One of boxing's true superstars, former two-division world champion Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton has been packing arenas around the world since his early days as a pro. A relentless force in the ring whose pressure and body punching has broken down quality fighters for years, Hatton turned pro in 1997 after a stellar amateur career and he hasn't looked back in the eleven-plus years since.
If you ask Hatton about his impact on the sport, his answer is a humble one.
"I think it's down to my style of fighting," he said. "I always attack and throw plenty of punches. I'm a body puncher, and I don't think I fight like the traditional British fighter—if anything, I fight more like a Mexican or American fighter. It's not really what you expect from a British fighter. My personality is no different than the man in the crowd or the man in the street, and with everything I've achieved, nothing has changed at all. I think people like that I'm down to earth and they can see that I'm just a decent lad."
Born and raised in Manchester, where he still makes his home, Hatton first had dreams of following in his father's footsteps as a soccer player for Manchester City. But by the age of 10, he had been bitten by the boxing bug, and all his free time was spent in the gym, not on the pitch. He would go on to a 70-5 amateur career, with eight national amateur titles along the way.
By his 18th birthday, Hatton was preparing for the pro ranks, and on September 11, 1997, he dropped Colin McAuley in a single round to begin his pro journey. Hatton won his first 10 fights, and in fight number 11 he took his first title, stopping the unbeaten Tommy Peacock in two rounds for the vacant BBBofC Central Area title on February 27, 1999.
Two fights later, Hatton TKOed Dillon Carew in five rounds for the vacant WBO Intercontinental title, and by the time his first world title shot rolled around in March of 2001, Hatton had added the WBA Intercontinental title and the British title to his trophy case.
On March 26, 2001 Hatton knocked out Tony Pep in four rounds to win the vacant WBU junior welterweight title. Hatton would go on to defend the title an amazing 15 times, defeating the likes of Vince Phillips, Ray Oliveira, Ben Tackie, Carlos Vilches, Eamonn Magee, and Freddie Pendleton along the way. Now, no one could refuse him his spot among the best in the world, but there was another more hurdle to climb. On June 4, 2005 Hatton electrified the boxing world with an 11th round TKO of future Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu to win the IBF junior welterweight title.
Five months after his stirring victory, Hatton unified the belts by knocking out WBA champion Carlos Maussa in nine months. On May 13, 2006, The Hitman returned to the United States to fight for the first time in six years, where he outfought Luis Collazo to win the WBA welterweight title.
Following a well-deserved break, Hatton returned to the 140-pound division in January of 2007 and decisioned Juan Urango to win back his IBF crown. Five months after that victory, Hatton knocked out former world champion Jose Luis Castillo in four rounds, and the fight world clamored for a superfight between Manchester's finest and pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On December 8th, 2007, fight fans got their wish, but after a gallant effort, Hatton would be finally taken down by Mayweather in the 10th round, the only loss of "The Hitman's" career.
Eager to make a comeback, Hatton returned home on May 24, 2008 to fight in Manchester for the first time since the Tszyu fight in 2005. He pounded out a hard-fought 12 round unanimous decision win over Juan Lazcano to set up an eagerly anticipated November 22 bout with IBF world champion Paul Malignaggi.
In the Malignaggi fight, Hatton—with new trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner—was brilliant from the start, eventually stopping the slick New Yorker in the 11th round.
In 2009, Hatton is ready for more megafights against his pound-for-pound peers, taking on Manny Pacquiao in May.
|
03:50
