Thanks for the memories, Ricky
Almost two years since his crushing loss to Manny Pacquiao, it would appear that Ricky Hatton has ‘officially’ confirmed that his career as a fighter inside the ring at least, is now over.
After a much publicised battle (ongoing) against alcohol and boredom resulting in a stint in the Priory it would seem that Hatton has admitted to himself that deep down he won’t fight again.
So how will history judge Hatton as a fighter?
Firstly, and perhaps more importantly, as a man Hatton has shown great courage to admit to his demons and actually do something about trying to ward them off. For that he deserves great credit. The old saying ‘Money doesn’t equal happiness’ is a much used phrase. In this case you couldn’t find a truer statement if you tried. Hatton has seemingly confronted an illness money simply can’t solve and we should congratulate him and wish him well in his future endeavours.
Back to the fighting man, the man who since 1997 when he made his debut that we have fallen in and out of love with. The man we watched bully, harass and ultimately triumph over Kostya Tszyu in a never to be forgotten night in June 2005. The man we became frustrated with for not obliging Junior Witter and more importantly British fight fans with a scrap when both were considered the top 140lbers in the world. The man we stayed up all night for and believed that he would be the one to ‘do’ Floyd Mayweather. The man, who ultimately was dismantled in brutal fashion by the aforementioned Pacquiao.
That’s quite a dance card when you look at it.
Hatton, more than any other British fighter since Nigel Benn, has made that magic ‘crossover’ transition from Boxer to Star. His likeable, lad next door image captivated sports fans from every walk of life. His genuine nature outside the ring coupled with his brutal, exciting style of fighting inside it made for a potent mix and as fight fans we enjoyed the ride, bumps and all.
As a fighter Hatton achieved a great deal. A world champion at two weights, a win over a great like Tszyu and even sharing the ring with legends like Pacquiao and Mayweather are achievements not to be sniffed at. At 140lbs he had very few equals in terms of natural strength and fighting heart.
His astonishing effort against Tszyu is evidence of this. Combined with brutal body punching, under rated boxing skills (the clinic against Ben Tackie is a case in point) and a penchant to suffer the odd cut now and then mark out Hatton as the one of the most watchable fighters of his generation.
Should he have fought Junior Witter? It seems a no-brainer, I believe he probably should have done and looking at Witter’s struggles in the latter stages of his career he probably wishes he had. This is not the time however to debate what the outcome would have been, or indeed to go into why it never happened.
Some will argue that Hatton spent/wasted time fighting a series of inadequate challengers. There is some credence to that argument. However, this is not the time or place to dwell on this either.
This is a time to appreciate the professional fighter that was Ricky Hatton. A fighter who excited and excelled in equal measure. A fighter who dared to venture into Sin City to try and beat the very best on their own turf taking thousands of Brits along for the ride. A fighter who was one of us. A fighter who did our country proud. A fighter, who in a different way continues to fight, only now his opponents are not lacing up a glove in anger.
They say you never know what you had until it's gone; I reckon I’m not the only fight fan who is feeling a tinge of sadness. If it is indeed the end, then I reckon we should all be thankful for Ricky Hatton.
Thanks Ricky, and not an ‘ickle’ bit either. Thanks a lot.
