Rabchenko Ready For Hatton Training Camp, Vitu Rematch

By Jake Donovan

Unbeaten super welterweight contender Sergey Rabchenko continues to enjoy his time spent fighting under the Hatton Promotions banner. For his upcoming rematch with Cedric Vitu, he will enjoy the next few weeks in the presence of Hatton himself.

The forthcoming November 16 bout–which takes place in Vratsa, Bulgaria–comes just shy of a year from Rabchenko’s narrow points win over Vitu, which took place on the undercard of Hatton’s one-and-done comeback fight. The main event ended disastrous, with Hatton suffering a 9th round stoppage at the hands of former welterweight titlist Vyachaslev Senchenko. It was enough to convince the wildly popular Brit to forever call it a career and focus more on promoting.

Hatton has taken a more active role in his company, specifically with the fighters he employs. The former two-division champ has now taken on the role as trainer for several of his fighters, including Rabchenko.

"Last time Ricky didn't train me and wasn't with me on the night so I didn't box as well as I know I could have even though I still won," Rabchenko said of last year’s close call over Vitu. "I've proven how good I am in the fights I've had with Ricky and I will show people again by beating Vitu much more convincingly this time.”

The disappointment stemming from the Belarusian’s first clash with Vitu was that it came on the heels of his career-best win, a 7th round stoppage of Ryan Rhodes last June.

Rabchenko has added two more wins since his split decision nod over Vitu, the most recent a 3rd round stoppage over Gari Abajiani. The bout was his first in his native Belarus since 2010 as he ran his record to 24-0 (18KO). He has now also moved into position as the top-rated 154 lb. contender for one of the alphabet belts currently in possession of the sport’s pound-for-pound and box-office king, Floyd Mayweather.

In the return go with Vitu, the motivation goes way beyond maintaining his unbeaten record and ranking.

"It's a fight I cannot wait for,” Rabchenko insists. “I have trained harder than ever and I am looking forward to boxing in Bulgaria for the first time. For me, this is a chance to show what I am capable of in front of a new crowd and I am ranked number one by the WBC now, so it should push me towards a world title shot."

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America.

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox