If you were a ref, would you let Hatton...

Absolutly not. Holding is bad enough. Holding and hitting is even worse.

 

Hell no!

PBF by UD!

 

Yes, let the fighters fight at their full potential as their styles dictate but still within a boundary.

 

Yeah let him hold. And if that doesnt work, let him punch the nuts.

 

Hattons holding is very borderline. hard to say.

i know i wouldnt have let the Hopkins/Wright fight go like it did.

 

I see some hypocrisy going on here.

I wonder if those who say they would allow Hatton to hold feel the same way about John Ruiz?

 

Hatton and Ruis are two of the worst offenders with this style. At least a lot of Hatton's fight maintain excitement regardless. If I were a ref I would certainly not tolerate this style, the odd clinch is ok, but to have a style completely dependent on it is unacceptable.

One of the most interesting things about this matchup (Mayweather V's Hatton) will be to see who can impose their conflicting style on the other, each style in this bout is the antithesis of the other fighters.

 

Watch the Hatton V Castillo fight. It's actually Castillo that does most of the holding.
Hatton is not the worst offender. BHop has developed a whole fighting technique around hugging fighters, yet his name has not been mentioned. I wonder why?

 

People forget what Ali was like...go and watch Ali-Frazier II. I say this because everytime someone slates Hatton they are often someone who also raves about past greats they barely watched.

Hatton should be allowed to clinch like he did in the Castillo fight, it is broken up by the fighters within moments and is not simply tangling up to stop any action. He should not be allowed to clinch as he did in the first 4 rounds of the Tszyu fight. Hatton gets in close and the clinches are often 50/50 but he always looks to come out of them and with punching. To compare him to Ruiz who simply looks to stop action and not fight is ignorant beyond belief.

 

Well said!
Alot of all-time greats like Roberto Duran have used the clinch within the realm of mounting an offensive.
If you look at old footage of Roberto Duran, he's often getting himself and out of clinches.
.....it works to his advantage because he's a good infighter.

John Ruiz is a whole different story altogether......as some have said here, he does'nt use it within the realm of mounting an offensive.
What John Ruiz does....he clinches, he stalls, and he keeps on with the clinch until the ref comes to break them up.

When you look at Hatton, he thrust himself foward punching, and if he happens to get himself out of position to continue his assault, he'll gladly invite a clinch and if possible, will look to fight himself out of the clinch.

......no such thing with John Ruiz!

 

Bernard Hopkins employed the clinch almost to Ruiz like proportions against some of the bigger middleweights he fought.

.....one two clinch, one two clinch, one two three clinch.....etc........
to tell you the truth, his fights were borefest....Hatton is a much more exciting fighter.

 

holding is illegal period!!!!!! should not be allowed