Boxing careers have a shelf life comparable to an automobile. A well conditioned, properly maintained vehicle will be running like a top for years, while a roughly handled, hard driven car that has been abused since it left the lot will likely be a clunker before its time.
Similarly, the difference between the rising star Ricky Hatton who forced the formidable Kostya Tszyu to quit on his stool when he last appeared in Manchester three years ago and the global superstar Hatton who took too many shots from a second rate Juan Lazcano last Saturday may be an unfortunate metaphor to the hard ridden roadster.
The 29 year old Hatton, 44-1 (31), the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight champion, is quite well known for keeping a yo-yo diet and imbibing large quantities of Guinness between fights.
Last Saturday he drew a British post war record of 57,000 to the City of Manchester Stadium to see him win a unanimous decision, 120-110, 118-110, and 120-108. I had it a tad closer at 117-111.
I think what the large crowd, the millions viewing on Sky Box Office and, in America, on the Versus network, saw was a Ricky Hatton who may well be on the downside of a great career. This was not the Hatton that faced Tszyu.
Lazcano, 37-5-1 (27), a former lightweight title challenger is 33 and now has lost two straight, having lost a title eliminator to Vivian Harris 15 months ago. Despite the rust, he hit Hatton frequently with strong counterpunches, leaving “The Hitman” with a badly swollen and bruised right eye, welts under the left eye, a puffed lip and other assorted red and blue marks throughout his countenance.
Hatton didn’t look the part of the winner by any means.
Hatton was hurt in the eighth, wobbled by a left hook that buckled his legs. In the 10th he was hurt again by a left hook and was forced to hold. Then he received a convenient helping hand from referee Howard Foster who halted the action with Hatton reeling to give Lazcano a useless warning for basically a non offense. He followed that up with a time out to have Hatton’s shoes re-laced, which itself seemed to take forever.
I can see why Hatton was so critical of Joe Cortez. If old fair, firm Joe had been in charge, Ricky may have been an ex-champion. Seriously, only the most fervent of Hatton fans have to wonder if that was the ultimate difference in the fight.
As it was, Hatton won a legitimate victory, however. Lazcano failed to capitalize on his seven inch reach advantage and in the final analysis, Ricky won by sustained aggression and work rate. Still, many of his shots missed the mark, and he never hurt the Mexican.
Hatton appeared slower, and most importantly after the knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., he seemed to be vulnerable to punches. Shots that he used to walk through seemed to have greater impact. Consequently, his stamina has to be questioned for he has faded down the stretch in other recent outings as well.
I must say that Hatton has a huge heart and appears to be a likable bloke. He’s the guy you’d most want to have a beer with, but unfortunately he may be too accommodating.
After this effort you begin to question his chances against a strong, young buck as hungry as Hatton himself was three years ago. But at the very least, one would think that this would put the kibosh on any further talk of a Mayweather rematch.
On the bright side, Hatton’s presumptive next opponent is the light hitting, and very overrated Paulie Malignaggi, said to be set for November in America. The 27 year old Paulie, 25-1 (5) defended his IBF light welterweight title on the co-main event against 36 year old Lovemore N’Dou, 46-10-1 (31).
Malignaggi won the title from N’Dou in 2007, winning by shutout on two cards. In the rematch mandated by contract, Paulie won a split decision, 115-114 for N’Dou and 116-112 and 116-113 for Malignaggi. I saw it 115-113 for Paulie.
The crowd booed the decision.
Malignaggi said after the fight that he broke his right hand, a long recurring problem, in the sixth round. He’s no puncher to begin with, and a broken hand certainly couldn’t have helped him. On my card, N’Dou won four of the final six rounds.
Paulie came into the ring adorned with a new dreadlock hairstyle, sort of a Jason Castro in boxing trunks. Well, predictably the locks became unsecured and began whipping around Paulie’s face. Finally after round eight, his corner gave him a haircut between rounds.
Malignaggi is the perfect opponent right now for Hatton. He can’t hurt you, he has a major title, and he’s beatable.
Ricky’s brother Matthew started “The Homecoming” night off on the wrong foot when he lost his English Commonwealth welterweight title challenge to belt holder Craig Watson, 13-2 (4), by scores of 116-112, 117-112, and 118-111.
27 year old Matthew, now 33-4-1 (13), has been a staple on the undercard of Ricky Hatton events. But you have to figure that if he can’t take a Craig Watson, who spent most of his career at 140 and has two losses in 15 fights, he may be better served by finding work somewhere in the Hatton Empire. The welterweight division is loaded with talent, and you have to get past a Watson to even think about those guys.
It’s a tough assignment to live up to the standard set by brother Ricky, and it’s no disgrace that he wasn’t up to it.
NOTES:
Sandrarose.com is reporting that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was recently making it rain with counterfeit $100 bills at Pure Nightclub at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
The website complained that their photographer was almost arrested at a gas station after trying to pay for gas with one of the counterfeit bills. The photographer reported that Floyd’s “boys” were handing him stacks of cash, leading to speculation that one of the “boys” switched out real currency for the counterfeit and pocketed the cash.
But the site claims that this has happened before, earlier this year and added, “We’re talking print shop quality counterfeit bills.”
But my favorite part of the article was the final paragraph:
“This BS could have jeopardized [the photographer‘s] chances for a good job later on if the gas station owner called the police on him today. So BEWARE if you catch a hundred bill [sic] in the clubs –it just might be fake!”
Is it the Sandra Rose position that the photographer doesn’t have a good job now?
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