Boxing
Remembering Ricky Hatton, a boxing icon that crossed the sport
Published
11 months agoon
It is worth telling about two stories, thinking about Ricky Hatton’s ultramagnetic charm, who died at the age of 46 at his home at Greater Manchester on September 14.
The first comes from 2001, before Hatton became the world champion when he created an 11-year-old student with Oldham with his mascot.
Hatton was moved by the history of James Bowes about coping with a hydrocephalus-condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the brain-and he told him to transfer his belts to the ring before the fighting. James would still be Hatton’s mascot for some of the boxer’s biggest nights.
“He once appeared at the gym in Hyde [in England]Hatton said just before the fight with Kostya Tyu in 2005.
“He had scars and bandages on his head and I just wondered who he was. One day I just asked his mother, who unfortunately has no more with us, which simply makes the whole thing even more tragic. She told me that he had a brain disorder and he watched my whole fights. It means that he led me to the ring. He saw that the buzz he gave him.
The second story is when Hatton wore a broad suit on the ring before he was to face Paulie Malignaggi in 2008.
His self -proclaimed humor was an antithesis because of the waved braggadocio and rubbish, which are typical of gathering before the fight. Hatton approached the ring in a broad suit and a robe with the word “Fatman” at the top of the hood, a joke about his weight, which between the fights. Both stories are in a sense to explain why Hatton has crossed sport, popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but especially in his family Manchester in England.
While Hatton (45-3, 32 KO), he won the lanes of the world title in welterweight and welterweight, perhaps its greatest achievement was its popularity and relationship with fans.
When Hatton fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. In 2007, almost 20,000 fans traveled from Great Britain to Las Vegas. Hatton’s magnetic pulling was not simply to his thrilling style of versatile, catching ribs and knockouts.
“I think they felt like they were supporting their partner,” said Hatton. “They see me in the ring and see myself. I’m not a flash. I’m just one of the boys. I have never tried to fraudulent it and I think such people. I had an thrilling boxing style and I think that people are so. This is only me.”
When Hatton fought with the best of his generation – Mayweather in 2007 and Manna Pacquiao in 2009 – ended painfully for a boxer known as “Hitman”.
“I was doing quite well until I slipped,” Hatton joked about the elimination of Mayweather in the 10th round at MGM Grand Garden.
But Hatton was one of the best boxers in the world for some time, after he won his first world -class title, stopping Kostya Tziu in Manchester in 2005.
– Manny Pacquiao runs tribute to the “great warrior” Ricky Hatton
– Superfan City Hatton remembered before Manchester Derby
“People said that if I defeated Tziu, it would be one of the best victories of the British boxer,” Hatton said ESPN last year before his introduction to the International Gallery of Boxing Fame.
“I think this is my biggest win, looking back, and it opened the door to the fight in the States. He was known all over the world, but for me people in America said who is this fat diminutive child from Manchester, who just detained Kostya Tziu on his stool.”
Despite entering the fight against the weaker before 22,000 of his family fans, Hatton dominated a more experienced Tyu, who at that time was in the third place in the pounds for pounds. At the end of the 11th round, the Australian Russian was withdrawn from the fight when he sat on the stool.
Hatton’s career then crossed to a different level, and six of his next nine fights in the United States. The detention of the fourth round of the Mexican Jose Luis Castillo in 2007 was one of the outstanding victories before three defeats in the last five fights.
After stopping in two rounds by Pacquiao in May 2009, Hatton did not fight for three years, dealing with depression and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
“Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were the most significant, despite the fact that I took second place, but they were the best in the industry at the time,” said Hatton in ESPN in 2024. “I fought these failures after I’m in a elated place now and I’m glad that I am talking about them now.
“I am glad that I did not take my life when I fought because I would miss it so much.”
Hatton said he was considering suicide among alcohol and drug addiction after the loss of Pacquiao in 2009 and before returning in 2012. Thousands hoped that he would see him at the same level as he was five years earlier, but it was unreal hope.
Hatton ended his career losing to Vyacheslave Senchenko in November 2012, return three years after Pacquiao was detained. In July, it was reported that Hatton would end a 13-year retirement to face Eisa Al Dah from the United Arab Emirates (8-3, 4 KO) in the average weight competition on December 2 in Dubai.
Like many former masters, Hatton encountered greater dangers in his life outside the ring after retiring. Under the wise and cheerful external appearance, Hatton fought depression.
Looking back at his career, perhaps Hatton’s greatest achievement was his popularity as a master of people, whose fans simply considered their partner.
