Hatton and wasted talent

[Greig]

Hey all, I wrote this about Rick's comeback and retirement.

There's nothing new in it, I suppose we all felt Ricky hadn't made the most of his opportunities three and a half yeas ago when he lost to Pacquiao. I honestly think he should have had a tune-up first off the bat, but there you go. It's sad, and I hope he can learn to live with it.

Let me know what you reckon.

The View from the Outer | Thoughts on sport, music, film, books and life.

[palmerq]

tune up or no tune up... i dont know.... in my opinion hatton has more than enough(still) to beat senchencko and have a very interesting fight v mallignaggi... I tihnk he could beat mallignaggi if he did certain things... but to me it looks like he doesnt have the mental abilty to change his style... he needed to fight like he was 35 he still has a lot of strengths but he threw them all away with the way he fought and it just looks like he cant change.. So in my opinion he has had all the physical attributes to be one of the greatest he just didnt have the mental attributes to go with it... I think he had the career his overall ability justified..

[Greig]

Good points palmerq, but I reckon he could have achieved more had his training camps not been so heavily geared around cutting weight. Let's say he shows up to camp only 10 pounds above fighting weight, instead of two or three stone - he could immediately get down to working on new techniques. He could always be learning, rather than just doing the things that got him success when he was younger, stronger and fitter than everyone else.

Hatton had to torture himself in training because his lifestyle was so bad IMO. I don't believe in being born with gifts and then being stuck with them throughout your career. Hatton had the potential to be a very, very good boxer, and I think - had he been able to hone that side of his fighting and not abuse himself with fatty foods and piss between fights - his career could have been a lot different.

People will say there is no way Hatton could ever be as good as Floyd or Pacquiao - I say, Hatton gave Floyd a pretty good fight for a few rounds.

Imagine, if Hatton was as dedicated to the sport and had as clean a lifestyle as those two had?? He might not have beaten them, but imagine what kind of machine he would have been if had a cleaner lifestyle, given how fearsome he was anyway??

[CFH]

Power ballads suck balls.

As for Hatton, who is to say that his lifestyle outside of the ring didn't inform who he was in the ring? Maybe if he hadn't been the person of extremes, he would have been the same buzzsaw who would never take a backwards step even if it meant walking through five punches to land one.

That is one thing that has bothered me a little bit in the million autopsies of Hatton's career that have taken place since Saturday - the idea that the person inside the ring and the person outside of the rig are discreet entities. I'm not certain that is always the case.

That's not to excuse the way Hatton lived, it undoubtably took a massive toll on his body and mind, but maybe it couldn't have been any other way.

I dunno, just musing...

[Greig]

Power ballads suck balls.

As for Hatton, who is to say that his lifestyle outside of the ring didn't inform who he was in the ring? Maybe if he hadn't been the person of extremes, he would have been the same buzzsaw who would never take a backwards step even if it meant walking through five punches to land one.

That is one thing that has bothered me a little bit in the million autopsies of Hatton's career that have taken place since Saturday - the idea that the person inside the ring and the person outside of the rig are discreet entities. I'm not certain that is always the case.

That's not to excuse the way Hatton lived, it undoubtably took a massive toll on his body and mind, but maybe it couldn't have been any other way.

I dunno, just musing...

Hmmm... yes, you make a very good point there. I suppose my article doesn't take into the account that, perhaps, without the reward of a good piss-up and curry binge after a fight, maybe he doesn't expend as much of himself in training to do what he does well.

Still - maybe that buzzsaw he was in the ring, as you put it, just isn't the best way too fight. Let's look at another famous British pressure fighter Barry McGuigan. McGuigan led a very healthy lifestyle away from the ring, and he was finished even earlier than Hatton was.

Cmon mate, everybody likes a good power ballad!!

