Hatton's Back In The Gym

Source: BritishBoxing.Net

Ricky Hatton: “I did a few days last week so I've already been in (the gym) a couple of times but now the date (of the next fight) is set (for May 24th) I'm back in. Nothing definite is signed yet but now I've got the date I'll get back into the swing of things slowly but surely.”

With the date set there is now the small matter of selecting an opponent:

RH: “(Ricardo) Torres, Kendall Holt who recently had a good win over Ben Tackie, another one is (Juan) Lazcano. These are all ranked light-welterweights looking for a chance so it is a case of getting the date and venue finalised. There is no point announcing an opponent until we've got those details sorted-out. I'm just excited about fighting (again) and don't have a preference about who I fight. I just want it to be signed.

“(Paulie) Malignaggi is a strong possibility as well. He struggled against Ngoudjo but everyone can have a bad night. I had them against Vilches and Pedersen and you would never give me a prayer with Kostya Tszyu after those fights. Paulie can fight. He is one name in the pipeline (further down the line) as well.

“At this point it is just about getting back into it [boxing] whoever I fight. As long as it is a ranked fighter who is quality. In my last 6 fights I've taken a title from Tszyu, taken a title from Maussa, taken a title from Collazo, and taken a title from Urango…then I beat Castillo and fought Floyd so I've been mixing in top class and want to carry on that run and get back into the swing of things.”

Hatton on fighting Floyd

RH: “No regrets. I'm glad I took the fight, absolutely. Not many get a chance to test themselves against the best fighters in the world. I thought I did well at first. After the first 5 or 6 rounds I thought I was in the fight. I lost my composure. Lost my way and Floyd found the right punches. He is every bit as good a fighter as I thought he was.”

RH: “He did feel bigger and you do feel the difference. I realise now that welterweight is not my weight division. No regrets. I thought the tactics were right. I made the cardinal sin of losing my temper and losing my composure. Any youngster being taught boxing gets taught not to do that but I lost my composure a bit with the referee. Things worked for a few rounds but as I got more and more frustrated the fight ebbed away from me.”

RH: “I knew Floyd would be tricky. I didn't expect him to stand toe-to-toe. He is very clever. He uses his arms and elbows to make room for himself, which is fair enough but I seemed to be the only one getting warned for stuff. Fair play if you can do it and get away with it. If I was doing it I'd say “fair play”. But you expect warnings to come on both sides. It never seemed to be that way with the referee as I saw it.”

Hatton on Cortez

RH: “It was just very strange. I have a lot of respect for Joe Cortez. He reffed the Castillo fight and allowed close-quarter work, grappling and holding, and you never even knew he was there. You never saw him – he was that good in the fight. In the Mayweather fight he was in there every few minutes. Everyone is entitled to a bad night. Just a pity that Joe had one that night.

“It messed with my mind. Before the fight I hoped he would allow me to fight my type of fight. From the first 30-seconds he was on me. Slowly but surely it got to me and (it) topped it all off when he took the point away for nothing. (But) if you lose it like a kid when fighting a guy like the Floyd Mayweather the end result is what happened.”

RH: “I thought the tactics were working a little bit. I'd be subtler in my approach (in a rematch). More head movement, more sideways movement, and staying tucked-up on the way in. It worked to a degree for a few rounds but things just fell apart.”

RH: “Fair play to Floyd as well. Before the fight I thought he was a dickhead to say the least but he had a lot of kind words after (the fight).

“He said I was a great fighter. He said he was nervous in the early rounds until he found the gaps. He said my support had been great and he would love to have support like that. He's even kept in touch since and we've sent a few texts. We arranged to meet but never got a chance to but we'll hook-up in Vegas next time I'm there.

“It may be while before I go to Vegas though. I love Vegas but I feel that I was never destined to win that fight. All the judges had me losing by a landslide after 6-rounds. HBO and Sky TV had it different but the judges had me losing by a mile and the referee was on my case. I don't think I was meant to win that fight.”

