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By now, everyone has read that Ricky Hatton is now the new king of the junior welterweight division. Conventional wisdom had Kotsya Tszyu's fierce right hand sending the young Hatton down for the count, but conventional wisdom was wrong and for many reasons.
Conventional wisdom had Hatton vulnerable to Tszyu's counter punching skills. The problem is that most pundits failed to notice, Hatton style was the perfect style to beat Tszyu. Tszyu is a classic European fighter, honed by years of amateur and professional fighting. He leads with his left and waits to unleash the right. While Tszyu has a good left hook, it is his right followed by his jab that is his most effective combination. In addition, Tszyu needs to extend his arms to be more effective against his opponent. That is why he easily beat Judah and Mitchell in their last encounters. He was able to extend his punches and hit his target flush. Hatton did not give Tszyu the opportunity to extend his punches as he fought inside Tszyu’s power. [details]
Conventional wisdom had Hatton vulnerable to Tszyu's counter punching skills. The problem is that most pundits failed to notice, Hatton style was the perfect style to beat Tszyu. Tszyu is a classic European fighter, honed by years of amateur and professional fighting. He leads with his left and waits to unleash the right. While Tszyu has a good left hook, it is his right followed by his jab that is his most effective combination. In addition, Tszyu needs to extend his arms to be more effective against his opponent. That is why he easily beat Judah and Mitchell in their last encounters. He was able to extend his punches and hit his target flush. Hatton did not give Tszyu the opportunity to extend his punches as he fought inside Tszyu’s power. [details]