Ricky Hatton: The Return of the Hitman
By Geoff “The Professor” Poundes
Finally, it’s official.
After keeping the watching masses on tenterhooks for some 6 months or more Ricky Hatton has delivered the news that surprised no-one – he’ll fight again this summer.
Those of us who were witnessing his ballooning corpulence had begun to doubt. We doubted not because it appeared that the fires within this admirable warrior had diminished, nor because his last fight indicated a separation from his formerly formidable powers, but because he was beginning to look for all the world like a man comfortable in his own stretched skin, ready for the pipe and slippers.
Apparently not.
As much as Ricky disclaims his knockout at the flashing fists of Manny Pacquiao last May as a training mishap, even he must know that at 31 years of age his best fighting years are behind him, and what remains up ahead is a hard, desperate struggle to recapture the vim and vigor of youth.
Hatton is not the first, nor will he be the last, to embark on that journey. Of course the Hitman gives himself a far greater mountain to climb than most, with his stubborn refusal to exercise any kind of moderation between fights, a refusal that has surely exacerbated a quick and painful fall from grace.
At his presser to announce his return to the ring, Hatton claimed to have weighed in at around 180 pounds, but looked closer to 190, and he refused to remove his t-shirt as he lumbered around a heavy bag for the photographers like a pregnant rhino.
There will still be fires that burn within. Not least the desire to clear his name in the wake of that debilitating Pacquiao loss. Ricky claims that Floyd Mayweather, SR., over trained him (when all the indications pre- and post-fight were that Floyd was, if anything, an absentee coach), and that he approached the ring that night knowing that he was in no shape to fight. His loss to Mayweather, whilst emphasizing a gulf in class between the two fighters, at least allowed Hatton the kudos of having competed on something like level terms with the Pretty Boy for much of the fight. Hatton has tried to persuade himself and others that he out-fought Pacquiao in the second round of their encounter, before the Philippine put his lights out. A cursory glimpse of the fight film proves otherwise, and suggests that Ricky is separating himself from reality if he’s going into a comeback on that basis.
He’ll have no shortage of willing opponents. It’s almost certain he’ll fight in Manchester, where 50,000 fans would turn up to watch him break wind. He’s box office, damaged goods or not, and offers a mega-payday to any fighter who’s prepared to share a ring with him. Champions will happily place their titles on the line against him, particularly now that he’s been beaten twice, and spectacularly knocked out in his last fight. One suspects also that they’ll take a look at the pudgy ex-champ and fancy their chances of keeping their belts and picking up some big bucks.
Juan Manuel Marquez remains the most likely candidate, and would make for an intriguing fight. Despite his current size, Hatton insists that he wants to box at 140, so it’s unlikely that he’ll be looking at welterweights, although he himself hinted at a challenge for the WBA Welterweight Title, currently held by Vyacheslav Senchenko, a 32 year old Ukrainian with a 30-0 record.
Senchenko is one of those mysterious fighters who’s come up on the blind side, fought no-one of note, but might turn out to be the real deal when he does. At 5 feet 10 he’s a big welter, and one suspects that Hatton may want a better known quantity first time out, particularly given that Ricky has struggled up at 147 previously.
A prospective tussle with WBA light-welter champ, and fellow countryman Amir Khan, has moved closer as a possibility now that Khan has ditched his long-time promoter Frank Warren in favor of Oscar’s Golden Boy. Khan has a mandatory challenge to see off first (assuming he accepts the overtures of Marcos Maidana, 27-1, 26 KO’s, who’s record as a puncher may yet deter the fragile-chinned Brit), and the fight would be a money-spinner in the UK, but the two fighters are friends, and the fight probably won’t happen until the payday becomes essential to one of other of them.
Of course, if there were any justice in the world it would be Tim Bradley on the other side of the ring come the summer, but the WBO champion, still unbeaten after 25 fights, is being ignored by everyone that matters because, frankly, he’s too good and doesn’t excite the fans. The likes of Hatton, Khan, Mayweather and even Pacquiao will not take a fight with Bradley anytime soon.
So Marquez fits the bill precisely.
Coming off a lop-sided loss to Mayweather (no disgrace in hindsight) Marquez still retains the respect he deserves having been the one man to give Pacquiao a couple of his sternest tests, and there would be considerable interest in the match-up. He’s 36 now, with 56 contests under his belt (50 wins, 5 losses), and he’s the right size and style of fighter to make Hatton look good if the Hitman can recapture anything of his former glory.