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Boxing
Carl Froch Claims One Welterweight Champion Could Have Stopped Terence Crawfords Unbeaten Streak
Published
12 hours agoon
August 16, 2026
Terence Crawford faced and defeated 42 different opponents during a 17-year career, but super-middleweight icon Carl Froch believes that there is one welterweight who would have put an end to Crawford’s unbeaten streak if they were to meet in their primes.
Crawford became the first post-war boxer to claim the undisputed title in three separate weight divisions last September; a run which began as a super-lightweight in 2015 by defeating Thomas Dulorme, then unifying against Viktor Postol before halting Julius Indongo in an undisputed title showdown.
‘Bud’ then moved on to the welterweight scene and knocked out Jeff Horn to capture the WBO world title on his 147lb debut, making five defences of the title before colliding with fierce rival and three-belt unified titleholder, Errol Spence Jr, in 2023.
In a unforgettable fight, Crawford brutally beat Spence down in an authoritative ninth-round stoppage win to capture the undisputed welterweight throne. Talk then turned to an unprecedented three-weight move up to super-middleweight to take on Canelo Alvarez.
After stopping off at super-welterweight to dethrone Israil Madrimov on his way up, Crawford debuted at super-middleweight in a challenge for Canelo’s undisputed crown and outboxed the Mexican superstar in an iconic win last year, hanging up the gloves three months later.
Despite those legendary achievements, Froch picked Floyd Mayweather Jr to come out on top in a potential fantasy fight against the Omaha southpaw, in an episode of ‘Froch on Fighting’.
Mayweather’s achievements speak for themselves, retiring with a perfect 50-0 unbeaten record after claiming world honours in five divisions, with his most impressive reign coming at 147lbs, where he defeated the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
Mayweather has been rumoured to make a comeback, but while there would be huge finances that would be on offer, Crawford has revealed that he would have no interest in ending his retirement for a bout with ‘TBE’, believing that the 49-year-old is ‘old’ and ‘done’.
Boxing
Conor Benn Reveals His Pick: Oscar De La Hoya vs Terence Crawford Showdown in Boxing History
Published
12 hours agoon
August 16, 2026
Terence Crawford has been hailed by many as the best fighter of this generation following his retirement, and now WBC welterweight title hopeful Conor Benn has shared how he thinks ‘Bud’ would have fared against six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
Crawford became boxing’s sixth five-division world champion with an iconic win over Canelo Alvarez back in September; joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in that elite and exclusive club reserved only for legends of the sport.
Of that group, only De La Hoya and Pacquiao have gone on to conquer a sixth division, with De La Hoya’s 2004 WBO middleweight world title win over Felix Sturm seeing the Californian become the first boxer to ever become a sextuple champion.
Crawford could have joined ‘’The Golden Boy’ and ‘Pac-Man’ in achieving that feat, having been offered a middleweight world title shot during the aftermath of his triumph over Canelo late last year – a proposal which later fell apart due to a failed doping test by Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Continuing the praise that the Omaha-born southpaw has received since announcing his retirement last December, Benn told Daily Mail Boxing that he would favour the undefeated star to get the better of De La Hoya, if they were to meet in their primes.
Benn also went on to predict that Crawford would retain his unbeaten streak against other greats of the game, picking him to come out on top against each of Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Roberto Duran.
Boxing
Robert Garcia Evaluates Terence Crawfords Odds Against Prime Pacquiao
Published
2 days agoon
August 15, 2026
Top trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia has considered the outcome of a fantasy showdown between Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao.
The two generational greats reportedly came close to squaring off in 2021, back when Crawford was the WBO welterweight champion and ‘Pac Man’ held the WBA title.
Their unification match never materialised, though, as Pacquiao was scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr before ‘The Truth’ pulled out with a torn retina.
Instead, the Filipino legend ended up losing his WBA title to Yordenis Ugas at a stage when, while still serviceable, he was quite clearly past his best.
Crawford, meanwhile, was hitting top form around this time, just a few fights away from producing arguably a career-best performance against Spence.
He did, of course, manage to stop his welterweight rival in nine rounds, before moving up to 168lbs and becoming a three-division undisputed champion by dethroning Canelo Alvarez last September.
Based on those two performances, coach Garcia has told ESNEWS that he would favour ‘Bud’ to defeat even a prime version of Pacquiao.
“The Crawford that beat Spence – and the Crawford that beat Canelo – would probably beat Manny.”
While Crawford’s prime almost certainly came during his run of eight stoppages at welterweight, it is harder to pinpoint when Pacquiao ultimately reached his peak.
In terms of his most destructive performance at world level, however, many will point towards his second-round finish over Ricky Hatton in 2009.
While facing the ‘Hitman’ at 140lbs, Pacquiao would cement himself as a formidable welterweight champion soon after, dethroning Miguel Cotto with a 12th-round stoppage for the WBO title.
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