Ricky Hatton's "legacy"

[LacedUp]

i dont think he has a legacy tbh. not enough big wins and his defeats even though they were against two of the best fighters of his time were crushing. both mayweather and pacquiao showed hatton didnt belong in the same ring as them. collazo arguably beat him too.

and what are his best wins? a badly faded tszyu, shot JLC, malignaggi, aforementioned decision over collazo, maussa and ben tackie.. not the stuff of legends.

he was a decent fighter at world level and a world champion. but he was never truly the best in his division, even when he held the lineal title there were always atleast 2-3 guys at his own weight that could beat him. when he beat kostya floyd and cotto were both at 140, two truly elite fighters. i dont think hatton was ever truly elite.

never the best at his weight and he didnt belong in a p4p discussion even though ppl rated him because of his popularity and undefeated record. if hatton has a legacy its that of a ppls champion, someone who won the hearts of the ppl. but he doesnt have a legacy based on ability or accomplishments.

Depends on what type of legacy we talk about. Hatton began to grow in an era where a lot of the biggest British Boxers were either retiring or on their way, see Naz, Lennox, Eubank etc. Calzaghe wasn't really a name at the time so what he did for British Boxing is huge. He kept it going and was on Sky, leading the way for the amateurs such as Amir Khan to get their exposure as well. Also, don't forget the amount of people, not just in Manchester, but all over England who suddenly were interested in Boxing. Now, i'm not comparing his exploits to the likes of Oscar DLH, but remember when he was at the top and there were all types of people in the crowd? Something similar happened with Ricky, and the country stood still on Ricky Hatton's fight nights. In terms of boxing legacy, I think it's a bit underrated to be honest. He beat Tszyu, though faded, stopped Malignaggi, beat Urango who was a hell of fighter, and castillo of course. He fought the two best of the era and came up short. No shame in that. He's a real people's champion and I doubt if we will ever see similar support for any fighter again. It's the best i've ever seen and I can honestly say I am happy that I went to one of his fights. It was special.

[Ray Corso]

A good fighter, a crowd pleaser, who comes to the ring to win!
England is a small country!!! He did well for himself. Ray.




#1Assassin has it right!

[PAC-BOY]

Before his mental breakdown...he was fun to watch! He should have left 147 alone. He said after fighting Collazo he would never fight at 147 again. Then he has a few good wins back a 140, and is tempted by Floyd and a big pay day to come up to a weight he knows he is no good at. If Collazo was beating him a 147...do the math! So he has a couple of good wins to bounce back from losing to Floyd at 147... Enticed by another payday with Manny at his comfortable weight of 140...Well flat out in two...his legacy was over. He could have been a rich coward...:WORD: All props to Hatton for stepping up and being a exciting fighter!

[Knibbsy1]

It's because of hatton that I'm a boxing fan. I was about 13 and came across sky Friday nights fights. Followed him from then till the end. Now I'm boxing mad and love it. He won't go down as one the greatest but still had a solid career. Comeback didn't work but fair play for trying I think we all knew it would end that way secretly. He's did what a boxer is supposed to do. He fought two modern atgs but came up short. He wasn't just there for a payday he genuinely believed he could win. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. People do give him alot stick on here I don't really no why. He was always fun to watch.

[joseph5620]

Before his mental breakdown...he was fun to watch! He should have left 147 alone. He said after fighting Collazo he would never fight at 147 again. Then he has a few good wins back a 140, and is tempted by Floyd and a big pay day to come up to a weight he knows he is no good at. If Collazo was beating him a 147...do the math! So he has a couple of good wins to bounce back from losing to Floyd at 147... Enticed by another payday with Manny at his comfortable weight of 140...Well flat out in two...his legacy was over. He could have been a rich coward...:WORD: All props to Hatton for stepping up and being a exciting fighter!

Whether you realize it or not, 140-147 is not a big jump in weight. Especially for a fighter who blew up to near 180 in between fights.

[GrandpaBernard]

He'll be remembered as a great British fighter

[elfag]

Hatton's legacy is going to be full of ifs and buts.

He spent far too long defending that WBU trinket and if he had stepped up early, he'd have been looked upon a lot more favourably. He neglected a lot of his subtle tactics/moves when he finally reached the big time and his life outside of the ring was detrimental to his career.

Hatton won't be rated as well as he should be, whenever he's talked about in a fantasy sense they mention his weak chin. Hatton had a solid chin, he'd be in there for 12 rounds against the best. They're oblivious to his footwork and feints , bodywork and pressure.

No point trying to have a sensible conversation on here about Hatton though.

True he avoided Cotto and Mayweather at 140. His win over kostya is good although kostya gave him a harder fight than most remember and kostya was past his best at that point. Hatton is better than a lot of guys at 140 and theres nobody today at 140 who could beat him (except for JMM) but I dont think hes anything amazing. He lacked the ability to even handle one more weight class and what makes an ATG to me is someone who can handle larger fighters.

[LacedUp]

Whether you realize it or not, 140-147 is not a big jump in weight. Especially for a fighter who blew up to near 180 in between fights.

That's not true. Ricky Hatton is 5"6 and guys at 147 are usually anything from 5"7-10. First of all, a disadvantage in height. But the weight issue is also big from a guy who uses inside fighting as he primary tool. The leaning and pushing will often take its toll on a guy. Sure he used to balloon in weight but that's just makes it worse. It's not a GREAT jump, but a jump nonetheless.

[The_Demon]

A good fighter, a crowd pleaser, who comes to the ring to win!
England is a small country!!! He did well for himself. Ray.




#1Assassin has it right!

What does that have to do with it? The guy had a bigger more passionate fanbase than any yank fighters have,because englands a small country? That doesnt make sense

[SBleeder]

There was a time when I thought Hatton had ATG, or near-ATG, potential. But potential is interesting; performance is everything. Hatton had a great run, but ultimately he fell short of what he might have been. Still a Hall of Fame worthy career.