As the big fight draws closer, opinions could not be more divided on the outcome of this summer's epic showdown between Manchester's undefeated star Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton and the number one light welterweight in the world, Kostya Tszyu. It will be a lion's den that Tszyu will enter on June the 4th, performing in front of 22,000 Hatton fans at the MEN Arena in Manchester.. The bout is for Tszyu's IBF belt, but more importantly for Hatton is the Russian's worldwide recognition as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world today.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/4765/hattonspar1bypaulspeak9zk.jpg

Tszyu has proven time and time again that he is the best light welterweight in the world. Hatton has yet to convince everyone, especially in the US, that he even deserves world class status despite being ranked number one by the IBF and previously so by the WBO, all the while remaining undefeated in 38 fights.

But for Hatton's British fans, this type of fight has been long overdue. After potential challenges to Miguel Cotto, Sharmba Mitchell and Vivian Harris failed to materialise, Hatton seemed to lose faith in the sport. This unease was evident in his one sided victory in June of last year over Carlos Vilches. While the Mancunain did get the points win, it was a poor performance by the high standards that "The Hitman's" fans are accustomed to.

Hatton and his legion of supporters were frustrated alike and the pressure began to mount on promoter Frank Warren to deliver a big fight. The head of Sports Network told everyone doubting him that he would come through for Hatton and he has delivered admirably. Not only did he land Tszyu, the biggest name in the division, but also he enticed the IBF Champion to defend his title in the challenger's back yard. Credit must go to Warren and Hatton for targeting the hardest possible fight and also to the champion for accepting the difficult challenge of defending on away turf.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/8165/hattonspar2bypaulspeak9zg.jpg

While the majority of American fight fans expect Tszyu to retain, many in Britain truly believe that Hatton has what it takes to dethrone the champion. And why shouldn't they? Hatton has defeated every man put in front of him and mostly all in style. Even when Hatton has laboured, he has never looked close to losing. When floored for the first and only time in his career, during the first round against the hard-hitting Irishman Eamonn Magee, Hatton remained calm and went on to easily outbox his bitter rival.

The Magee fight and a British title defense against Jon Thaxton were arguably the most difficult fights, in that Hatton had to contend with substantial adversity before prevailing. Hatton was always in control against Thaxton but was horrendously cut from the first round on. Somehow he managed to remain calm and batter Thaxton for the remainder of the contest, keeping his British belt.

Being able to remain calm under pressure is a quality that "The Hitman" is going to need when faced with the thunderous right hands coming his way from Kostya Tszyu. But Tszyu will also need that quality when faced with the lethal body attacks likely to come his way. Hatton sets a frenetic pace, seen in particular during his last fight when he became the first man to stop Ray Oliveira, and body shots are the trademarks of his non-stop attacks.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/2263/hattonspar3bypaulspeak8nz.jpg

While Tszyu has the greater single punch power, the challenger has a wider variety of shots and his swarming tactics, coupled with a high work rate, may dishearten the champion if Tszyu's cannon-like punches are ineffective. But that is a big "if". The general feeling in the US is that Tszyu's power will tell against Hatton, who is perceived as largely untested. Hatton has been beaten some solid contenders, including Mike Stewart, Ben Tackie and Vince Phillips, who incidentally is the only man to have beaten the champion, but many are of the opinion that those fighters were past their best and nowhere near the class that Tszyu represents now.

Despite Tszyu's return from a long layoff to brutally stop old foe Sharmba Mitchell in the 3rd round last November, the Sydney resident is now 35 and there are just as many questions surrounding him as there are of Hatton. So while Tszyu will start off the favourite, British fans know that "The Hitman" could not be better prepared for this fight. If it's going to happen for Hatton, it will happen on June 4th. The champion, no matter how great, is not invincible and Hatton has the tools to reinforce that vulnerability.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/9605/hattonspar4bypaulspeak7np.jpg

With so many questions being asked surrounding this battle, come fight night we should get all the answers we require.


Source: east sideboxing .com

Anyone predicting an easy night for Tsyzu is crazy. I think this fight will depend ontwo things.
1. In a long hard fight will Tsyzu`s age show up

2. Can Hatton take a world class power shot

Its a potentail super fight, can`t wait!