Despite this Hatton had no regrets about his 3-fight Vegas adventure:

RH: “Without a shadow of a doubt I'd recommend the Vegas experience to British boxers coming-up. I'm sure I‘ll box there again. I just feel a little bit cheated by the experience…but the better man won. I just wanted to come home for a bit (and) then go back and try again in the future.”

Hatton had chased the Mayweather fight for years so to lose it must have been a hard-blow. Questions over his opponents have dogged him since the Tszyu fight and we do not need an exhaustive breakdown of why certain fights were taken at a certain time, the culmination was Mayweather and that fight rendered those quibbles moot. Hatton is now facing a rebuilding process but said he intends to fight the best fighters available to him:

RH: “That is what I've done recently. People used to say I was avoiding this or that guy but I've been in with a few decent guys in my last 6 fights. A few bigger guys and the best fighter in the world. Kostya was ranked #2 pound-for-pound and Floyd was ranked #1 pound-for-pound. I went on a long unbeaten run and took a massive fight and got beat. All I've done in my recent fights is fight world champions…(I've) not just sat back and defended belts I've tried to win them. I think that says a lot about me.”

Hatton Quitting?

RH “Not really no. Well maybe a little bit. You sit back and chill out on a few holidays and see where you go from here. I wouldn't want to go out of my career on my back and having my last fight with people seeing me go out on my back.

“I think I was still improving in my training camps. I've still got a lot left. You find out how good a fighter and a man you are by coming back from adversity. My life was very easy and I was going along well but you find out what kind of a man you are by coming back and overcoming obstacles. Fighters who have lost in the past – like Barrera, Gatti and guys like that – become better after the defeat.”

RH: “I'm well up on my boxing knowledge so I can look at what I did wrong and put it right. Prince Naseem Hamed was one of the greatest fighters we've ever had but after he lost to Barrera he disappeared…that is a shame because he (Hamed) was brilliant. I'd rather remember him doing what he did (over) his whole career rather than the way he bowed out of boxing.”

RH: “Floyd is very clever. He turns his shoulder across and gets his forearm in place and stops you getting the shots in. He turns away a lot and I'd like to have seen him get one warning for doing it because I got warnings galore. I got a point took off because I turned him (and) put him on the ropes (then) threw a shot that missed. I couldn't believe it.”

The dust has now completely settled on December's events. Contrary to ridiculous rumour Hatton has not ditched trainer Billy Graham. The fighter also seems to have retained of his desire, after training he came into the office to show the few people there that his muscle definition was still visible. Hatton claimed that “The Christmas tree (of back muscles) is gone but I'm not that bad. It's me face!”.

If the desire is to prove himself anew Hatton will now do so in front of his British fans:

RH: “I owe it to my British fans to give them a fight for all the support they've given me over in Vegas. I think it can be a great homecoming if I can get the right opponent.”

Hatton on Witter

RH: “No I'm not really thinking about him (Witter). You can never say never but he is not really in our plans. I have an ambition to fight at MSG and Witter is not in that frame. No one can argue with what I've done. I'm not saying I'll never fight him but he is not on the radar at the minute.”

RH: “I'd love to knock him (Witter) out and think I would. Witter is fighting well at the minute. He looks good but I'm not in the business of giving a big cheque and a profile to someone who has been slagging me off for years.”

With that said the position in regards to Witter is becoming increasingly untenable. However, if Hatton's plans have to take into account HBO backing the likely scenario is that a fight at MSG against Paulie Malignaggi has already been drawn on the page, and the route towards it may not include Junior.

Certainly, a fight with Witter straight after the KO loss to Floyd would be crazy; instead the onus is on Witter to continue his remarkable run of form. With his next fight a possibility for US TV Junior's profile will be raised to the extent that the fight with Hatton becomes a must for the American, as well as British, networks, and the fans will put out the call.

If Junior presses his claims on US TV (the last frontier for Junior) the fight with Hatton takes on global significance and becomes more than a provincial grudge match. This should be what British boxing fans want most of all, two of our best fighting at the highest level before the eyes of the world. An impressive win apiece and this will become the only option left to both Hatton and Witter.