Now I know a lot of people are annoyed by Hatton's style and feel he clinches excessively , possibly a fair claim . However if you look back at fights from the 50/60's holding of this nature is the norm , so in a sense Hatton is merely 'Old School'(as yee Americans would put it) , a lot of people call James Toney's style(aswell as the man himself) old school but other than the use of the shoulder in defending himself he isn't very old school at all . Toney stays against the ropes during fights because he has to having poor stamina and not being conditioned right , he also was caught using steroids twice , which is something we don't associate as being old school . Now I dunno why I brought Toney into this but anyway , Hatton's style is very similar to fighters of days gone by . Some might say it's unfair that other boxers have to try and cope with Hatton's 'tactics' but the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson had to cope with plenty of fighters like that . Robinson dealt with it because he was a physically strong guy who could force fighters back themselves and I feel fighters should have to be strong . This isn't the amateurs and guys are meant to be the complete package and that includes physicaly strenght . Refs like Jay Nady have helped bring an end to fighters gaining an advantage with superior strenght due to his (excessive at times) breaking up of fighters . But as Hatton says himself 'this isn't a tickling contest' . Now I know that fighters holding on the inside isn't pretty , but the breaking up of holding is leading to another thing . The breaking up of inside fighting . Referee Eddie Cotton took away an chance Lovemore N'Dou had of beating Paulie Malignaggi by not allowing any inside fighting and that didn't just include when he was clinching . Sometimes the fighters were merely close and Cotton would shot 'stop , stop , stop' and seperate them . So for those shouting for the abolition of Hatton like tactics I give one warning , what would have happened if Eddie Cotton had reffed Diego Corrales v Jose Luis Castillo I ? This is a man's sport and strenght is a big part of it , the sooner that guys away the sooner proffesional boxing becomes like the amateurs . Hatton's style mightn't be the prettiest , but it's better for boxing if it's allowed then if it isn't .