Hatton is looking fit and is really working on those body shots!

Hatton is looking fit and is really working on those body shots!

The biggest thing is can he take Tsyzu's right? If he can survive the power of Kostya, then he's got a shot, but that's a big if.

The biggest thing is can he take Tsyzu's right? If he can survive the power of Kostya, then he's got a shot, but that's a big if.
This is true. But although the quality of Hatton`s opponents have not been on par with Tsyzu, Hatton`s chin has looked good so far. There is no evidence that Hatton can`t take the power so one must give the manchester kid a chance!

Anyone predicting an easy night for Tsyzu is crazy. I think this fight will depend ontwo things.
1. In a long hard fight will Tsyzu`s age show up


As I said in another thread, Tzsyu's sparring partner Sam Soliman declared Kostya to have incredible fitness throughout all 12 rounds - so I dont expect his age to be a factor - this guy trains his heart out, and should be in tip top condition.

Should be a great one though, I'm so pumped for this!

I guess it's because Kostya's straight right is like a laser guided A-bomb that it gets the most publicity, but Hatton would be crazy to disregard Kostya's hooks to the body, they shred as well.

Look how he punished Mitchell on both sets of ribs when he had Sharmba covering high on the ropes.

where the hell are you guys coming from? if you say eammon magee was his toughest fight. magee helped hatton win by pulling the irish martyer bit,putting his hands down to his side and sticking out his jaw.they went toe to toe neither showing boxing skills just brawling. if hatton thinks he can go toe to toe with tszyu throwing those wide looping punches then he's made a mental error. that stuff may work against second tier and european fighters but it won't work against a more powerfull intelligent art of boxing tszyu. man i think after this fight you guys are going to wonder what the hell you was thinking of. hatton stats are padded with second rate fights. he's not in the same class as tszyu. tszyu has such a relaxed intelligent demenour and has never been ruffled by boxing in other fighters homebase. i feel sorry for hatton already.no chance.

As I said in another thread, Tzsyu's sparring partner Sam Soliman declared Kostya to have incredible fitness throughout all 12 rounds - so I dont expect his age to be a factor - this guy trains his heart out, and should be in tip top condition.

Should be a great one though, I'm so pumped for this!

There's a difference between going 12 rounds at Tszyu's pace and 12 rounds at Hatton's. KT's power aside, whoever controls the pace of the fight probably wins it.

sure....I mean there is definitely a possibility of Hatton pounding out a decision...or perhaps even stopping Tszyu. I just dont think he will. The general conscensus is out: Hatton needs to really get inside and work KT's body. If he does not do that...I dont see any reason why he will not be like the last 30 or so Tszyu has fought.

Ricky brings alot to the table yes. Workrate, decent chin, homecrowd favoritism, youth, etc. But think about who he is picking a fight with: arguably one of the best fighters...if not "the best" by many people's standards on earth. Kostya is a very hard counterpuncher..who likes people to pressure him. Tackie was victimized...and we saw what happened to Judah. Ricky will not box from the outside..and will try and overpower him.

Really..that spells doom. Hatton was floored by Macgee..who is not NEAR as hard a puncher as Tszyu is. Kostya can keep up the pace for the entire 12 rounds as well. If anything, Ricky should be a huge underdog in this fight. Although many of the general sediments I have been reading, posted by fellow members of this site....are in favor of the Hitman by "coming out party". Either damn way, lets just wait and see what happens.

If people are going to use this: "Well......Ricky beat Vince Phillips up really bad....and Phillips knocked Tszyu out" comparison, they really need to re-assess exactly who they think will win the fight based on those types of forementioned comparisons.

I agree with what you're saying Knives but I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. Hatton's opponents to date just make it more intriguing to me because nobody really knows what he's capable of yet. He's been that superior in his fights, even against the good fighters, that he's been able to take liberties with them, which could be the reason for his apparent weaknesses.
I don't really give any credence to the Magee kd, he was just caught cold and wasn't troubled by it. I can't wait to find out if he's the real deal.

sure....I mean there is definitely a possibility of Hatton pounding out a decision...or perhaps even stopping Tszyu. I just dont think he will. The general conscensus is out: Hatton needs to really get inside and work KT's body. If he does not do that...I dont see any reason why he will not be like the last 30 or so Tszyu has fought.

