Hatton: one more time

Hatton has been fighting longer, was a better amateur, is stronger, hits harder and must - despite all the worries - still be favourite. After a few early problems, it's the Hitman on points for me. A late stoppage would be some statement, but Malignaggi is ever so brave.

Adam Smith
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So the latest chapter in the Ricky Hatton story is upon us - and there are several excellent critics who feel this may even be the final one.

Plenty are tipping Hatton to lose. Paulie Malignaggi, they believe, is in the right place at the right time.

This is understandable, as there are many nagging and fairly negative questions waiting to be answered on Saturday night.

Hatton is now 30. He's been fighting for 20 years, 11 of which have been hardened professional ones. The days of ruthlessly dispatching rugged journeymen like Karl Taylor and Brian Coleman seem a lifetime ago, so too when he took out former domestic champions like Bernard Paul and Mark Winters; or when he survived those horrendous cuts to defeat Gilbert Quiroz out in Detroit and Jon Thaxton at Wembley, both shortly after the Millennium celebrations.

The blazing days when he defended his world-title bauble - the WBU Belt - were also years ago. Remember the constant criticism he received for tackling relatively facile foes?

Looking back, he deserves credit for knuckling down, winning - often dramatically - and showing his heart and bottle, as when he came off the floor to outbox and outlast dangerous Eamonn Magee.

I remember agreeing with most of my colleagues that night that Ricky would probably end up between European and world class. Maybe Junior Witter would have stopped him, if they had met there and then. Hatton seemed to have found his level. How wrong Hatton proved us with his success since that summer night back in 2002.

There were those magical MEN nights as he beat a top crop of fighters like Vince Phillips and Aldo Rios. He looked great in outboxing tough Ben Tackie, and brilliant in that supreme performance against the teak-tough Ray Oliveira. I have long maintained that was Ricky Hatton at his very best - but it was way back in December 2004.

The night of Hatton's life was of course when he overturned the odds to outwork, out-hustle and break down one of the finest light-welterweights of modern times in Kostya Tszyu. It wasn't smooth, but it was exactly what was needed as the Hitman closed the range and negated Tszyu's big right hand.

Did Hatton hit his peak on that memorable Manchester occasion in June 2005? It's possible. Since then the Hitman has only had six fights in almost three-and-a-half years. Boxers do slow down, but that is still fairly inactive for a fighter whose biggest assets are aggression, rhythm and high velocity.

Has he been on the slide ever since? Hatton was cut in a messy and clumsy start to a unification with Colombia's awkward Carlos Maussa and although he delivered a brutal knockout, it was a mixed display.

Slipping

Then came the gamble. Hatton was due to meet Juan Lazcano who would have been moving up in weight, but when the Tex-Mex pulled out injured, it was Hatton who had to move out of his comfort zone by rising to welterweight to challenge Luis Collazo.

After scoring a first round knockdown, Hatton found the movement, slick southpaw skills and strength of Collazo hard to fathom out, and a bad final round could have cost him the decision. Hatton came through, rather fortunately it has to be said.

Hatton certainly didn't shine; nor did he when struggling with the size of Juan Urango. A pre-fight cold and some allergy to the hotel air-conditioning didn't help his Vegas debut, and again many felt Hatton was slipping.

The crunching body shot to dispatch former world lightweight king Jose Luis Castillo was superb, but the Mexican was a fading force.

His last two fights have been the gallant but emphatic defeat by the finest fighter to lace up the gloves in this era, Floyd Mayweather Jr; and then the homecoming in May when he finally met and subsequently outpointed Juan Lazcano.

Many have concentrated on the times that Hatton was caught by Lazcano - a supposed non-puncher who had virtually come out of retirement for the fight. Hatton was hit too often for comfort in the eighth and 10th rounds, and admitted that after looking back at the tape, he wondered quite how much was left.

Yet there were problems ahead of the Lazcano fight. I was around regularly and Hatton was again ill, sparring was cut short, he didn't even attempt the 15 rounds on the body belt, and the atmosphere in Billy Graham's gym was flat and cold. The cracks were well in place.

Add to that the psychological difficulty of coming back from a knockout defeat, and the pressure of performing in front of almost 60,000 fans - after entering the City of Manchester Stadium in a fat suit. I had never seen him look so nervous on the morning of a fight.

So there were reasons. Don't forget though that he largely dominated Lazcano, who wasn't a bad fighter and was unbelievably brave. He was on the verge of being stopped on more than one occasion.

Problems and trouble have arisen again. Another six months has gone by, he's turned 30 and once again illness has affected this build-up a couple of times.

Hatton missed the first head-to-head press conference in Las Vegas, and had to move from his usual American house to an appartment because of another allergy. It's no secret that he has had a virus in his system for a while. Is his body just beginning to slow down after all the wear and tear both in the ring, and outside - due to his life-long love of ales and pies?

