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After getting the chance to see Luis Collazo's last fight, against faded former world champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez, I think Ricky Hatton should be given a lot of respect for taking this kind of fighter on at this stage.
Collazo is a southpaw and southpaws are the fighters that have given Hatton trouble throughout his career. I was present when he fought Eamonn Magee in "The Battle of Britain," and had Magee been in shape to fight hard for twelve rounds, he might have beaten Hatton that night.
The whispers were that Magee, despite the significance of the fight, couldn't stay away from the cigarettes, therefore, he was unable to take the fight to Hatton at any point. What Magee did do though, was put Hatton on his backside in the first round; still to this day the first and only time Hatton has been down as a professional.
Hatton came charging in over-eager to get on with things and Magee simply picked the right moment to unlease a sharp counter-right hook from the southpaw stance and Hatton went down, was cut, and quite shaken by the punch.
Of course, Hatton kept it together but was in trouble for the rest of the round and barely made it through the second. Magee was pretty much spent by the fourth and had to resort to retreating and fighting off the ropes, looking for that counter shot all over again. Hatton's stamina was leagues ahead, though, and he was wiser to Magee's countering and won a twelve round decision.
Although Gonzalez was many, many days past is best against Collazo late last year, he forced the issue and landed a few decent shots on Collazo, who didn't budge. Collazo looked comfortable going backwards, forwards and has a nice, snappy jab with a solid right hook and a great, accurate straight left cross.
Gonzalez kept coming forward as Hatton will, but Hatton possesses a very busy rhythm about his work that was missing from Gonzalez who simply marched in. Collazo put together a lot of very nice combinations and looked just as happy boxing and brawling in equal measures.
Although Collazo did not knock Gonzalez out, he took enough of a chunk out of him to force a stoppage before the start of the eighth which leads me to believe that while he is not a concussive puncher, his power may be in league with Hatton's in that it is respectable and does accumulative damage.
This is not an easy fight for Hatton and if the politics can be ironed out, it will be the third title fight he's had in successive fights. In truth, Hatton is about the only fighter at the weight, perhaps even in the world that is making those kinds of moves at this moment. Tszyu - IBF light welterweight title; Maussa - WBA light welterweight title, and now Collazo - WBA welterweight title.
Collazo is all business and if I were Hatton's team, I would have reservations about putting Hatton in with the man, as it is reported that Hatton's trainer Billy Graham did.
However, I am sure they all believe in him and it is a very winnable fight for Hatton, and more so than that, i'm convinced that it will be the kind of exciting action fight that Hatton wants to catapult him into the American fight public's consciousness.
If Hatton wins in an exciting fight, he can call himself a three time world champion, and a real entity at welterweight, thus an alternative for Floyd Mayweather who has ruled out Margarito, yet a fight for him against Oscar de la Hoya is not certain at this point. If a fight with De La Hoya cannot be made immediately for Mayweather, Hatton would be ideally placed, and Hatton has the style and the condition to make thinsg very difficult for Mayweather.
Margarito is strong, powerful and I expect would take what Mayweather gives without much trouble, Hatton has the skill, is faster than Margarito, hits hard enough to get Mayweather's attention and will not stop throwing punches as long as he is in there. Also, ever since the Jose Luis Castillo fights, Mayweather has not been in there with a fighter that would push him to that physical extent; maybe this is because Mayweather does not want to be in that kind of fight at all anymore.
Since his lightweight days, Mayweather has been able to rise through two more weights, taking titles while still remaining an attraction yet he has beaten the likes of a faded Arturo Gatti, Henry Bruseles, a faded Sharmba Mitchell and Zab Judah; none of whom provided the kind of physical test that Hatton would.
Collazo is a southpaw and southpaws are the fighters that have given Hatton trouble throughout his career. I was present when he fought Eamonn Magee in "The Battle of Britain," and had Magee been in shape to fight hard for twelve rounds, he might have beaten Hatton that night.
The whispers were that Magee, despite the significance of the fight, couldn't stay away from the cigarettes, therefore, he was unable to take the fight to Hatton at any point. What Magee did do though, was put Hatton on his backside in the first round; still to this day the first and only time Hatton has been down as a professional.
Hatton came charging in over-eager to get on with things and Magee simply picked the right moment to unlease a sharp counter-right hook from the southpaw stance and Hatton went down, was cut, and quite shaken by the punch.
Of course, Hatton kept it together but was in trouble for the rest of the round and barely made it through the second. Magee was pretty much spent by the fourth and had to resort to retreating and fighting off the ropes, looking for that counter shot all over again. Hatton's stamina was leagues ahead, though, and he was wiser to Magee's countering and won a twelve round decision.
Although Gonzalez was many, many days past is best against Collazo late last year, he forced the issue and landed a few decent shots on Collazo, who didn't budge. Collazo looked comfortable going backwards, forwards and has a nice, snappy jab with a solid right hook and a great, accurate straight left cross.
Gonzalez kept coming forward as Hatton will, but Hatton possesses a very busy rhythm about his work that was missing from Gonzalez who simply marched in. Collazo put together a lot of very nice combinations and looked just as happy boxing and brawling in equal measures.
Although Collazo did not knock Gonzalez out, he took enough of a chunk out of him to force a stoppage before the start of the eighth which leads me to believe that while he is not a concussive puncher, his power may be in league with Hatton's in that it is respectable and does accumulative damage.
This is not an easy fight for Hatton and if the politics can be ironed out, it will be the third title fight he's had in successive fights. In truth, Hatton is about the only fighter at the weight, perhaps even in the world that is making those kinds of moves at this moment. Tszyu - IBF light welterweight title; Maussa - WBA light welterweight title, and now Collazo - WBA welterweight title.
Collazo is all business and if I were Hatton's team, I would have reservations about putting Hatton in with the man, as it is reported that Hatton's trainer Billy Graham did.
However, I am sure they all believe in him and it is a very winnable fight for Hatton, and more so than that, i'm convinced that it will be the kind of exciting action fight that Hatton wants to catapult him into the American fight public's consciousness.
If Hatton wins in an exciting fight, he can call himself a three time world champion, and a real entity at welterweight, thus an alternative for Floyd Mayweather who has ruled out Margarito, yet a fight for him against Oscar de la Hoya is not certain at this point. If a fight with De La Hoya cannot be made immediately for Mayweather, Hatton would be ideally placed, and Hatton has the style and the condition to make thinsg very difficult for Mayweather.
Margarito is strong, powerful and I expect would take what Mayweather gives without much trouble, Hatton has the skill, is faster than Margarito, hits hard enough to get Mayweather's attention and will not stop throwing punches as long as he is in there. Also, ever since the Jose Luis Castillo fights, Mayweather has not been in there with a fighter that would push him to that physical extent; maybe this is because Mayweather does not want to be in that kind of fight at all anymore.
Since his lightweight days, Mayweather has been able to rise through two more weights, taking titles while still remaining an attraction yet he has beaten the likes of a faded Arturo Gatti, Henry Bruseles, a faded Sharmba Mitchell and Zab Judah; none of whom provided the kind of physical test that Hatton would.
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