Ricky brings alot to the table yes. Workrate, decent chin, homecrowd favoritism, youth, etc. But think about who he is picking a fight with: arguably one of the best fighters...if not "the best" by many people's standards on earth. Kostya is a very hard counterpuncher..who likes people to pressure him. Tackie was victimized...and we saw what happened to Judah. Ricky will not box from the outside..and will try and overpower him.

Really..that spells doom. Hatton was floored by Macgee..who is not NEAR as hard a puncher as Tszyu is. Kostya can keep up the pace for the entire 12 rounds as well. If anything, Ricky should be a huge underdog in this fight. Although many of the general sediments I have been reading, posted by fellow members of this site....are in favor of the Hitman by "coming out party". Either damn way, lets just wait and see what happens.

If people are going to use this: "Well......Ricky beat Vince Phillips up really bad....and Phillips knocked Tszyu out" comparison, they really need to re-assess exactly who they think will win the fight based on those types of forementioned comparisons.
I agree, I favor Tsyzu to hurt him in this fight but whether Tsyzu beats him depends on how Hatton reacts. I think if Hatton can fight on the outside a little then come inside at certain points ( ala Hopkins Vs Tito ) he might be able to force the pace of the fight. I`m not comparing Hopkins/Tito with these two but the tactics might favor Hatton in a long fight. Like Jim lampery about Hopkins. "he should be way outside or way inside". This is how i think Hatton should fight this fight. Don`t fight one particular fight and let Tsyzu get set into a pattern like the Mitchell fight. Give him all sorts of styles ( which i think Hatton is able to do ). I pick Tsyzu by a 8th round stoppage but i`m not gonna write off Hatton!

I agree with what you're saying Knives but I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. Hatton's opponents to date just make it more intriguing to me because nobody really knows what he's capable of yet. He's been that superior in his fights, even against the good fighters, that he's been able to take liberties with them, which could be the reason for his apparent weaknesses.
I don't really give any credence to the Magee kd, he was just caught cold and wasn't troubled by it. I can't wait to find out if he's the real deal.

I personally would like to see Ricky win this fight. I like Kostya's personality as a champion....but I am rapidly becoming a fan of Hatton's for his will to fight on the big scene. And it is definitely not a foregone conclusion. I will say however: after re-reading many of the posts I have seen regarding this fight...Ricky does stand a better chance than I thought. I realize the difference in competition is great:

But Ricky has been demolishing competition outright. He might also be angry at his lack of support from fans here in the States. I can recall....after the Phillips fight...Ricky said:

"Well I hope with my performance tonight....I made some fans in the States". I think he did...and he also deserves to win the fight, regardless of how cynical...Me and many other U.S.A. fightfans have been.

I personally would like to see Ricky win this fight. I like Kostya's personality as a champion....but I am rapidly becoming a fan of Hatton's for his will to fight on the big scene. And it is definitely not a foregone conclusion. I will say however: after re-reading many of the posts I have seen regarding this fight...Ricky does stand a better chance than I thought. I realize the difference in competition is great:

But Ricky has been demolishing competition outright. He might also be angry at his lack of support from fans here in the States. I can recall....after the Phillips fight...Ricky said:

"Well I hope with my performance tonight....I made some fans in the States". I think he did...and he also deserves to win the fight, regardless of how cynical...Me and many other U.S.A. fightfans have been.

He's definitely got the ambition and I think you'll see a lot more of him in the US win or lose. I can understand why the US fans might have taken a dislike to him with all the hype he's had but I think that will change if performs well because he is fun to watch.

I hope it's a great fight followed by a great rematch. Would be win-win for the fans =).

I hope it's a great fight followed by a great rematch. Would be win-win for the fans =).
Ahem to that, i think it has the potential of Ward
- Gatti depending how Hatton operates at world level!

wow this talk of hatton even having a chance is baffleing. tszyu is going to expose hatton worst than berrara did to naseem. hatton isnt even in the same class as tszyu. europeans look alot better when they fight other euros'.

wow this talk of hatton even having a chance is baffleing. tszyu is going to expose hatton worst than berrara did to naseem. hatton isnt even in the same class as tszyu. europeans look alot better when they fight other euros'.

