Better body puncher: Ricky Hatton or Micky Ward

Hatton.

 

Ward.

 

Hatton. More versatile in his use of angles, far better at setting up his work downstairs, and wasn’t limited to just a big left hook to the liver like Ward was. Hatton knew how to mix his crooked shots with both hands with his bouncy, off-tempo footwork. Hatton knew how to work the liver, the diaphragm, and the kidneys compared to Ward. Probably broke more ribs than him too. Just did more downstairs from more angles with more consistency.

 

Hutton had the better, more well-rounded body attack.

Ward had the secret weapon — the reverse hook. It was taught by Victor Valle, with whom Micky worked for a while. You can see Gerry Cooney use it skillfully and with great effect, and less frequently (or damagingly) some of his other guys like Billy Costello (not sure if it was developed yet when VV trained Alfredo Escalera as the only fights of Alfredo’s I’ve seen are his two battles with Alexis Arguello and I at least don’t remember him employing it in those fights).

It’s a tap left hook to the head to set up the left hook to the liver. The opponent’s reaction to the quicker, lighter hook to the head sets up the body — whether they raise their glove to catch the hook or just lean to their own left (even slightly) with it, for whatever reason that makes the one to the body that follows an even more lethal weapon.

VV taught it to Randall Yonker, who migrated South where I met him (and my brother worked out with him and learned it from him). That’s how I know the origins. The timing and cadence of it is the key and it’s hard to master and get just right.

Micky’s the only one I’ve seen employ it from the southpaw stance, as he did in gutting Arturo Gatti in the first fight. Same combo in the Sanchez finisher.