By Jake Donovan
Matthew Hatton has been determined to prove for as long as he’s been a pro that he’s in the game to serve as more than just Ricky Hatton’s younger brother.
His latest performance went a long way towards establishing his own identity. Boxing smartly early and growing more confident as the fight went along, Hatton scored by far the best win of his 10-year career to date, scoring a decisive points win over Gianluca Branco in a battle of former title challengers Friday night at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, UK.
Hatton began the fight well but was forced to clinch early after a Branco right hand landed directly through the uprights. A similar theme developed in the second round, with Hatton employing a steady workrate, but never landing anything that earned the respect of Branco, who kept coming forward and was scoring with the more telling blows.
The results of the first six minutes of the contest were enough for Hatton’s new head trainer, Bob Shannon to have his charge shift gears, demanding more movement and not allowing Branco the opportunity to sit on his punches.
It proved to be sound advice as Hatton enjoyed a solid third round, boxing smartly and avoiding the incoming. Branco was able to get in his occasional licks, but was also forced to contend with a rapidly swelling right eye.
While pleased with turnaround, Shannon still demanded more of his newest client.
“You have to win every second of every round,” were the marching orders delivered to Hatton, who offered the perfect blend of offense and defense in the fourth.
Movement was key in the Brit’s success, but not relying solely on distance for his defense. Branco’s power shots were falling short, but even on occasions where he was within punching range, Hatton’s cross-armed defense deflected most of the incoming, all while repeatedly scoring with his jab.
Hatton continued to grow more confident with each passing round, while Branco looked more and more befuddled. The Italian tried to change things up in the fifth, spending most of the round fighting out of the southpaw stance, but with little to no success. Hatton grew more aggressive, forcing an inside fight and prompting Branco to complain to the referee of headbutts, though such cries went ignored by the third man.
Branco returned to a conventional stance in the sixth, but still spent most of the round on the defensive. Hatton was in constant motion, planting his feet only to commit to his jab and body attack. A right uppercut snapped back Branco’s head midway through the round, providing even more motivation to not engage an invigorated Hatton.
After falling in a considerable hole through the first six, Branco picked up the pace to start the second half of the contest. Hatton remained composed, but wasn’t scoring quite as often as had been the case in previous rounds. Branco by no means seized control of the fight, but was able to close the gap and once again allow his presence to be felt.
The veteran’s mild success didn’t last very round. Hatton was far more active in the eighth and ninth rounds, both in terms of punch output and ring movement, never giving Branco a chance to load up and land anything of significance.
Rapidly running out of rounds, Branco fought with a greater sense of urgency in the tenth, which resulted in several right hands finding their mark. Hatton often responded with a quick clinch to reduce Branco’s attack to one punch at a time.
Hatton’s actions in the 11th round, however, resulted in a tongue lashing from his corner.
“What did you do that for?” demanded trainer Bob Shannon after Hatton spent most of the round in reverse. “Don’t fall asleep on me. You got to want this.”
With marching orders in hand, Hatton returned to in and out movement, scoring with a jab or a quick right hand before darting out of harms way by the time Branco launched his telegraphed punches.
Both fighters were prepared to leave it all in the ring in the final three minutes. Their attempts to trade often led to clumsy clinches, but also offered enough spirited action down the stretch to draw a rise from the crowd once the final bell sounded.
Scoring was a bit spread out in the end, though there was never a question as to who would emerge victorious. Tallies of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111 were all in favor of Hatton, who advances to 39-4-2 (15KO).
Branco, who turns 40 in September, falls to 43-3-1 (22KO), snapping a four-year, seven-fight win streak in the process.
The breakout performance was a long time coming for Hatton, who has seen several high profile bouts fall through in recent months. The Brit saw his scheduled fight with Zab Judah postponed several times before the American abruptly pulled out of the match altogether, never offering a reasonable explanation.
Forced to make due, Hatton instead accepted assignment against Lovemore N’Dou in a vacant alphabet title fight last November. The two fought to a 12-round stalemate, but no rematch was ordered.
His name once again surfaced when Floyd Mayweather Jr was on the hunt for a new opponent once it became clear that he wouldn’t be facing Manny Pacquiao. Hatton was fully committed to accepting the challenge of taking on one of the very best fighters of this generation, only to never be given the opportunity to put ink to paper and make the fight official.
The backup plan became a quick tune-up last month, before accepting the Branco fight on just two weeks notice.
In the end, Hatton gained all he’s ever been after – a big win against a recognizable and respectable name.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.