I understand Hatton fans now

Witter is certainly better than Lascono and quite possibly better than Pauli but the Lascano is just a decent opponent after a big loss and Pauli is a good defence. No champion continually defends against the number 1 in his division repeatedly.

 

Bit of a wierd typo there.

 

More is the pity

 

The thing Hatton haters forget is.....

5 years ago or whatever it was when Witter and Hatton had their face off, they were both domestic fighters and there was no demand for the fight.

Then Hatton's career started taking off, Witter's stalled....Hatton was looking for big fights and was selling out the M.E.N, Hatton wanted Tszyu.....the people wanted Hatton to fight Tszyu, Witter wasn't in the picture.

Then Hatton went to America, Witter was stinking out ITV4 against Lynes. Nobody wanted the Hatton - Witter fight, everybody wanted Hatton to go to welterweight and fight Mayweather/Cotto/Mosley or stay at LWW and fight Mayweather there or Castillo. After Hatton's fight at 147 where he struggled, the demand was still there for Castillo/Mayweather fights and even talk of ODLH if he could beat Floyd.

It's only now after Witter finally put in a good performance against Harris and Hatton lost to Mayweather that all of a sudden the 'fight we wanted for 5 years (we didn't) should supposedly happen.

Hatton has always had bigger fish to fry than Witter and that's why we never wanted it......some people seem to think the situation has changed, well it hasn't.......Pac, Malignaggi, Mayweather rematch are all bigger fish than Witter.

(The Lazcano fight is a 'comfort fight' after losing, plenty of boxers do it, Hatton is allowed to as well)

 

too right Wicky always had bigger fish to fry. All that time nasty Witter was calling out our Wicky, the man himself was taking on the big dogs like Vilches, Pedersen and Stephen Smith.
In more recent times it's been all about the beltholders like Maussa, Urango and Collazo....Junior needed a belt back then..........oh wait. Surely not double standards, lying and hypocricy....surely not. :shock:

 

Pedersen was a late replacement for Kelson Pinto, who was awkward and unbeaten, Hatton didn't take him through choice.

Smith was just off the back of a tough fight with Magee, problem?

Vilches was a late replacement for Antonio Mesquita who was very tall and a big puncher, problem?


Maussa was off the back of beating Tszyu and a unification.

Urango and Collazo were his first fights in America to build up to beating the #1 at LWW Castillo and a match with the P4P#1 Mayweather.

You're crap at this.

 

Theres no need to apologize for Maussa, he KO'd the best win on Witters record!!!

 

onourway, between 2001-2005, I'd wager not many of the people filling the MEN and indeed many fans due to lack access, knew who Tzsyu was. I'd also wager there was no demand for Hatton to face Stevie Smith, Wilfredo Vilches, Ray Oliveira, Mike Stewart or Dennis Pedersen. After Tzsyu, is where the paths separate but before that there were many clamouring for the domestic showdown between Ricky Hatton and the British, European and Commonwealth champion in Junior Witter. I was following both back then and I heard many a commentator mention it when either was fighting and Sky actually tried to tie down Frank Warren on live tv asking when it was going to happen. To which Warren replied later that year (2003), I think that was against Phillips.

I don't remember anyone wanting Hatton to fight Juan Urango either, but it happened.

When you say "we didn't want it", who exactly do you mean, or are you profesing to speak for all boxing fans? It is fair to say there was a time for this fight(2001-2004), then a time it wasn't feasible and now it is again. If there was no demand for this fight at any time, then why did Ricky Hatton himself demand that a fight with Witter be included in a new contract? Hatton said himself he demanded it as a condition of resigning with Warren. So your claim that "we" didn't want it when Hatton himself did isn't quite right. Why it didn't happen, I don't know(probably down to Warren), but re-writing history doesn't wash. Witter was in the picture all the while Hatton was defending his WBU title against sub-par opponents. When he beat Tzsyu, Witter was justifiably a backward step.

Also, Malignaggi isn't exactly what you'd call "bigger fish". The other two mentioned (Mayweather and Pcquaio) are more money making ventures than credible match-ups. The results of both are pretty pedictable and there are built in excuses (weight) at the ready.

