Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano: The Post-Fight Report Card

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Cliff Rold - The good news for World Jr. Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (44-1, 31 KO) of Manchester, England is that he retained his crown in front of a stacked hometown soccer stadium crowd, notching his fourth successful defense of the crown that he wrested from Kostya Tszyu in 2005. A win is always good news, especially a win that saw him weather two tough storms in returning from his first career loss to Welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather last December.


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[squealpiggy]

A few great points but the "report card" format implies that the fight was a close one. I thought that the point about Hatton's holding being a sign of a throwback fighter was very valid. When you watch tapes of the 1920s greats they do spend time working in the clinches and working in close. I also thought it was spot on that both fights were entertaining. There are people on here claiming that the fights were "boring". They were not in any way boring, when you have a pair of guys who get hit as much as Lazcano and Hatton then it just isn't a boring fight!

[OptimusWolf]

I liked the report card addition but it is starting to be less useful tbh. This edition indicated that the fight was close. it wasn't, lazcano got beaten and won(marginally) 2 or 3 rounds.

There are a few things missing, such as stamina (lazcano was gassed for 2:30 of each of the last 6 rounds) and footwork. Hatton's hands weren't much faster, which is worrying if you're a Hatton fan, but his footwork was much sharper than lazcanos and that made a big difference in the lead right left hook combos hatton was landing at will.

[squealpiggy]

I liked the report card addition but it is starting to be less useful tbh. This edition indicated that the fight was close. it wasn't, lazcano got beaten and won(marginally) 2 or 3 rounds.

There are a few things missing, such as stamina (lazcano was gassed for 2:30 of each of the last 6 rounds) and footwork. Hatton's hands weren't much faster, which is worrying if you're a Hatton fan, but his footwork was much sharper than lazcanos and that made a big difference in the lead right left hook combos hatton was landing at will.

For me the biggest worry was whether or not Hatton could go twelve rounds at pace, and he did. He really didn't slow down during the fight. Everything else can be worked on by the gas tank is final.

[Mushashi]

A few years back Hatton was more relentless, he'd fight the full 3 minutes of EVERY round. Whereas now he seems to have slowed down a touch, perhaps that is due to his age and his battle to make weight.

Other than that, he performed as I expected he would.

[The Monk]

I managed to watch the fight yesterday and although Hatton won by a large margin I felt that it was a very hard night for him which doesn't give off good signals for the rest of his career. It was clear that he was hurt badly two times, in round 8 and round 10, but I also felt he was was staggered on at least a couple more occasions earlier in the fight and for me his ability to take punches has diminished so much over the last couple of years. If he fights anyone with decent power in his next fight I can see him being in a lot of trouble. I think his team understand this though and that is why the Maglianaggi fight is being persued.

That being said I felt Ricky fought more like he did pre Tszyu, where he rarely employed the hit and hold tactics we have have seen since he started fighting in the US. He was working the body well, something I felt he should have done much more against Mayweather, and even found home with the straight right, which has been an almost redundant punch in his last few fights. He was cutting off the ring well and showed good footwork generally. Additionally, I felt his stamina was much improved on the Collazo and Urango fights were he was holding on for dear life in the championship rounds.

There were positives to Ricky's performance on Saturday, but also plenty of negatives. Obviously one was his punch resistance, which is barely there anymore IMO. He was getting hurt to the head and the body and was hanging on several times throughout the fight. His shaky chin is not helped by his faltering defence though. In the Lazcano fight, like the Mayweather fight, Hatton was just marching straight forward without protecting his chin. I am sad to say, but to a certain extent he reminded me of Jeff Lacy in that regard. He was wide open to counterpunches all night long. Before his next fight I feel he should work with a trainer who will specifically work on his defense and try to find a way to stop Ricky getting hit clean so often.

My final gripe with Hatton is the way he kept looking to clinch whenever he landed a good shot. Watch the fight again; whenever Ricky landed a punch that had Lazcano hurt he would fall on his opponent and try to hold. Why is he not taking advantage and trying to fire off quick combinations and really press for the stoppage. I just simply do not understand this tactic at all. Not only does the lead to Ricky smothering many of his punches it also means he misses out on a good opportunity to land on the inside.

All in all, I enjoyed the fight. It was an action packed fight, something that Ricky's recent fights have not been, with both fighters putting in a good performance. However, I did think that the fight was bad sign for Hatton's future. Lazcano is a good boxer, but he is nothing special and past his prime, yet he gave Hatton a hell of a fight. I just don't think Ricky has much left now with his best days behind him. I still give him the nod for the Maglianaggi fight, but it will be very close.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

A few great points but the "report card" format implies that the fight was a close one. I thought that the point about Hatton's holding being a sign of a throwback fighter was very valid. When you watch tapes of the 1920s greats they do spend time working in the clinches and working in close. I also thought it was spot on that both fights were entertaining. There are people on here claiming that the fights were "boring". They were not in any way boring, when you have a pair of guys who get hit as much as Lazcano and Hatton then it just isn't a boring fight!

The only thing that made the fight not boring was that Hatton sometimes seemed to be teetering on the edge, and that is not what you expect vs a Lazcano-level fighter.

I'd like to address another issue the author raised: Hatton's weight. I also do not feel that 140 is good for Ricky. He is drying out 14 pounds to make weight. That is not good for him. Ricky is a welterweight - just a short one. The kid has been drying down to 10 stone since he was 18 years old. All the while, lifting weights, etc. It just isn't normal for a man who is working out to stay the same weight at 29 as he was at 18.

The problem for him is that the guys currently at WW are too good (Migs, Floyd) or too big (everyone else).

Ricky doesn't need a belt. He is one of the fighter's whose career and popularity has transcended the titles. He should just pick fights that he wants and make them at a catchweight of about 145. I believe that he was 146 for Mayweather. That is a good weigh-in weight for him. That would allow him to comfortably fight the Bojados, Forbes, malignaggis, judahs, etc.

He can still come in at 154 on fight night.

[crold1]

Wolf: The fight was not close...but it was competitive. I see your point on extra categories and I play around with this firmat occasionally so who knows.