Dr. Peter Edwards
Later today, undefeated IBF 140 pound champion Ricky Hatton (39-0, 29KOs) will clash with WBA 140 pound champion Carlos Maussa (20-2, 18KOs) in a unification showdown.
Now that reigning WBC junior welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has leaped into the welterweight ranks, the winner of this bout will be recognized as the number one fighter in the junior welterweight division.
The cagey and unorthodox style of Maussa is his ace in hole. As witnessed in his bout with former champion Vivian Harris, he throws punches from off-balance positions and always gives his opponents a false sense of security.
Against Harris, Maussa seemed to always appear to be unsteady on his legs and wobbling around when Harris connected with any power punch of significance. The problem in that fight, is that Harris was also fooled by the false pretenses that surround the physical appearance of Maussa.
As the bout with Harris went on, you were able to slowly dissect how Maussa was luring Harris in the trap with his unorthodox fighting skills and witnessed the inevitable knockout that won Maussa his title.
What everyone should not have missed, if you happened to have been looking close enough, was how easy Maussa is to hit. Harris is far from a boxing technician and played the role of a stalking knockout artist in their bout, which is not his usual style of fighting.
I always felt Harris was an over-hyped fighter, and promotion company Main Events obviously knew the same thing as they dropped him from their roster of fighters following the Maussa defeat. How good is Maussa? I don’t think he is that good of a fighter and the boxing public has given him too much credit for a victory over a fighter who never accomplished anything. Maussa will be a decent test for Hatton, but these are two fighters who are not on the same level in terms of competition, skill and physical attributes.
The pressure is on Hatton to look good in this fight, and in order to stake his claim as the best junior welterweight in the world, he has to look more than good. The fight with Maussa is near the level of a no-win situation. If Maussa goes the distance with Hatton, some experts will bring up the fact that 140-pound sensation Miguel Cotto has already stopped Maussa inside of eight rounds. That’s not all. Two fights later, Maussa was also decisioned by 19-6 journeyman Arturo Morua.
It doesn’t take an expert to figure out that Hatton needs to knock Maussa out in order to look impressive. After defeating that man that many regard as the best junior welterweight in the history of the division, he needs another impressive showing in order to capitalize on his newfound American fame. The win over Kostya Tszyu was heard around the world. The win over Maussa will not be unless he performs great.
Hatton must not follow the same careless path as Vivian Harris, he must map out a gameplan, stick to the plan and execute it to the point of perfection. Harris underestimated Maussa, something Hatton is not going to do. Maussa is open to accurate combinations and is also susceptible to a good jab. Ricky does have a tendency to get hit a lot, but I don’t see that happening in the meeting.
The only chance Maussa has to win the fight is if Hatton either gets careless or punches himself out like Harris did. Hatton shown carelessness in the past, but his stamina and ability to throw a high volume of punches per round is his bread and butter combination. There will be no slowdown in punches from Hatton, and plenty of pressure will be applied.
For Hatton, a simple victory is not enough in this fight, not when a younger junior welterweight with a shaky chin has already stopped Maussa. A knockout is needed, and Hatton will be forced to deliver if he wants to keep his name in the mix with some of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport.
