Hagler on Calzaghe
"I knew the first time I saw Calzaghe that he really had something, he went in there completely unfazed against (Chris) Eubank which nobody else had done. Eubank was the guy who usually seemed to have control of everything around him but the way Calzaghe went in there and manhandled him like that...
"I was watching it in Italy, it was the same night England beat Italy to qualify for the soccer World Cup.
"Calzaghe showed and proved power, speed, strength, workrate, stamina, chin, heart and every tangible and intangible that night and that's why I'm not suprised that he's not lost since.
"Sometimes it's like watching a welterweight or junior-middleweight in a super-middleweight's body because he's so nimble and sharp handed. I would never bet against him."
Hagler on Hatton
"The Ricky Hatton that fought Kostya Tszyu beats absolutely anybody at 140 pounds.
"He can work his way in on his toes with that skilful jab or he can close that gap like lightning. He's got all the punches, all the moves, very strong in the legs, great, great tempo and (he) mixes it up.
"And he seemed prepared to walk through a landslide if need be on that night when he fought Kostya Tszyu - just to get his hands on the title.
"I'd seen clips of him destructing through everybody but always wondered how he'd cope if he was backed up. I thought Ben Tackie might be too much for him but he proved that night he can switch it up and box beautifully if need be.
"You didn't see the best of him against (Luis) Collazo. What I say is everybody is allowed one bad day at the office and that was his."
Dude
Why you quoting the News of the World as a credible source? That's a laughable assertion to begin with.
Also - "I have never seen anybody in this country more talented than Ricky Hatton," Fucking hell, especially not Chris Eubank or Nigel Benn? How about Lennox Lewis? He was deemed as British, wasn't he?
All pear shaped.
Ian
I think I messed up on my quote thing. I was replying to Geoff Hayes' message about Nigel Benn NOTW thang and no-one being as talented as Ricky Hatton. Nigel Benn was an average boxer who got his ass kicked twice by a camp guy named Chris Eubank. Nigel Benn had one war outside the Eubank scraps, and that was against Gerald McClellan. Outside that he was a bum who fought has-beens, a lot like Ricky Hatton.
Ian
Benn likes the brits.
Dude
Why you quoting the News of the World as a credible source? That's a laughable assertion to begin with.
Also - "I have never seen anybody in this country more talented than Ricky Hatton," Fucking hell, especially not Chris Eubank or Nigel Benn? How about Lennox Lewis? He was deemed as British, wasn't he?
All pear shaped.
Ian
The Oscar fight was pretty much a done-deal for 'when' he KO'd Ricky.
yes, I know, but Kostya still wasn't the same...when you come back from injuries like that, from the long layoff, you need time to rebuild...even with surgery, did you know that it can possibly lower your hormone levels?
You take that, add that to an aging man in his 30's, which is around the time your hormones are on the decline, that's a bitch.
To say there is an Oscar fight next, when he KO's Hatton, I think Kostya was thinking the same thing, thus the reason why he lost...he got lost in the fog/the over-hyped blow-out victory over Sharmba Mitchell. but even in that fight, you could see that Kostya's timing was off, until he finally caught Mitchell with a stunning shot that made Mitchell lose his legs/mobility.
You also have to look at his seemingly struggle to make weight, which is not good since you are going to show up drained come fight time.
This was not a "prime" Tszyu, nor did it seem like he was looking like his motivated self...the guy was all smiles, WTF is up with that?
I hope Hagler was looking at the whole picture:
Take Hatton vs. Tszyu...even though this has been repeated a number of times, I do this for Hagler.
Tszyu was 35, coming off a long layoff from two serious injuries (that needed surgery), fought 9 rounds in 3 years, won a quick victory over Mitchell, in a fight he was motivated/hungry for, and going back to his age, he was a declined fighter.
And yes, I mentioned all this prior to the fight with Hatton and said Hatton had a chance for the reasons above, and Hatton's points he made in the media leading up to the fight.
Also, Hatton rubbed up against Tszyu so much I think he got Tszyu pregnant. Why else did Tszyu say he would be done for the next year?
Nigel Benn liked Hatton, too...
"I have never seen anybody in this country more talented than Ricky Hatton," Benn told the News of the World newspaper.
"He has every shot in the book. I think he is a class act."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/3352445.stm
Benn likes the brits.
Nigel Benn liked Hatton, too...
"I have never seen anybody in this country more talented than Ricky Hatton," Benn told the News of the World newspaper.
"He has every shot in the book. I think he is a class act."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/3352445.stm
I don't think many people from UK class themselves as European. We're British if anyone asks but technically Britain is part of Europe.
Britain is cut off from mainland Europe and we are not inbred like most Europeans so I guess that's why we don't feel European (with the exception of Scotland who are 3rd world and very much part of Europe)
Also we still have the strong Stealing Pound where as every other European country has the Euro.
if calzaghe loses, though, u'll be saying, "he';s not british, he's welsh" and that kessler is british because he beat calzone and his mum's a brit
Welsh = British
FFS! Calzaghe and Hatton are British, not fucking European.
if calzaghe loses, though, u'll be saying, "he';s not british, he's welsh" and that kessler is british because he beat calzone and his mum's a brit
"The Ricky Hatton that fought Kostya Tszyu beats absolutely anybody at 140 pounds."
I'd have to disagree.
Well i disagree with u!
How about some reasoning to u opinion next time? Hatton was amazing that night. Maybe hagler just says what he thinks and maybe he's correct. Maybe he's one of few americans who doesn't just write off any fighter purely because he's european.
"The Ricky Hatton that fought Kostya Tszyu beats absolutely anybody at 140 pounds."
I'd have to disagree.
but ud pick mayweather to ko wladimir klitschko so your opinion dont count
i think its common knowledge that Hagler hates slick boxer, ala ray leonard. so i dont think his ganna back PbF against hatton.
Yeah, but the thing is, Hagler was quite a cute counter-puncher in the late 70's and probably the most complete fighter between Duran and Mayweather.
Nigel Benn's cousin Paul Ince:
http://www.jah.ne.jp/~fukufuku/footie_songs/joke/joke.pix/blood/ince.jpg
- 11 Oct '97, vs. Italy
There's all kinds of weird angles in this thread!
Hagler's head was busted open against Hearns.
Hagler probably tuned it expecting to see Steve Collins (who he'd groomed when Collins went to Boston) fight (fight Calzaghe), but ended up with Eubank (fighting Calzaghe) because Collins had pulled out of the fight (Calzaghe fight) with 10 days to go.