon Magee, a natural welter southpaw also gave Hatton a lot of trouble, not quite as much as Collazo but much more than Urango.....2 years later Hatton beat Kostya Tszyu.

I'm not saying that some criticism is unwarranted because it is......he gains too much weight in between fights, his style is borderline legal at times, he gets careless when he feels he is better than his opponent, he doesn't have that one punch KO power to end a fight early at world level, he doesn't seem to go to the body so much anymore....i could go on.

Hatton isn't anywhere near a perfect fighter but he's also not anywhere near 'past his prime.'

[BIG H]

Fighting a southpaw, doesn't make you run out of Gas after 6 or 7 rounds Something that has never happend to Hatton prior to Collazo

[Tito BHB]

I hate that Bs..

They all say he's past his prime and over the hill..Not his best..

But these are the same people that are saying.. That Tszyu was crap and past it and that hes never fought any good fighters etc..

They'l see

[gudnite vienna]

you must b stupid to assume hattons over the hill, got a funny feeling a lot of people will have a different opinion on hatton after the JLC fight

[ono]

Fighting a southpaw, doesn't make you run out of Gas after 6 or 7 rounds Something that has never happend to Hatton prior to Collazo

Against Urango Hatton was suffering from a heavy cold. That's why he ran out gas. He did too much unnecessary work in the early rounds and didn't leave enough in the tank. At the end of the day most of us normal guys don't even go to work when we have a cold.....Hatton boxed 12 rounds.

[shza]

More Hatton fans need to sign on to this point now, before the JLC fight. I don't want a bunch of people making excuses if JLC beats Hatton. If either of those two fighters is past his prime, it's obviously JLC.

[ono]

More Hatton fans need to sign on to this point now, before the JLC fight. I don't want a bunch of people making excuses if JLC beats Hatton. If either of those two fighters is past his prime, it's obviously JLC.

If either guy loses it doesn't mean either are shot or shit for that matter. 2 great fighters and only 1 of them can be the winner.

[TitoFan]

More Hatton fans need to sign on to this point now, before the JLC fight. I don't want a bunch of people making excuses if JLC beats Hatton. If either of those two fighters is past his prime, it's obviously JLC.

If either guy loses it doesn't mean either are shot or S*** for that matter. 2 great fighters and only 1 of them can be the winner.

I'm sorry dude. I just can't get past your earlier post on another thread that Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, and Junior Witter are the three hardest p4p hitters in boxing today. Everything I read from you now is framed in that statement.

Were you serious?

[Kel]

[youtube=425,350]aLplTGZjMs0[/youtube]




This is the Rick I know and love, his last 2 fights he just aint been as relentless as he used to be. I hope your right I really do because I love the guy and there are soooo many amazing fights to be made out there if he is still at his best.

CC for the thread ono by the way, lets hope he shines in the Castillo fight

[eagle]

The point i'd like to make is that Hatton has one good win. It was against a great fighter. It was against an inactive aging fighter, who hatton fought in his own backyard with an obviously bias ref and a huge hometown crowd, but a win against a great fighter nonetheless. Hatton has great skills i have no doubt, good heart, good stamina, hard punches the lot. But as so many british boxers do recently he doesnt back it up.
Now he is fighting another great yet aging fighter. Maybe he is being ducked? Maybe he cannot negotiate a big name fight, but until Hatton beats a great fighter in their prime, eg PBF, Cotto, Mosely i'll not give him the praise his fanboys do.

[THE THIRD MAN]

I think Hatton needs a real big name to regain maximum focus, he will beat JLC then he needs the winner of Cotto v Judah this year!! He got Tszyu and won and it was a great performance but maybe that fight took a lot more out of him than we all know. I think he would be perfect for Cotto and it would bring the very best out of him, i give him a good chance of winning that fight!

[Kel]

Why is everyone wanting him to move up, so he gets a beating? He took one fight at 147 because his opponent at 140lb was injured and he did not want to let all his fans who dished out a lot of money to see him in America down. He aint a welterweight, most of the welters mentioned are taller with a better reach and stronger.

[eagle]

Why is everyone wanting him to move up, so he gets a beating? He took one fight at 147 because his opponent at 140lb was injured and he did not want to let all his fans who dished out a lot of money to see him in America down. He aint a welterweight, most of the welters mentioned are taller with a better reach and stronger.

Well Castillo has fought the majority of his career under 140 and most of the fighters in that division are bigger than him but u dont seem to have a problem with him fighting Ricky......

[NuthaPug]

Be happy to have Ricky make the point himself. He's got a tough fight ahead of him. Hope Castillo is still at the top of his game. Will be a heck of a fight.

Ricky can and often does take a lot of punishment, and he'll get it from Castillo. Win or lose, Ricky will look like hell after this fight.

[Kel]

Why is everyone wanting him to move up, so he gets a beating? He took one fight at 147 because his opponent at 140lb was injured and he did not want to let all his fans who dished out a lot of money to see him in America down. He aint a welterweight, most of the welters mentioned are taller with a better reach and stronger.

Well Castillo has fought the majority of his career under 140 and most of the fighters in that division are bigger than him but u dont seem to have a problem with him fighting Ricky......

5'8 with a better reach than Rick. Why would I have a problem? He has trouble making weight below 140 which is why he failed to make weight for the second Corrales fight and is now fighting at 140lb