 

atsch

Pointo and Mesquita were hyped-up shitbags and you know it. I remember Witter offering to step in as late replacewmwnt for Pinto and again Ricky bottled it and fought another no mark instead.
Castillo was shot to bits and any reasonable person knew it.
we're going round in circles with all these debates.

you go on buying all the bullh****, a lot of former Hatton fans are now seeing through him, others like yourself are beyond help i'm afraid.

 

Do you really have a clue about boxing? You just seem so ignorant.

It's like I said before - I don't think Hatton's haters realise that what he is doing is what has happened thoughout boxing history. You all act like it's a huge scandal when he fights a weak opponent. I don't see the problem. It's the same with these stupid Mayweather haters. Yes, he could have fought tougher opponents instead of Gatti or Baldomir, but it's not the point. I can't believehow many people are way off the mark. It's like you lot live in a dream world. I don't think you understand boxing history.

 

Nobody said he was shot prior to losing to Hatton. It's the way he lost which makes people think he was. He was coming off a win against Corrales, some unknown character and a more decisive win over Ngoudjo than Malignaggi.

He wasn't shot at all. Past his prime and above his best weight, yes, but there wouldn't have been so many people picking Castillo and the odds wouldn't have been so close.

It's the same with Tszyu. People say in hindsight he was old, but why were so many people picking him to knock Hatton out within 3?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

With Tszyu, you had a Mayweather situation. When somebody is first told their name, they might say 'who?'. But when they get told this guy is Number 1 at LWW, P4P#3 and likely to beat Ricky, it sets the pulse racing and it becomes a massive fight. Same with Mayweather, his profile wasn't very big, but when people got told he's a big mouth yank who happens to be the very best in the world, people got excited.

That's why the media and fans want those fights.

As I've already said, Smith was off the back of a tough Magee fight, Vilches and Pedersen were late replacements for two unbeaten fighters. Oliveria came at a time when they were ticking over before the Tszyu fight came to fruition.

Now Hatton beats Tszyu, he then unifies against Maussa.

AT THIS POINT, Hatton announces in January 2006 that a fight with Mayweather is ON and it will happen in the next year or so.

So at this point, Hatton needs to go to America and impress. They got an unbeaten Urango who supposedly had a style for Hatton to impress against.

Next step, move up to 147, Witter has no place in this.

Hatton wins at 147, then comes down to face the number 1 at the weight Castillo.

Then of course he fights Mayweather.


Essentially, the only time this fight was ever going to be made was when they were domestic fighters. Now the question is, why would Warren risk two future world champions together at domestic level? He wouldn't, it wasn't worth it. And since Ricky got out of domestic level, Witter has always been two steps behind.

 

He had the best resume of all the boxers at LWW, was the biggest fight at LWW, it was the biggest win for Hatton's career possible at LWW and it was the fight with most interest in America.

Whether he was ranked number 1 at LWW is debatable, whether it was the best fight out there for Hatton is not.

 

I think the main thing that has changed is the fact that Witter is now (arguably) number 2 in the division.

So you have the domestic element, the grudge fight element, the title holder element and now the fact that they are the two best in the division.

This fight will happen, but next year. Because for all of the above... Hatton v Pac is a headliner, and Hatton v Malignaggi in New York is a headliner. Hatton v Witter, like it or not, will not generate as much interest - mainly because Witter is not TV friendly. A good performance from him in front of a prime time audience on Saturday could change that and then we can come back to this topic and say 'Okay, now its reasonable for the fight to be made'. Until then, Hatton is going to take the paydays while they are there. If he's beaten by Witter (which I dont think would happen anyway) then Pac and Malignaggi disappear. If he's beaten by either of the other two then Witter is still there.

Makes sense...

 

Jack, I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not? You are certainly being patronising.
If you really think that most people didn't call Castillo as shot before the fight then I just don't know what to say. There was NO revisionism there.

as for Tszyu....I admit I thought he was gonna beat Hatton and it turns out Ricky was better than I first thought (though I didn't consider the fight could be an uneven playing field). However Tszyu has not come close to returning since, and has gone the distance about once in a decade.

I see you have not addressed the points I called you out on earlier in the thread.

sure every fighter has some easier fights, but the issues here are the blatant ducking of a fighter for years, and the constant bull****, spin and outright lies. That's what is pissing people off, and that's why Hatton has an ever increasing band of haters.