By Sammy Rozenberg
A fantastic combination has set the stage for unified junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton's journey to America. A year ago, undefeated Ricky Hatton (40-0, 30KOs) was viewed as the fighter least likely to dethrone junior welterweight king Kostya Tszyu. Most experts saw the bout as an easy victory for Tszyu, and the wheels were already in motion for Tszyu rematch with welterweight champion Zab Judah.
While most fans and pundits were focusing on the likes of Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto, the England bred fighter turned the entire weight class upside down with a single victory. Hatton's eleven round stoppage over Tszyu sent a shockwave throughout the sport. The whole sport was talking about Tszyu facing Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather and Judah. There were few in the sport that envisioned a dominating stoppage win in favor of Hatton.
Hatton was regarded as a decently skilled fighter who was susceptible to cuts and facial swelling. Tszyu was one of the hardest punchers in the sport, which most saw as the deciding factor in the fight. Unexpectedly for Tszyu, Hatton was able to stand up to his punches and did not suffer any facial damage during the course of the fight.
The work rate and relentless style of Hatton was more than Tszyu was able to handle. Hatton's heavy workrate and relentless nature is a feather in his cap.
The clash with WBA junior welterweight champion Carlos Maussa was a totally different kind of dish. Early in the bout, Hatton was frustrated with the unorthodox style of Maussa, and was having difficulty with landing hard punches. After three rounds, Hatton was cut above both eyes and appeared to be swelling on his face.
By the seventh round, Hatton had figured Maussa out and was starting to get to his man with hard body punches and right hands. By the sixth round, both of Maussa's cheeks were badly swollen. In the ninth round, two big right hands and a left, knocked Maussa into next week. He was out cold before he ever hit the canvas. The referee Mickey Vann counted to ten and Hatton picked up another big knockout victory.
Now that Hatton has been able to capture two of the three major championships in the division, Hatton needs to make a serious career decision. Stay at junior welterweight and unify the division or move up to welterweight and chase the big paydays. Currently Floyd Mayweather is the reigning WBC junior welterweight champion, but Floyd will likely vacate the title if a potential bout with Zab Judah goes through.
Should Floyd vacate the WBC 140 pound title as expected, the two top contenders would meet for the vacant title Based on the recent WBC ratings, those two contenders would be Arturo Gatti and England's Junior Witter. Either man would present a big money opportunity for Hatton. A fight with Witter would be a big moneymaker in England, but not within the states. If all of the circumstances come to fruition and Gatti manages to win the title, a bout with Hatton would sellout any arena in America or England.
The problem with making a bout with Gatti, is whether Hatton would be able to lure Gatti into a bout. Like Mayweather, Gatti is scheduled to make a move to the welterweight division in January.
Prior to the Maussa bout, Hatton was very vocal about his goal of no longer fighting in Britain and hopefully staging his next fight on American soil. Hatton, does not want to make the mistakes of many other popular British fighters who never made the journey to America. He wants to become an American star like his countryman, Naseem Hamed.
There is no better time to head over to America than the present. The absence of Mayweather has opened up the entire division. Hatton needs to secure big fights within his weight class in a hurry. Miguel Cotto, the undefeated WBO title holder, is facing weight problems and could move up to welterweight by the middle of next year.
If Hatton decides to stay at junior welterweight, and begins to fight in America. He will need to seek out the big names in order to make the type of paydays that he is accustomed to in England.
A mover to welterweight may be far more profitable venture than staying at junior welterweight. The money making opportunities are all beginning to cluster at 147 pounds. Possible bouts with Shane Mosley, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito and Floyd Mayweather, await Hatton is he decides to move seven pounds north.
The best possible scenario for Hatton is to sit back and wait for the other major players to make their moves, before he decides to make his own. Mayweather-Judah is projected to land within the first four months of next year, and Gatti is fighting at the welterweight limit in January. If either Mayweather or Gatti, or even both, are upset - both could move back down to junior welterweight and open up the door for Hatton to make the fights without moving up in weight.
The only positive about staging a bout against one of the big players at welterweight, is having both titles to fall back on if he suffers a defeat. Whether Hatton is decisioned or stopped in a welterweight contest, he would still hold both junior welterweight titles and command the big dollars at 140 pounds.