I do not think that Ricky Hatton will quit boxing. The brutality of his defeat to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will be a nightmare that wont go away quickly. Indeed the manner of the loss whilst bitterly disappointing for everyone in Team Hatton was equally as painful for the thousands of fans who travelled and the armchair fan who watched all around the world, such is the popularity of the Manc.
The safety concerns for Hatton are of course paramount and when he was knocked out there was a brief moment when all fans gasped in concern. But perhaps a reality check for Hatton is something that may stop him from quitting.
There are several things to consider here.
1. Hatton peaked when he won his war of attrition against the legendary Kostya Tszyu.
2. His lifestyle has undoubtedly caught up with him and a drastic change is required should he continue to box. The pints of guiness must stop now. Hopefully there is still time to implement a change in diet that can allow him to continue.
3. The introduction of Floyd Mayweather Snr, albeit a strange choice for me, did work against Malginaggi but he turned this super-fight into a circus act with his own shenanigans. And if body language was anything to go by Hatton didn’t seem comfortable around him during fight week.
4. Hatton can operate at a level but he perhaps needs to realise that he cannot mix it now with the world’s elite. But there are still good fights out there for him. Bradley, Witter, Khan etc.
If rumours are true and Team Hatton had a plan in place before the Pacquiao fight that should he lose then he would have a farewell fight against Michael Katsidis then I feel that is a plan that should be explored. Yes, he will never be p4p king but he will still pack out houses around the world and can still win world titles should that be his desired interest.
As for the weekend’s fight itself I have to say that at the time I was saddened by the manner of the defeat. In reflection I’m slightly angry at Hatton. The fans, I’m one of them, have a right to feel slightly cheated by the performance. I know that hype puts bums on seats but Hatton was absolutely adamant that he could win this fight. Everyone felt this was a much more winnable fight than when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jnr. But the way he came out from the opening bell utterly shocked me.
In his prime, his hero Roberto Duran used to plough in ? but he did it with speed and lots and lots of head movement. It was controlled aggression that I thought Hatton would use. I’m not saying that would’ve won him the fight but it would’ve gave him a fighting chance. Instead he was the bull and Pacquaio was the matador at which the Filipino despatched of his angry and charged opponent with consummate ease.
Why did Hatton do this? I don’t have the answers but something wasn’t right. Whether it was the problems in the camp, whether he was on a boxing suicide mission and wanted to be put out of his misery or maybe he just didn’t have the belief. Either way just like when I stayed up to all hours as a child with my Dad to listen to big Frank get pummelled by Mike Tyson on Radio Five I had the same sick feeling in my stomach when Hatton hit the deck in the early hours of Sunday morning. I take nothing away from Pacquiao, the man is a modern-day legend and icon. It was a superlative performance.
I don’t think this is the end of the ?Hitman’. I just hope that after a long rest he can look in the mirror and take the reality check that is so badly needed.