Get over your hatred man.

Let's not forget that Ricky has IMPROVED lately. He has a dietition on board this year, he has started using weights, he started training a month early for this fight and was fitter and stronger than ever before a month ago. He has increased his incredible strength and stamina levels even further than ever before, and will be looking to set a fast tempo with plenty of sapping body shots (and just hoping to avoid Tszyu's big right hands). The longer the fight goes on, maybe the more it will suit Ricky, because Tszyu really has not had many rounds under his belt in his recent history and Ricky has youth on his side ofcourse (and home advantage, and HUNGER). Come fight night, Ricky will peak and Tszyu will bring the best out of him.

Having said that, I personally predict though that the fight will open up after a few rounds and that will spell danger for Ricky, the big right's will take their toll and I predict that Tszyu will win inside 6 rounds. But I certainly don't rule out a huge Ricky Hatton effort managing to somehow grab the victory late on in the fight.

Ofcourse, if Ricky wins, all the Yanks will still call him a bum and make excuses that Tszyu was over the hill or something :rolleyes:

Ofcourse, if Ricky wins, all the Yanks will still call him a bum and make excuses that Tszyu was over the hill or something :rolleyes:

are you yanking my crank? dont spank, just thank.

wow this talk of hatton even having a chance is baffleing. tszyu is going to expose hatton worst than berrara did to naseem. hatton isnt even in the same class as tszyu. europeans look alot better when they fight other euros'.

Tyszu is european!! :D

Tyszu is european!! :D

Now you're getting contentious!
Is he European?
Is he Asian?
Is he Eurasian?!!

Now you're getting contentious!
Is he European?
Is he Asian?
Is he Eurasian?!!

Who knows.....definitely not Australian though!! :p

Who knows.....definitely not Australian though!! :p

Awww mate? What you talkin' about? He's an Aussie, just hear his accent!

Awww mate? What you talkin' about? He's an Aussie, just hear his accent!

Hehehe, he's just putting it on and you know it! A few Aussie's from my work are going up to Manchester from London for it and I reckon there'll be quite a few more. It should make the atmosphere even better.

Most Aussies and Americans came from europe, so people saying europeans are **** is a joke.

I hate the "i dont know it, so i dont like it" attitude people seem to have. Unless people watch fights from all over the world and judge everything on skill rather than nationallity they cant really comment.

There's a difference between going 12 rounds at Tszyu's pace and 12 rounds at Hatton's. KT's power aside, whoever controls the pace of the fight probably wins it.

Well they didn't specify what the 'pace' of the rounds was - Tszyu knows that Ricky will come out banging so I doubt he'd be training 12 rounds of slow ass boxing.

Well they didn't specify what the 'pace' of the rounds was - Tszyu knows that Ricky will come out banging so I doubt he'd be training 12 rounds of slow ass boxing.

Give me some hope mate :D

As the big fight draws closer, opinions could not be more divided on the outcome of this summer's epic showdown between Manchester's undefeated star Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton and the number one light welterweight in the world, Kostya Tszyu. It will be a lion's den that Tszyu will enter on June the 4th, performing in front of 22,000 Hatton fans at the MEN Arena in Manchester.. The bout is for Tszyu's IBF belt, but more importantly for Hatton is the Russian's worldwide recognition as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world today.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/4765/hattonspar1bypaulspeak9zk.jpg

Tszyu has proven time and time again that he is the best light welterweight in the world. Hatton has yet to convince everyone, especially in the US, that he even deserves world class status despite being ranked number one by the IBF and previously so by the WBO, all the while remaining undefeated in 38 fights.

But for Hatton's British fans, this type of fight has been long overdue. After potential challenges to Miguel Cotto, Sharmba Mitchell and Vivian Harris failed to materialise, Hatton seemed to lose faith in the sport. This unease was evident in his one sided victory in June of last year over Carlos Vilches. While the Mancunain did get the points win, it was a poor performance by the high standards that "The Hitman's" fans are accustomed to.

