By Jim Cawkwell
The moment that Kostya Tszyu’s heart betrayed him, victory and redemption belonged to Ricky Hatton in equal measures. Gone were the cruel dismissals from the American market that Hatton was little more than a protected media creation of inadequate substance. He now occupies a position at the forefront of world boxing matters, and a curious one at that for a man unassuming enough to be inconspicuous in all but boxing circles. For the first time, America wants to see Ricky Hatton more than he wants to see it and after his arrival on May 13 as the unified light welterweight champion of the world, he will leave as an even greater star.
Not that the trappings of success are of great significance to him. You won’t find Hatton flanked by a surly entourage, nor will you find him pandered to by a crew of sycophants. That kind of treatment is left for the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who satisfies autograph requests while letting all within earshot know how much “Pretty Boy” loves his fans; enough to take them for every penny in yet another questionable fight this April, anyway. You’re far more likely to find Hatton wandering around as bewildered as any fan, and you can speak to him without a publicity performance.
Hatton’s next fight, his first in front of an American audience as champion, should be a routine assignment, though some of the names being discussed as potential opponents suggest that Hatton is not interested in appearing in a glamorous workout. WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz may return from boxing’s Bermuda Triangle for the job. His title-winning rout of Mongolian hard-case Lakva Sim indicates that Diaz may not be out of his element in the type of fight that Hatton relishes. It is just appalling that whether Diaz takes the fight or not, he has not had the chance to raise his market value since becoming champion in what feels like a very long time ago.
WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo represents a different challenge for Hatton, but the Englishman’s overwhelming size at light welterweight would aid his transition up in weight. Seizing a title at welterweight should appeal to Hatton in terms of forcing the issue with Mayweather. IBF mandatory challenger Naoufel Ben Rabah is rumored as the frontrunner to land the fight, but there is little in his record to suggest that he can compete with Hatton who is perhaps enjoying the form of his career.
An ideal opponent for Hatton would be former WBA light welterweight champion, Vivian Harris. The two have a verbal history, but then, few fighters escaped Harris’s ravings throughout his title reign. Harris cannot afford to pick and choose his opponents now and would jump at the chance to break back into the title picture. Harris would provide an entertaining fight because of the possibilities contained within his explosive right hand. However, Harris is limited and stubborn, as demonstrated when he refused to accept the advice of trainer Manny Steward during the Carlos Maussa fight, which he ultimately lost. Harris might have success early, but that right hand would stop coming after six rounds because of his stamina deficiency, accelerated tenfold by Hatton’s relentless pace.
Whoever is chosen, Hatton’s movements will focus on securing a fight with Mayweather. The boxing world is one that struggles to make sense of itself at the best of times, but it would plunge into irreconcilable nonsense if a Hatton-Mayweather fight failed to materialize. They are very different creatures, but they desire the same things: recognition as the world’s best and the money that comes with the position.
Mayweather is the showman willing to assume whatever role is necessary to move more tickets, but against Hatton, there is no role to play. Hatton against Mayweather is a fight that sells itself and besides, Hatton refuses to indulge in the mind games that Mayweather so enjoys. Beneath his placid exterior, Hatton is fearless, but central to his success is blatant honesty. Hatton will not bother to kid himself, let alone anyone else about what he is capable of and how me matches up to a fighter of Mayweather’s caliber.
Clearly, many American fans are taken aback by Hatton’s tendency to state the truth at the expense of his own image, and some even mistake his honesty for fear. Mayweather likes to broadcast that he was turned down by Hatton on several occasions. This is likely to be true, but keep in mind that Mayweather has a penchant for asking even world class fighters to accept fights with him at short notice. A fighter with Hatton’s career investment will not accept such terms.
In welcoming Hatton to their turf, American fans should attempt to understand one of the main reasons why he has not graced their presence before now. Of course, Hatton made a lot of money fighting in his own environment in Manchester, England, and the breakdown of his relationship with former promoter Frank Warren decreases the likelihood of his doing so again. But consider also that Hatton has his own idiosyncrasies that go some to explaining his career choices. Hatton trains exclusively in England and is comfortable there. His transition to fighting in America on the world stage will take some calculation in order to progress without interruption.
Hatton’s idiosyncrasies appear once again when you consider his choice of promoter following the split with Warren. Britain’s Fight Academy and America’s Banner Promotions are barely on the radar in their respective countries compared to their competitors. However, Hatton chose to do business with them rather than sign himself to one of the many major promotional outfits that courted his attention. Why? Because a promotional company gaining more from Hatton’s presence than he gains from them is more likely to allow him to do whatever he wants. Hatton is too strong willed to concede to the plans of Top Rank or Golden Boy Promotions who would have him prepare, promote and fight at their discretion instead of his.
Hatton understands that the nature of his fighting style will not allow him to live at the top of the boxing food chain for very long. Lucrative as his relationship with Warren was, it just took far too long for that defining fight to arrive, therefore a split was inevitable. Few fighters at the highest level look to be involved in consecutive high-risk affairs. Hatton might have rested upon the monumental toppling of Tszyu, but instead went after the WBA championship held by Maussa who is a stylistic nightmare to fight.
In his 130-135-pound tenures, Mayweather exhibited the competitive streak that saw him take championships from the best available fighters at the weights. Nobody can argue over the credibility of fighters such as Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, and Mayweather duly took on those men to have himself crowned world champion. But it seems that lately, Mayweather has forgotten that ethic and has decided that to simply win a championship at a weight is enough before forging on into uncharted territories.
Beating Arturo Gatti was not enough to vindicate Mayweather’s claim to be the best light welterweight in the world. That title was taken by Hatton from Tszyu. With history on his mind, Mayweather dreams of doing away with Zab Judah in order to make himself a world champion in four weight classes, disregarding the political mess that allowed a title to be involved in that fight in the first place. Mayweather then wishes to take on Oscar de la Hoya, and to carve himself a place in history as an undefeated five weight world champion.
This course of action neglects the reality that there is unfinished business for Mayweather waiting in the weight classes he would leave behind. Mayweather hides behind his current position as the mythical pound-for-pound champion, claiming that because of that status, he is the best fighter wherever he might choose to fight. Nonsense. Holding the highest regard on a mythical list does not make one exempt from taking challenges, and sooner or later, Mayweather’s logic will return to haunt him.
Meanwhile, Hatton’s progression continues. What began in Manchester will evolve on the grandest stage of all. Eventually, even looking down from the stratosphere, not even Mayweather will be able to ignore the phenomenon of the Blue Moon over America.
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