Lonelier

That up and down yo-yoing in weight because of a topsy-turvy lifestyle is going to catch up with our popular Hitman, if it hasn't already. The older the boxer gets, the harder weight-making becomes, and his notoriously fragile skin will be even more at threat from cuts.

Ricky hasn't had Kerry Kayes on hand to make sure the crucial diet and weight loss have been done properly; plus he's never ever been without Billy Graham in the corner.

Hatton's had a longer and lonelier camp in Vegas, he's been adapting to a whole change of routine - from running in the morning, to far more sparring, to taking hurtful hits from the medicine ball. Has he had long enough to learn the'Mayweather' style and techniques, or is this a massive error of judgment at the twilight of his career?

Personally, I feel the change has re-lit the fire in Ricky Hatton. Whether he still has it physically may well be revealed this weekend.

How much ambition does he still harbour? Ricky's made a huge amount of money and has achieved so much. He also has many outside interests from TV shows, to after dinner speaking, to stand-up comedy, to helping and promoting young fighters. Then there's his social life!

But Ricky loves the sport and has a huge amount of pride. I think, for now, he still wants it. Especially with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow being the lucrative mega-match next year at Wembley, against the Golden Boy - if Oscar De La Hoya deals with Manny Pacquiao.

I don't believe the Hitman is what he once was - in fact I'm sure of that. Unlike several of my colleagues though, I do think he'll find a way of dealing with Malignaggi. For how good is the Italian-American? I'm not sure he's a special boxer.

The New Yorker's slick, clever, skillful and uses the ring well. When Malignaggi blows hot he can be a real handful. Yet, against that he has no punch to speak of, and has terribly damaged hands. Malignaggi has also had tough, tight and unimpressive wins this year. He might be in even worse form than Hatton.

Malignaggi says that the movement and speed of Collazo and Mayweather gave the Hitman real trouble, and while that's true, those fights were both up at welterweight. Furthermore, is Malignaggi as talented as either Mayweather or Collazo? And Hatton has never lost at light-welterweight.

It's interesting that many Brits feel Hatton will lose - but nearly all the American fight fraternity pick the Hitman. One told me Hatton was an A-grade fighter and that even if he's only A- or B+ now, Malignaggi has never been above a B.

Remember the fight we always think about with Paulie - it's the one against Miguel Cotto. Not only did he lose, but Malignaggi got badly busted up en route. Maybe that fight took more out of him than he really thinks.

Stoppage

Hatton has been fighting longer, was a better amateur, is stronger, hits harder and must - despite all the worries - still be favourite. After a few early problems, it's the Hitman on points for me. A late stoppage would be some statement, but Malignaggi is ever so brave.

Ultimately I tend to return to my thoughts from the time when a fight's first announced - that's usually what I go with. Everyone got caught up with the hype ahead of Hatton's enormous clash with Floyd Mayweather, changing their opinions as the fight drew nearer, and there were several who ended up predicting a Hatton win. I didn't think he would conquer Mayweather, but I do think he's better than Paulie Malignaggi.

We all get predictions wrong, and if Malignaggi wins convincingly, it is definitely time for Ricky to hang the gloves up. It's been a magical journey with his merry men from the Hattersley council estate to the neon lights of the most famous fighting city on earth. Ricky Hatton owes us nothing.

Prizefighter kicks off another fabulous night and this time it's the turn of the middleweights. With the 11stone 6lbs boys, we'll get a blend of strength, speed and power. There's another great bunch; a school teacher, a terrible bricklayer, a cross country runner - and more. The usual mix of exciting come-forward aggressors are in the pack, even if at a much lower level than the main event of the night.

One or two are picking Cello Renda. For me, it's the excellent St Helens prospect Martin Murray to become the last man standing. But then as we all know by now, it's a pick'em, a lottery really, and that makes Prizefighter so compelling.

British boxing is back on a roll. Joe Calzaghe was brilliant against Roy Jones, and is now an astonishing 46-0. David Haye lit up the heavyweight scene last weekend; now can Ricky Hatton make it three out of three in three weeks for the leading Brits?

I think he will - but many don't.

Final word - I just had to mention that whatever happens with the older brigade, we could have a new young star in the ascendancy.

I had last seen Sheffield's Kel Brook in the flesh when he was an 11 year old kid in the famous Wincobank gym, and he told me he was going to become world champion. His idol was Naseem Hamed. Eleven years on, and now 22, Brook made it 18 straight wins when he defended his British Welterweight title in sensational style last Friday night.

With an air of assurance, supreme confidence and a sizzling two-minute display of accurate, power punching to wipe out the very decent Kevin McIntyre on Scottish soil - it took me right back. Jim Watt and Glenn McCrory too, were both seriously impressed.

It's still early days, but we haven't seen as electric a performance for the Lonsdale belt this year. Surely we don't have another cocky, colourful prince of boxing on our hands - do we?

All eyes for now though on the down-to-earth, boy-next-door from Hyde - to keep his engaging boxing tale going a little longer...