Hatton and his legion of supporters were frustrated alike and the pressure began to mount on promoter Frank Warren to deliver a big fight. The head of Sports Network told everyone doubting him that he would come through for Hatton and he has delivered admirably. Not only did he land Tszyu, the biggest name in the division, but also he enticed the IBF Champion to defend his title in the challenger's back yard. Credit must go to Warren and Hatton for targeting the hardest possible fight and also to the champion for accepting the difficult challenge of defending on away turf.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/8165/hattonspar2bypaulspeak9zg.jpg

While the majority of American fight fans expect Tszyu to retain, many in Britain truly believe that Hatton has what it takes to dethrone the champion. And why shouldn't they? Hatton has defeated every man put in front of him and mostly all in style. Even when Hatton has laboured, he has never looked close to losing. When floored for the first and only time in his career, during the first round against the hard-hitting Irishman Eamonn Magee, Hatton remained calm and went on to easily outbox his bitter rival.

The Magee fight and a British title defense against Jon Thaxton were arguably the most difficult fights, in that Hatton had to contend with substantial adversity before prevailing. Hatton was always in control against Thaxton but was horrendously cut from the first round on. Somehow he managed to remain calm and batter Thaxton for the remainder of the contest, keeping his British belt.

Being able to remain calm under pressure is a quality that "The Hitman" is going to need when faced with the thunderous right hands coming his way from Kostya Tszyu. But Tszyu will also need that quality when faced with the lethal body attacks likely to come his way. Hatton sets a frenetic pace, seen in particular during his last fight when he became the first man to stop Ray Oliveira, and body shots are the trademarks of his non-stop attacks.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/2263/hattonspar3bypaulspeak8nz.jpg

While Tszyu has the greater single punch power, the challenger has a wider variety of shots and his swarming tactics, coupled with a high work rate, may dishearten the champion if Tszyu's cannon-like punches are ineffective. But that is a big "if". The general feeling in the US is that Tszyu's power will tell against Hatton, who is perceived as largely untested. Hatton has been beaten some solid contenders, including Mike Stewart, Ben Tackie and Vince Phillips, who incidentally is the only man to have beaten the champion, but many are of the opinion that those fighters were past their best and nowhere near the class that Tszyu represents now.

Despite Tszyu's return from a long layoff to brutally stop old foe Sharmba Mitchell in the 3rd round last November, the Sydney resident is now 35 and there are just as many questions surrounding him as there are of Hatton. So while Tszyu will start off the favourite, British fans know that "The Hitman" could not be better prepared for this fight. If it's going to happen for Hatton, it will happen on June 4th. The champion, no matter how great, is not invincible and Hatton has the tools to reinforce that vulnerability.



http://img34.echo.cx/img34/9605/hattonspar4bypaulspeak7np.jpg

With so many questions being asked surrounding this battle, come fight night we should get all the answers we require.


Source: east sideboxing .com

great thread bro

wow this talk of hatton even having a chance is baffleing. tszyu is going to expose hatton worst than berrara did to naseem. hatton isnt even in the same class as tszyu. europeans look alot better when they fight other euros'.

Good call.

where the hell are you guys coming from? if you say eammon magee was his toughest fight. magee helped hatton win by pulling the irish martyer bit,putting his hands down to his side and sticking out his jaw.they went toe to toe neither showing boxing skills just brawling. if hatton thinks he can go toe to toe with tszyu throwing those wide looping punches then he's made a mental error. that stuff may work against second tier and european fighters but it won't work against a more powerfull intelligent art of boxing tszyu. man i think after this fight you guys are going to wonder what the hell you was thinking of. hatton stats are padded with second rate fights. he's not in the same class as tszyu. tszyu has such a relaxed intelligent demenour and has never been ruffled by boxing in other fighters homebase. i feel sorry for hatton already.no chance.

ahah dont you feel like a idiot

lol...hahahaha

Anyone predicting an easy night for Tsyzu is crazy. I think this fight will depend ontwo things.
1. In a long hard fight will Tsyzu`s age show up

2. Can Hatton take a world class power shot

Its a potentail super fight, can`t wait!
Accuracy man,good post

Wtf!? How old is this thread?

haha bet some people felt really stupid after the fight

haha bet some people felt really stupid after the fight
They just carry on like they have always been right in every opinion of theirs lol.

They just carry on like they have always been right in every opinion of theirs lol.

to be fair i cant say much as i also thought tsyzu would win this fight,but never wrote hatton off completely