Thoughts on Hatton

That was one of the saddest sights I have saw in boxing. I was watching Ricky closely, analyzing his face as he walked to the ring, looking & hoping to see a bit of the old devil back in his eyes, the 'im the man' swagger that he used to have that made many love him, & some loathe him. I never saw it. I just saw a troubled man. Dont know if it was worry, self doubt or even just plain depression but he never struck me as looking like he was enjoying the occasion, & that shocked me a bit, as I was sure when he walked out in front of his fans, he would be feed off their energy & that would put the smile back on his face. Its such a cliche that people say a boxer feels that the ring is his true home, I suppose I was hoping it would be the case.

Then after a good 2 opening rounds, I think it was the end of the 3rd Ricky was in the corner & looking pensive, you could see that the Ricky of old mentally was long gone, his confidence was shot. It all went downhill after that as we all know, but I found it difficult to watch, cos even as a guy who loved to hate Ricky many moons ago, its obvious that hes not the man he used to be, & I was willing him to win, because his downfall has been so dramatic, & im sure everyone agrees that it only seems a win in the ring can give him peace of mind.

Then that interview afterwards, I was willing Dempsey just to leave Hatton alone & let him get back to the changing room. But no, Dempsey was asking an obvious emotional wreck tough questions, I wanted to smack the **** over the head with his mic! Seeing Ricky Hatton having to field questions in floods of tears as a boxing fan was making me feel awkward & sad. I suppose its these moments that make boxing so special in a ****ed up kind of way, the highs & lows of fighters & their careers cannot be matched by any other sport, but it does make you ask yourself questions about how you can be a fan at times!

I cant decide wether he should fight on or not, cos it was obvious when this fight was made that Ricky was trying to run before he could walk. It was a big ask to come back agaisnt a bigger guy who has only one defeat after such a long layoff, but on the other hand, Rick was doing well in the early rounds before he started to fade dramatically. Its rounds under the belt though, & Ricky was done more by fatigue than an amazing bodyshot. Maybe there is still hope if he can fight a couple of journeymen & get a winning mindset back, & then one last charge at a world belt. I just feel deep down he needs to give someone a pasting in the ring to get the confidence back, & take it from there.

The KO loss & Rickys sadness after the fight will no doubt be raw in the minds of people for a few days & everyone will be begging him to retire. I however try not to get too carried away with one single performance either way, & still think theres life in the old dog yet, just dont let him pick his opponents cos hes too proud & needs to be carefully matched before letting him off the leash one last time.

 

The interview afterwards was especially troubling, he was telling himself that he wasnt a failure. I agree he didnt look as though he was enjoying it at all.

Horrible to watch imo, I found it very difficult to watch.

 

I didnt like the idea of this comeback and my only concern was that whenever it ended that Ricky's health was intact.

A brutal headshot KO could have made things a lot worse and hopefully he can overcome any demons and look back at this and accept that it was one of his own signature punches that helped him sign off from what was a great career.

 

I pretty much agree with this mate, i honestly think he set his standards too high too soon. If he had matched himself sensibly he wouldn't have been as vulnerable to the type of shots he was taking because the timing, the ability to ride punches, the footwork, the sharpness, the stamina, the confidence and the basic ring savvy would have all been tuned up that little bit better.

I am probably one of the only posters on here who actually think that it may not yet be all over. If he actually starts again, goes way back to the drawing board and matches himself (or even better lets someone else match him) then he can gradually get back to a decent level. Maybe not as good as he was, but very decent at least. He really does just need to go back to 6 to 8 to ten rounders. Do a Scott Harrison and fight some taxi drivers and see where your at. Its all about timing.

 

He wasn't a euro bum. He was very decent with a very decent and respectable record.

 

Good post pal. That was horrible seeing how much this loss affected him. The guy will either learn from this, or end up in a ditch somewhere. :-(

 

I'll admit that before tonight i was skeptical about the seriousness of Hatton's depression etc. Then i saw the interview after the fight. Worrying stuff. Hope he doesn't go off the rails now.

 

TBH during the fight Hatton was beating himself up, A few times i saw him shake his head and make a agonising noise when he missed by miles with a shot.

Shannon bless him was no more then a fitness coach for this fight really. He wasn't really there to develop Hatton's poor defence or devise a smart plan to see him through those rough patches.

 

Totally agree with you mate. He never seems to talk about his family, it's always me me me!! He's got young kids, what about them? He's got a wife that has stuck by him and taken all the **** he's put her through. He needs to wake the **** up. Everyone going on and saying poor Ricky?? What?? have I missed something the past decade, the guy was a superstar, has made a heck of a lot of money and fought in some of the best boxing arenas around. People would ****ing kill to have his life!

All this self pity from a man who has more than millions of people only ever dream of, and all he can keep banging on about is how he feels he is this and that. I mean how huge is his ego? seriously. He needs to get a grip, pull himself together, carve out hs career as a promotor and get on with his life, take care of his family because he owes it to them, he's put them through hell, and he needs to stop feeling sorry for himself and focus on his priorities.

Then maybe he will find some peace. Yes he's come down from a high place but at least he's been there and done it. Needs to get it together and move on.

 

That post fight interview was heartbreaking stuff.

 

Sadly his fight with depression carries on..

Found this vid, thought i'd place here rather then make another thread on Hatton..
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WucTqG0Vm5U[/ame]

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M72PPf5XHY[/ame]

 

Agree, Hatton actually screamed in frustration when he missed a big left hook.

 

This.

To me there is a clear mental stability in losing the '0'

Hatton was never the same after Mayweather

Lacy was never the same after Calzaghe

Mitchell went total over the edge after Katsidis

Jermaine Taylor got ruined by Pavlik who was then messed up by Hopkins

Plus you have fighters who care more about protecting their undefeated records than face real challenges. Even if its against a domestic rival they avoid. Look at Fury-Price, Quigg-Frampton etc

If you lose early, like Khan as a bizarre good example, you also lose the fear of losing!