Your View of "Ricky Hug A Ton" Now?

[.Mik.]

In English it was "I made a huge and ridiculous generalism because I dont have the intelligence to look at things objectively".

"All he does is clinch"? Surely then you've only seen his last 2 or 3 fights and are saying that as a reaction to 1/13th of his professional career. Because if you've seen the other 40 fights, you'll realise that he has much more of a bulldozer style, walking through punches to give punches than he does a hugging style.

For the guy who said he isnt P4P material...why not? What boxes does he not tick? Undefeated record, tick. Multi-weight champion, tick. Fought P4P opposition, tick. Fights champions, tick. Multi-title winner, tick.

What more are you looking for to make it to a 'P4P level'?

[Guest]

That is probably untrue, and even so, it does not matter.

The reason it does not matter is because he threw lots of punches. It was nothing like a younger Ruiz fight where it was all holding. Hatton clinched rarely until late in the fight, and when he did clinch early it was hardly for any length of time.

Understand the difference between clinching and hugging.

There is one.

Of course a 140-pound fighter is going to be more active than a HW. For his weight, Hatton's hugging is beyond excessive.

He didn't need it before Tsyzu, right? Why does he need to do that now?

[.Mik.]

Probably because he is adjusting to the level of competition. Same as PBF does more 'running' against higher opposition than he did against lower opposition. He's only fought on a higher level for 3 or 4 fights. His style needs to adapt. Obviously he has been using the clinching to buy himself a bit of time during awkward fights. I dont expect him to keep doing it.

[Super_Lightweight]

Of course a 140-pound fighter is going to be more active than a HW. For his weight, Hatton's hugging is beyond excessive.

He didn't need it before Tsyzu, right? Why does he need to do that now?

You are wrong. It was not excessive, except for in the Collazo fight. Against Tsyzu, Kostya ALSO chose to fight that way (something some of you conveniently forget). Kostya saw Hatton as the young up and comer who he could take in a dirty fight, if it came to that, and he was wrong. He chose to fight Hatton's fight, and he paid for it. He was not forced into by a 'dirty sneaky' Hatton.

Hatton's activity is very good, even for his weight. He throws many combos with good speed. My statement was made assuming the activity difference between a heavyweight and super-lightweight.

[Franko]

Ummmm you watched it right?He headbutted and Hugged him into submission.

Yeah i watched it. I thought it was a great performance. It's funny how plenty on this thread would say that Hatton hasn't lived up to the performance level of the Tszyu fight in his last couple of fights, and yet you describe it as a fight in which Hatton headbutted and hugged Tszyu into submission. Now i'm not the biggest fan of Hatton, but i know a exceptional performance when i see one.

[Guest]

You are wrong. It was not excessive, except for in the Collazo fight. Against Tsyzu, Kostya ALSO chose to fight that way (something some of you conveniently forget). Kostya saw Hatton as the young up and comer who he could take in a dirty fight, if it came to that, and he was wrong. He chose to fight Hatton's fight, and he paid for it. He was not forced into by a 'dirty sneaky' Hatton.

Hatton's activity is very good, even for his weight. He throws many combos with good speed. My statement was made assuming the activity difference between a heavyweight and super-lightweight.

Are you kidding me? Tsyzu's entire game is all about staying at about mid-range, where he can land his best punch. He has never been an inside fighter at all. Hatton stayed inside, headbutted, and hugged precisely to take Tsyzu out of his preferred range and he did that all night. There is no way Tsyzu would try to go to war in the trenches intentionally with Hatton. He just wasn't strong enough to keep Hatton off him and the referee allowed it all night...

If you don't think Hatton's hugging is excessive, please name a fighter from 160 on down who holds as much as Hatton...

[Manny_P]

Are you kidding me? Tsyzu's entire game is all about staying at about mid-range, where he can land his best punch. He has never been an inside fighter at all. Hatton stayed inside, headbutted, and hugged precisely to take Tsyzu out of his preferred range and he did that all night. There is no way Tsyzu would try to go to war in the trenches intentionally with Hatton. He just wasn't strong enough to keep Hatton off him and the referee allowed it all night...

If you don't think Hatton's hugging is excessive, please name a fighter from 160 on down who holds as much as Hatton...

quality post!!

[freedom213]

The kid came from a cozy home in Manchester where he could sell out an arena fighting Joe Blow and came to America.

He has done what countless champs of the past have flat out refused to do and he has my respect for that.

How good is he? We are going to find out and the reason we are going to find out is because Hatton himself made the decision to come and fight the best. Everyone needs to realize he could have racked up 20 title defenses like Hopkins, Hill, Calzaghe or Jones fighting a bunch of mandatory ******* in Manchester but he opted out of that crusie control path.

Boxing fans everywhere owe Ricky a debt of gratitude for showing us what all fighters should be about (HE DID NOT HAVE TO COME OVER HERE), in that respect who gives a **** how good he is.

I appreciate you Ricky!

Slow down with the shower of compliments. Hatton has really only stepped up to the world class opposition he holds himself in the company of twice; Kostya and now Castillo. Both are at the end of there careers so Ricky seems to be a little quick to rank himself so high. He does clinch too much but seems to do enough to win. that being said Castillo will probably not let him get away with clinching for the sake of resting and in my mind this fight will show boxing fans if he's truly over hyped, or under hyped.

[squealpiggy]

If you don't think Hatton's hugging is excessive, please name a fighter from 160 on down who holds as much as Hatton...

Bernard Hopkins. Although he has now moved up in weight Bernard has long embodied the "do anything to win" mentality that Hatton has shown in his last two fights. But 'Nard is applauded for it.

[hugh grant]

Hatton does what he has to do to win. If other boxers could hug their way to victory everyone would be doing it. PBF would do it if he knew how to. PBF knows how to run his way to victory. God made all boxers different so the way they choose to win their fights is different.
All the boxers that didnt make it to the final round agaisnt Hatton were becuase Hatton punched them.....and not hugged them.