Hatton gets Ring Fighter of the Year 2005

[Guest]

RING MAGAZINE PICKS HATTON AS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

Ricky Hatton is Ring Magazine's Fighter of The Year for '2005
TheRing-online.com (December 21, 2005)


The Ring is pleased to announce that it has selected Ricky Hatton as 2005's Fighter of the Year. Hatton is the first-ever British boxer to receive the award since its inception in 1928.

Hatton earned top honors by stopping long-reigning junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu at the end of the 11th round on June 4 in Manchester, England. In his second bout of the year, on November 26, Hatton knocked out WBA junior welterweight titleholder Carlos Maussa in the ninth round in Sheffield, England.

"Not only did Hatton take the title away from one of the greatest 140-pounders of all-time and make his first defense against a highly rated challenger, he did it in the sort of entertaining and definitive manner that attracts fans and fills venues," said The Ring's Editor-in-Chief Nigel Collins.

Hatton joins a long list of famous fighters to win The Ring's Fighter of the Year award, starting with then-heavyweight champion Gene Tunney. Other past recipients include, Muhammad Ali ('63, '72, '74, '75, '7 , Joe Louis ('36, '38, '39, '41), Rocky Marciano ('52, '54, '55), Ray Robinson ('42, '51), and Mike Tyson ('86, '8 .

Other annual awards-Fight, Round, Knockout, Comeback, Upset, Event-will be announced in the April 2006 issue of The Ring Extra.

This was the right choice. I'm not a "homer" and I don't even particularly like Hatton (though I admit he's dispelled some of my doubts this year, he's not my type of boxer) but he's the only one it could have been. For Taylor to have taken it on two close decisions (that not everyone thinks he won anyway) over an over-the-hill Hopkins wouldn't have been right.

While Mayweather was wasting his talent on tin cans, Hatton was taking out a HOF in Zoo and then taking a handy second belt to finish the year. What anyone else has done in 2005 doesn't even come close in all objective honesty.

[TheEvilSaint]

told ya so...

[Pac Man Fan 83]

Beating the undisputed middleweight champion who made 20 straight defenses and hadn't been beaten in 12 years not once, but twice certainly "comes close" to what Hatton did (beating a HOF'er once and then a scrub).

[AREALFIGHTER]

This was the right choice. I'm not a "homer" and I don't even particularly like Hatton (though I admit he's dispelled some of my doubts this year, he's not my type of boxer) but he's the only one it could have been. For Taylor to have taken it on two close decisions (that not everyone thinks he won anyway) over an over-the-hill Hopkins wouldn't have been right.

While Mayweather was wasting his talent on tin cans, Hatton was taking out a HOF in Zoo and then taking a handy second belt to finish the year. What anyone else has done in 2005 doesn't even come close in all objective honesty.

brewster did well but hatton had the names ya know

[Guest]

Beating the undisputed middleweight champion who made 20 straight defenses and hadn't been beaten in 12 years not once, but twice certainly "comes close" to what Hatton did (beating a HOF'er once and then a scrub).

I won't get into the fact that I think Hopkins was an overrated hack who got his rep on paper wins over weak competition, because the accepted line is that he WAS a p4p HOF.

But Taylor didn't express anything CLOSE to dominance over the Slop. In both fights he was taking flush shots towards the end... for them to make him FOTY would undermine it.

Hatton laid out the scrub that had never been KOed before (only stopped on cuts) and make Zoo quit on his stool.

[restless_438]

Beating the undisputed middleweight champion who made 20 straight defenses and hadn't been beaten in 12 years not once, but twice certainly "comes close" to what Hatton did (beating a HOF'er once and then a scrub).

now that that's been stated for the one-millionth time...

which of the two fighters made the more convincing win?

Jermain Taylor narrowly decisioning Hopkins?

or Ricky Hatton stopping Tszyu?



thank you to anyone who honestly felt that Taylor deserved FOTY..

btw Anorak, i beat you and if you're gonna do it, at least make it a surprise, don't give it away in the title!!!

[Guest]

brewster did well but hatton had the names ya know

Yeah, much as I love Brewster, laying out a Golota who was at his peak nearly a DECADE ago isn't all that.

Don't get me wrong, I made £60 on that result and I love Brewster to bits, but it's not FOTY material, is it?

[Pac Man Fan 83]

now that that's been stated for the one-millionth time...

which of the two fighters made the more convincing win?

Jermain Taylor narrowly decisioning Hopkins?

or Ricky Hatton stopping Tszyu?

Whats funny is that if Tszyu would have come out and fought the last round (he could have lost it), that decision would have been about as close as the Hopkins-Taylor decisions. (Two of the scores would have been 115-113 and 116-112).

[!!! Beowulf !!!]

Yeah, much as I love Brewster, laying out a Golota who was at his peak nearly a DECADE ago isn't all that.

Don't get me wrong, I made £60 on that result and I love Brewster to bits, but it's not FOTY material, is it?

If Brewster cleans up the heavyweights next year he has a chance to win it though, just for restoring a bit of heavyweight credibility.

[!!! Beowulf !!!]

Whats funny is that if Tszyu would have come out and fought the last round (he could have lost it), that decision would have been about as close as the Hopkins-Taylor decisions. (Two of the scores would have been 115-113 and 116-112).

The thing is, both the Taylor-Hopkins bouts were bore-fests and pretty much a disgrace to boxing. Nobody who has fought in two such slow paced fights deserves to be fighter of the year.


Hatton is a deserved winner.