Hatton and Mayweather - strikingly similar amateur careers! Thee fight of the era....

HATTON The Hitman made his debut in 1990 (after a few years of competing in kickboxing), beating Danny Reynolds. He won the 1991/92 British ABA Schools, his first amateur title I believe. (He really struggled to get fights because he was such an animal in the ring and big puncher for his age that other kids coaches or parents wouldn't let their kids in with Ricky!) The Hitman's first loss was an apparent robbery against Bobby Beck in the 1993 Junior ABA Featherweight semi-final at York Hall. He beat Beck though in January '94 in Newcastle, stopping him in the final of the 1993/94 NABC Class A tournament. Also in January '94 he won the British version of the 'Golden Gloves' and the 1993/94 British ABA Schools. He 'lost' in December '94 to arch-rival Beck again in the Junior ABA Featherweight final which was resulted a 'walkover' in favour of Beck because Ricky had missed with a left hook that accidently hit the referee! He beat Albert Coates ('93 Junior ABA light-welter champ, '94 Junior ABA light-welter champ, and later '95 Junior ABA light-middle champ) in the final of the 1994/95 NABC Class B tournament at light-welter in January '95, and won the 1994/95 British ABA Schools (at light-welter). In May '95 at the Bracknell Leisure Centre he won the Junior ABA Welterweight title. He also represented Great Britain in Russia and Bulgaria at light-welter in '95 and won all his fights against the Russian's and Bulgarian's - showing skills he hadn't needed to show at national level (but had been forced to hone in the gyms since he was 15 to hang with the likes of Andy Holligan and Pat Barrett) because he was often able to just blow everybody away. He won the Junior ABA Welterweight title again in '96 (in Birmingham), but lost in one round to Jurgen Brahmer at welterweight in Blackpool at an England v. Germany dual, and lost to Brahmer (at welterweight) again on points in June '96 in a junior multi nations tournament in Italy. He then moved back down to light-welter and went to Cuba in November for the Junior World Championships where he won his first fight in the first-round, then out-pointed the Cuban, then out-pointed the American, but then by all accounts was robbed blind in the semi-final against the Russian who went on to win Gold. He beat Kevin McIntyre in one round up in Scotland in Dec '96 at an England v. Scotland dual. He won the 1997 ABA light-welterweight title, beating Michael Hall in the final, before deciding to turn pro rather than wait for the Sydney Olympics. That's all I know of Hatton's amateur career. I don't know his exact record but 70-5 has been thrown about. (He first sparred at Billy 'The Preacher' Graham's gym in the summer of '96 and apparently made Ensley Bingham and Steve Foster Sr look silly with his footspeed, he got together with Billy in early '97 and Billy worked his corner for the ABA's. He had been to see lots of trainers but said something felt 'right' about Billy G)