Why do people here love Ricky Hatton?

[The Hammer]

fuuuuddddgeeee noooooo

Ricky was Ring and linear champion at 140 for four years, and he was the 2005 Fighter of the Year.

Had he taken better care of himself outside the ring, he'd probably still be in the top 10 P4p.

[paulf]

People, boxing fans or not, have a lot of respect for people that work their asses to be the very best at what they do. Collazo, Urgango, Tszyu, Malignaggi; Hatton ran 140 while he was on top. He was the man, and hard work, not natural athletic ability, got him there.

So what if he lost to the top 2 p4p fighters in the world? That doesn't mean he wasn't a great fighter who gave his all every time he got in the ring. Fighters like that get the fans and they get the respect, even in defeat.

[VolumePuncher]

Thread starter didn't get anything done to him, to the person who posted something like that above. I asked a question, it's a message board, relax.

Fact is, Ricky Hatton is a good fighter but far from what I've seen people say he is both on here and other places online. He beat up a bunch of clowns that no one's ever heard of in Britain and earned himself a few big pay days against elite guys, both of which he was embarrassed in.

As far as him being an action fighter who consistently entertains people, I understand that angle and I won't argue against it. My argument is not against those who enjoy watching him fight, it's with the people that elevate him to an elite level that I don't think he does or ever deserves to be on.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

I don't think Hatton was all that physically limited. Dimensions are not on his size with him being on the short side in height and reach, but he had good speed. His foot speed was very good, and his hand speed was above average too. He wasn't a guy who was known to take the best care of himself also outside the ring, but still got some good results.

He was reasonably fluid in his movements, for instance, the way he'd move his body to get the right angles on his body shots. He didn't look clumsy, awkward, or slow when he did this. He had a decent chin for most of his career.

One thing he definitely should have worked on was his right hand. It was an ugly, slapping or pushing shot. He didn't turn it over with leverage and technique.

Yeah I was referring to dimensions more than anything. He had some weird condition with his arms where he couldnt straighten them at all so every punch he threw was basically a hook.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Thread starter didn't get anything done to him, to the person who posted something like that above. I asked a question, it's a message board, relax.

Fact is, Ricky Hatton is a good fighter but far from what I've seen people say he is both on here and other places online. He beat up a bunch of clowns that no one's ever heard of in Britain and earned himself a few big pay days against elite guys, both of which he was embarrassed in.

As far as him being an action fighter who consistently entertains people, I understand that angle and I won't argue against it. My argument is not against those who enjoy watching him fight, it's with the people that elevate him to an elite level that I don't think he does or ever deserves to be on.

You seem to be missing his reign at 140lbs when he was clearly the number 1 guy at that weight for a long time.Yeah he fought a lot of ***** fights early in his career but he beat Tszyu who was one of the top 3 p4p fighters at the time. He beat a string of other champions and contenders at the 140. Beat Collazo at welter. He did alright.

[THe TRiNiTY]

He was a decent fighter and he had the drive of a great fighter. That appeals to fans.

Why would you ask someone to explain why someone else appealed to them? They can't help it. They enjoyed his style and FOR THEM, he was an entertaining fighter that they rooted for.

He had a few decent wins and was a brave guy that always tried to get up when knocked down. He would fight through being hurt and was willing to move up to fight the best fighter in the world. He also was a Jr. Welterweight champion in the truest sense. He beat Kostya Tsyzu. Kostya was a bit faded, but Hatton exposed that and beat the man to be the man.

Can't ask much more from a fighter with limited skills. And.. he's a decent guy.

[VolumePuncher]

You seem to be missing his reign at 140lbs when he was clearly the number 1 guy at that weight for a long time.Yeah he fought a lot of ***** fights early in his career but he beat Tszyu who was one of the top 3 p4p fighters at the time. He beat a string of other champions and contenders at the 140. Beat Collazo at welter. He did alright.

I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 of his wins are against garbage opponents. I mean ****, look at who he fought from 2001-2004 before Tszyu in 2005 and tell me how many quality wins you see. I won't criticize him for the early portion of his career, because most guys fight trash at that point.

[letsgobrady]

Red K given for a hateful, unnecessary attack on one of the best boxers of the past decade.

ricky hatton like margarito is and always was a bum

[Dirk Diggler UK]

I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 of his wins are against garbage opponents. I mean ****, look at who he fought from 2001-2004 before Tszyu in 2005 and tell me how many quality wins you see. I won't criticize him for the early portion of his career, because most guys fight trash at that point.

I agree he didnt have many quality wins before Tsyzu. You can blame Frank Warren for that. But its what he did after that which he deserves credit for.

[TouchyAndalou]

As far as him being an action fighter who consistently entertains people, I understand that angle and I won't argue against it. My argument is not against those who enjoy watching him fight, it's with the people that elevate him to an elite level that I don't think he does or ever deserves to be on.

In this case, you probably should have titled your thread "Why do people here consider Ricky Hatton an elite fighter?", because the reasons people "love" him have little to do with any misconception of him being Sugar Ray Robinson mk.II.

I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 of his wins are against garbage opponents. I mean ****, look at who he fought from 2001-2004 before Tszyu in 2005 and tell me how many quality wins you see. I won't criticize him for the early portion of his career, because most guys fight trash at that point.

Hatton was brought along relatively slowly, like the majority of Frank Warren fighters tend to be. He fought trash early, before stepping up to decent fringe contenders and faded "name" opponents, and then tackling Tszyu for the title. After defeating Tszyu he decided to test himself in the US, when he could have easily stayed in Manchester and made good money racking up meaningless defences. His opposition post-Tszyu was relatively strong, even outside of Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Incidentally, where are all these people supposedly ordaining Hatton as the best fighter since sliced bread? I've read a fair few threads here and haven't noticed many posters making such an argument.