I've never been a big Hatton fan but I do respect the guy. He's good for the sport his relentless style and determination makes him a draw in the sport. I think his bodywork is one of the best in the game it rivals Cotto's bodywork. I just don't see him as having those top notch skills that make you an elite not that its mandatory but Hatton does not give me that feeling. One this is for sure he would give anyone within 40&47lbs divisions a run for there money but I can't imagine him beating Cotto, Mayweather, Margo, Cintron and Mosely not because of his all around fighting style its more a matter of his size vs their figting styles....I would love to hear how he beats any of those guys.
I agree. White boxers don't seem to get as much love or praise from critics and boxing fans. Hopefully one day in the future, people won't give a damn about skin color.
:-( What?? I still don't understand why everytime someone has some type of constructive critisim towards a fighter it has to point towards race??? I'm a huge fan of Kelly Palvick yet I understand he has limitations defensively but that just plays into his excitment factor. Lets not play the race role again please.
Me not being a Hatton fight has nothing to do with his skin color or where he's from. It has to do with the way he fights. I look forward to seeing Mikkel Kessler and Joe Calzaghe fights, and have no problem rooting for them either, because I actually enjoy their fights. I honestly haven't enjoyed a Hatton performance in over 2 years, and that includes the Tszyu fight. He has become an eye soar, much like a Zahir Raheem. If he could some how revert to the style he used, like say when he fought Vince Phillips, I'd have no problem rooting for him.
Exactly! His fighting style is never exciting, never entertaining. He throws 1 to 3 punches then comes in to clinch and sneak in some more punches while holding the opponent. Damn it's always the same and ****. He wins fights alright, but he is the kind of fighter who you can't expect to do something new. :-(
Nah actually he gets more credit then he deserves because he's white. If he was a black man he'd be very average.. The dude almost got knocked out by feather fisted Collazo for crying out loud, give me a damn break, Then he has the nerve to say Floyd Mayweather isnt exciting to watch? hahaha, At leave floyd doesnt throw a jab and grab on for dear life like ricky fatton.
Good post. Not sure if anyone told you, but 90% of this board band wagons behind fighters. They will jump ship just as fast too. Personally Ricky is my favorite current fighter. His last couple fights have not been on the level of the Tszyu. Alot might have to do with the opponent as well. I am looking for to watching this weekends fight. I hope we see that vicous Ricky that I remember. I would love to see him rip the body and double left hook all night.
That's a bit harsh. He is definetly an A fighter. Maybe an A- at worst. He may not be the best of all time, or match well against the best. He is however the best in the 140 div right now.
i think hatton is one of the best 5 around personally but people can start hating after saturday night because castillo has got all the respect deserved bcus yes he is a gr8 fighter and i think hatton is ready to prove his callaber
Beating down aging, past prime veterans has been Hatton's calling card. His victory Saturday night won't be a change in any regard. It would be cool if Castillo had one great on left in him, but I don't think he does. That said, I guess Ricky has to be considered top dog at 140 right now simply by default, since most of the big names have been eliminated or moved up in weight. I would like to see him fight Vivian Harris, but I don't think his handlers would take that fight due to the bad risk/reward.
Hatton's CV is a mixed bag and not all about beating past prime veterans. In his period of working towards a title shot at 140 of course he has to fight Vince Phillips et all to see if he was truly ready to be considered a 'real' challenger. Then ranked he fought in title eliminators and faced Kostya, who the majority of experts assessed as dismissing Hatton early. No one called Kostya shot at the time. Although the Kostya fight was not technically superior, Hatton showed power, strength, heart, an unbelievable chin (I accept the body has looked questionable vs Collazo and Urango [well in one round against Urango - give the guy a break aren't fighters allowed to get hurt ffs!!!]), and the desire/hunger to win. Since then Hatton has not fought one 'ageing past prime fighter', in fact he has fought some difficult fighters, who I again accept are not elite A class, two of them young upstarts who still could make waves in their respective divisions in the future. Hatton's last 2 fights have been very dissapointing, there is no doubt of that. The fact that the holding/clinching has been raised means that this particular aspect will be magnified every time. Hatton goes to work inside and the majority of fights have been like that. Unfortunately as a result holding/clinching/hugging will be a by-product of this style at times. I'm dissapointed at those that think Hatton is hated because of his skin colour. I'm sure that is not the case for the majority of people. My view is that since he has received more exposure worldwide his fights have not been impressive. I advise those who have only been introduced to Hatton to view some of his fights on youtube or get his DVD. He was an exciting talent, with raw power, footspeed and terrific humility. I just hope he re-produces for all those doubters come Saturday! Come on Richard!
