The Ricky Hatton - Homecoming

theres a thread lower down about this.... why not get a replacement!?!?!!!



http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66615

 

Yeah im pretty friendly with him, and his dad got me and a few friends good tickets for the fight. He was really angry that this guy no showed as he forked out a fortune getting him his missus and his team over. Goldenboy are suing the guy. Yeah supposidly this guy is getting some sort of title shot next year and cant take this fight because of it.

 

I'm interested to see Ricky tonight. Don't know a lot about Lazcano but he's clearly been picked to lose. But so was Collazo.

Anyway, I'll be looking for a few things from Ricky.

First up some slick pressure fighting. Since the Oliviera fight, he's only shown the odd glimpse of what I believe he's got in the locker. At times against Urango and Castillo he actually moved in and out intelligently, slipped and countered well, demonstrated his speed across the canvas. All too often though the Tszyu blueprint gets rolled out and it's 'bull in a china shop' stuff. So hopefully tonight we'll see a little more consideration in his work.

Secondly I think his fitness and stamina have questions marks against them. It's been plain to me that he's faded in every fight that has gone past halfway since Tszyu. Ricky's greatest weapon was his stamina; if that's gone he is much less of a fighter. My opinion is that his fabled endurance HAS gone. I'd love to be proved wrong but for my money he peaked physically in 2003/4.

Finally it will be intriguing to see how Ricky reacts if Lazcano does take him into any kind of deep water. He's a sensible lad, I'm sure he always knew he could and would one day lose, but how will the reality of a KO defeat affect him the next time he's on the receiving end?

Clearly at this stage Hatton has a few questions to answer and Lazcano is probably not the guy to ask them. But we might just get an inkling of what's left in the Hatton tank tonight.