Was Ricky a bit too predictable & square on for a versatile high IQ southpaw like the Scot? The Magee fight (I thought Ricky edged it btw) for example was a torrid night for him.. Collazo (again I thought Ricky edged it but Collazo won a good 5 rounds) & Thaxton too had his moments.. all southpaws.. & Manny of course was just way too much for him.. i wasn't so sure a couple of years back but the more I have seen of Taylor the more it's become apparent he'd probably beat Ricky.. I'm a big Hatton fan , he had an excellent career & resume.. Tszyu, Phillips, Malignaggi, Urango, Maussa, JLC, Collazo etc.. but he struggled to live the life, rarely learned from his mistakes and his bullish 'heart on his sleeve' style of fighting tho entertaining & successful to a point was flawed. British legends both, Hattons got the better win (Tszyu) but I'd take Josh in a close competitive one. What say you?
It’s not really right to judge a fighters career from one fight, but Hatton of Tyszu fight would’ve been extremely hard to beat for anyone. I think Taylor’s a great fighter an in general better, but that one fight against Tyszu he was relentless Hatton. Taylor’s better but h2h both from their best performances it’s close at the moment. Magee was talented also wasn’t he
Judge them at the end of Josh's career. Hatton was super fit, tough, great engine, whipped in superb shots to the body and was relentless in his prime. On this board particularly I think he gets underrated. Went up to 147 and picked up a strap (2 division champ) but he didn't have the same effect at 147 as he did at 140. By the time he fought Pac, he was on the slide, had made a crazy decision in teaming with Floyd Sr which did not work AT ALL (it's well documented how bad the camp was) and his lifestyle outside of the ring had caught up with him. I was there the night he lost to Senchenko in the comeback and I don't even count that fight. For me, Hatton lost to the 2 best fighters of his generation and that's nothing to be ashamed of. As for Josh Taylor, he looks a special talent. What he has achieved in the space of 18 fights (WBSS winner, undisputed world champ) is sensational and I look forward to seeing him involved in more big fights over the next few years.
Ye to be fair Magee was a skilled operator & durable as fk too.. hard night but a solid win nonetheless. Ricky's resume is really good if u dig down, even men like Maussa.. a tall big puncher, I think it was Cotto that said he was the hardest puncher he'd ever fought at the time.. he'd just KOd Harris for the WBA belt, Harris was on a really good run: This content is protected Ray Olivera, Vince Phillips.. good fighters.. between them had beaten the likes of Tszyu, Ward, Harris etc.. Hatton from the Tszyu fight would give Taylor fits ya I agree on that but the southpaw thing & Hattons style in general I just think would slightly play into Taylor's hands .. I could foresee a Hatton win tho, no way could u write that Ricky off.. Hattons physicality & power.. be a helluva fight that
I wouldn't say far superior. Go watch earlier Hatton. He was a tank. He did tend to struggle with southpaws a bit tho. That Hatton leading up to Tszyu would be a handful for most LWWs.. not the multi millionaire, blowing up in weight media darling Hatton.. I suppose you can get away with blowing up in weight when you are younger somewhat but continually doing it & not being in shape between fights will eventually catch up & have a detrimental impact on your abilities.. The finishing sequence that he KOd Maussa with was excellent & classic Hatton.. Ricky at his best: This content is protected
I think dirty fighters and huggers perform better than they actually are. Other examples; Ruiz, Horn. they couldn’t get that far without that hugging technique which seems to throw fighters off from actually boxing. more recently, Logan Paul. you can take a fighter a few levels below the other and they will perform much better if they’re able to disrupt the boxing through a series of hugs. That’s what Hatton did against Tsyzu, he beat a much better fighter through hugs and dirtyness. IMO, 3 hugs initiated in a round and automatic disqualification. It’s NOT part of boxing, it’s illegal, only accidental clinches are part of it, rest aren’t.
Other than a shaky first round I thought colloza thoroughly schooled Hatton. One more round and Hatton would have never received paydays versus Pac and Floyd. Nevertheless, Taylors only disadvantage vs Hatton would be Rickys unbridled tenacity and relentlessness. Hatton's willingness to grind was his greatest attribute.