[Dia bando]

Regardless , about talent you have to live the life, Ricky would put on a large amount of weight in-between fight's he liked a drink.! Coming into this fight he had lost 70lbs, in weight longer-term
this has not done him any good. Hatton has had a very good carer, a 2 weight World Champion
plus he has made a lot of money. Also very popular with the public, a large travelling army of fans,
for what talent he had, more so his iron will to win. Ricky is a humble guy, good luck to him I wish
him well.

[TysonBomb]

I think Hatton made the most out of what he had ... He was beating guys until he reached that peak level of competition where he just wasnt good enough ... A good career overall ... Fighting prime floyd and pac is something that most wouldnt have even done, let alone beat them

Best of luck to him

[Scrap]

He stopped Technical improvement at 20.

[ykdadamaja]

He stopped Technical improvement at 20.

Hatton just chose the wrong comeback fight. He should have taken a 10 rounder against a Mexican or a Columbian, or something like that- maybe even another Eastern European, without such a background behind him.

Hatton very well may have fought a future champion, peaking. Wrong fight for him. He was doing well, but faded. Wrong comeback fight!

[Andre]

Hey all, I wrote this about Rick's comeback and retirement.

There's nothing new in it, I suppose we all felt Ricky hadn't made the most of his opportunities three and a half yeas ago when he lost to Pacquiao. I honestly think he should have had a tune-up first off the bat, but there you go. It's sad, and I hope he can learn to live with it.

Let me know what you reckon.

The View from the Outer | Thoughts on sport, music, film, books and life.

Great read Grieg, I like your style.

[Andre]

He stopped Technical improvement at 20.

Hatton just chose the wrong comeback fight. He should have taken a 10 rounder against a Mexican or a Columbian, or something like that- maybe even another Eastern European, without such a background behind him.

Hatton very well may have fought a future champion, peaking. Wrong fight for him. He was doing well, but faded. Wrong comeback fight!

I agree fully with you, but that has nothing to do with the other fact stated.

Scraps right in that Ricky is one dimensional regarding technique he has always been a kill or be killed fighter more than a boxer who can adjust to an opponent.

[ono]

I think he's over achieved anyway. He can't be upset with how well he's done when you consider his skill set. He's done alright for a little scally from Denton.

[Scrap]

He stopped Technical improvement at 20.

Hatton just chose the wrong comeback fight. He should have taken a 10 rounder against a Mexican or a Columbian, or something like that- maybe even another Eastern European, without such a background behind him.

Hatton very well may have fought a future champion, peaking. Wrong fight for him. He was doing well, but faded. Wrong comeback fight!

I agree fully with you, but that has nothing to do with the other fact stated.

Scraps right in that Ricky is one dimensional regarding technique he has always been a kill or be killed fighter more than a boxer who can adjust to an opponent.

At 18 He had very good Lateral movement, with Depth and Distance.

[Andre]

He stopped Technical improvement at 20.

Hatton just chose the wrong comeback fight. He should have taken a 10 rounder against a Mexican or a Columbian, or something like that- maybe even another Eastern European, without such a background behind him.

Hatton very well may have fought a future champion, peaking. Wrong fight for him. He was doing well, but faded. Wrong comeback fight!

I agree fully with you, but that has nothing to do with the other fact stated.

Scraps right in that Ricky is one dimensional regarding technique he has always been a kill or be killed fighter more than a boxer who can adjust to an opponent.

At 18 He had very good Lateral movement, with Depth and Distance.

I remember, he looked like a crab going after his prey.

[Fenster]

You can basically argue that every fighter in history underachieved. There's always an excuse for losses, bad perfomances and dips in form.

Hatton's out of ring activities is just another bog standard excuse when we're trying to find meaning in something. He could have spent his career living like a monk and still have lost against Floyd and Pac.

Everyone is different. He could booze and live "bad" and yet still have a great career. Some people embarrass themselves after drinking two pints of beer, others act perfectly sober after ten.

I doubt there's ever been a human that didn't wish they had a chance to do things different. It doesn't mean it would have been right though.