Ricky Hatton Retires (Officially):
Although Ricky Hatton has been de facto retired since being knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in 2009, it was only yesterday that Hatton told The Mirror that he was officially hanging up the gloves. “The Hitman” was for a time the standard bearer of British world championship boxing, although at the time I often found myself scratching my head and wondering “why?” Hatton’s path to fame and fortune all started with an upset win over a man who was only recently inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Those who were fans of the sport at the time might recall that few gave Ricky Hatton much of a chance against the World Light Welterweight Champion, Russo-Australian Kostya Tszyu. Many viewed Hatton as a crude brawler who had fought only shopworn fighters and gatekeepers up to that point, while Tszyu was a devastating puncher with formidable boxing skills, and had used them to carve a path of destruction through the 140lbs division. Hatton was a brawler, but he was far from crude and brought granite toughness and working class British grit to the ring with him.
Even so, I have always felt that Hatton’s big win over Tszyu misled many fans into thinking more of Hatton than they otherwise would have. Hatton came into the ring that night with a solid game plan and displayed the will necessary to make it work: the Briton grabbed onto Tszyu’s belt, staying inside his power arc no matter the cost, and outworked him. However, by the time Tszyu fought Hatton, he was 34 years old and semi-rusty, having fought only once a year for the previous four years. In my book, Kostya Tszyu was a better all-around fighter, but he wasn’t up to task of crushing a man like Hatton that night. A younger or more polished Tszyu would have been.
The rest of Hatton’s career can only be viewed as mixed. He proved capable of disposing of some real contenders, such as Paulie Malignaggi, Luis Collazo and Juan Urango. Unlike some brawlers, The Hitman could beat a variety of top fighters, whether they be slicksters or bangers. Of course, Hatton was easily felled by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, although frankly there is no shame in either loss.
However, the Pacquiao loss seemed to drive Hatton from the ring, and his own indiscipline cut his career short. Simply put, Hatton liked hanging out in the pub too much, and his weight ballooned between fights in the latter stage of his career. For a fighter whose style is solidly based on taking punches and out-working the other guy, a failure to take meticulous care of the body is career suicide. Hatton was only 30 when he fought Pacquiao, and that was only two years ago! The most damning thing about Ricky Hatton is that he should still be with us today. Who wouldn’t pay $50 for a PPV with Hatton vs. Maidana or Hatton vs. Khan as the main event?
It’s easy to like exciting, all-action fighters like Ricky Hatton. I certainly enjoyed watching him work. At the same time, I am still left shaking my head over why so many people (especially people outside of the UK) make such a big deal over Hatton. I’m glad he managed to achieve superstar status, but it doesn’t change how mystified I am over how he did it. Ricky Hatton was beyond question a good boxer, but can anyone look at his career and honestly declare Hatton was a great boxer?
Great or not, I wish him well and hope he stays out of trouble, stays healthy and keeps his money.
