Interviews
EXCLUSIVE: Campbell Hatton – Once in a Blue Moon
Boxing is a sport that can harm a person in many ways. Often, when a warrior becomes a parent, they beg and pray that their child will not follow in their footsteps.
The current British fighter lineup includes the second generation of Benn, Eubank and, most recently, Hatton. Campbell Hatton decided to lace up the gloves and continue his career in the same way as his father, Ricky.
The aforementioned Nigel, Chris and Ricky have cemented their legacy in the sport of boxing, financially securing their and their children’s futures, and yet they all still witnessed their offspring climbing the ropes, but why?
“Just because if you look at the highs, how good they are,” Campbell told proboxing-fans.com.
“Like any sport, if you succeed in it, it will be a great feeling. But I think boxing or any other combat sport where it’s just one-on-one has to be times 100 because you know that when you get them and you win and you succeed, you’re the only one who’s done it.
“That’s why I think in boxing there are the highest highs but also the lowest lows because it’s the same when you lose. I think the ups definitely outweigh the downs. I just can’t wait to see where things go.”
Ricky Hatton is part of his son’s management team and as a man who has not only been there and done it all, he will naturally have his son’s best interests at heart.
“I actually benefited from his experience and advice, which is the one thing he didn’t have.
“It puts me in a great position because not only did I get advice on what to do in the ring, but also advice on what to do at home and how to deal with all the other things around it. So I’m really joyful.”
This is often the case in the British mainstream media, where sports superstars are shamed and put on the front pages whenever they make a mistake. Ricky was no exception, he was nicknamed “Ricky Fatton” after he yo-yoed with his weight during his absence from training camp.
Ricky has overcome all these shadowy life experiences and believes that Campbell will stand him in good stead because there is no one better to advise him on this shitty issue.
“I think he will be the first to say there are a lot of things he could have done differently and he won’t let me make the same mistakes.
“I’m a lot like my dad, both in and out of the ring, but luckily I have his knowledge that allows me to see what can happen if you don’t behave like that between fights as well.
“I know the impact it can have, and I know I won’t make the same mistakes.”
Campbell made his debut in front of 500 fans in Gibraltar in March during the Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin match. It was an opportunity to showcase his skills, excite fans about his modern breed of Hatton, and start being Campbell Hatton and not just Ricky’s son.
Social media was in full swing throughout fight week, but as we’ve become accustomed to, social media is fickle, and keyboards across the country were frantically typing out words of dismay and negativity following Campbell’s performance.
“I don’t pay much attention to social media,” said the 20-year-old.
“Of course the opponent was narrow in terms of skill and didn’t offer much to put pressure on me, but he wasn’t stopped.
“The people who say, ‘Oh, we have to get him out of there,’ are people who don’t really know boxing and don’t know what these journeymen are about.
“I didn’t underestimate his ability because he didn’t offer much offensively, but I don’t think I was mentally prepared for how tough these journeymen were.
“Going forward, it’s just another experience and another piece of knowledge that I’ve gained, but you can’t just roll it over. So moving forward, I’ll have a little more patience. I know you can’t just raze them to the ground, they’re there to do their job, right? And then that’s exactly what he did.”
Hatton admitted he felt like he wasn’t even using half of his abilities in the ring, but he can’t wait for May 1, when he will show how much he knows he can perform in his hometown of Manchester.
Thinking back to his debut, the super featherweight fighter recalled how emotional his entire family was. Father, Ricky was caught on camera shedding a proud tear as the blue moon poured out of the speakers.
“It was a great night for the whole family, not just me, dad, Matthew and I. Everyone at home was a nervous wreck watching it too.
“Everyone has been through it, me, dad and Matt, and I think during the ring walk even Adam Smith said on commentary how it brought him back.
“From what everyone told me, they said it was terrifying, like I had gone back in time all these years. This is what he wants. Not only success in the ring, I want people to treat me like they loved me, my dad. My dad said it was his greatest achievement. To be loved by fans in the same way, that would be my dream.”
Campbell recognized his flaws on his debut, the pressure was contributed to by his extensive media work, interestingly Hatton said “I’ve always dealt with name pressure quite well” and without the weight of his debut on his shoulders he looks forward to a long and fruitful career.
Hatton’s fighter before him, Ricky, advised his son that there were only positives to take from the professional bow.
“One thing my dad told me was, ‘If you want to be a champion, you have to deal with it. So you’re in a good position and you’ve already had a taste of it early on, so it won’t be as gigantic of a shock to you in the future.”
Looking ahead now, one thing is certain, Campbell Hatton is ready. A player like his father only comes along every once in a while and if he achieves half of what Ricky has achieved, he too will be a fan favorite.
Watch the full, uncut interview in the video below:
Mikaela Mayer became the up-to-date WBO welterweight champion at Madison Square Garden in Novel York after winning a majority decision to dethrone Sandy Ryan in the Huge Apple.
Derby-born Ryan (7-2-1, KO3) won the vacant belt after scoring a massive points win over Marie Pier Houle in Cardiff last April, with the latter being eliminated in March, forcing Terri Harper to withdraw after four rounds in Sheffield . Mayer (20-2, KO5) entered this fight as a former unified super featherweight world champion, but was coming off a setback that unfortunately left her on the wrong side of a razor-thin split loss to IBF champion Natasha Jonas in January.
There was drama earlier when Ryan was covered in the paint by an unknown assailant, but the fight continued nonetheless and Mayer started well, rocking Ryan momentarily with a solid right hand in the opening throw. She also enjoyed a powerful second half, and although Ryan came alive in the third round with body shots, the American was generally the better of the first half thanks to her combinations and movement.
Throwing caution to the wind 👊#RyanMayer | JOIN @ESPN pic.twitter.com/dtqBiPmK97
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 28, 2024
The champion began to climb into the fight in the second half, in the sixth half she knocked Mayer’s head back with a brilliant left hook, and after Mayer burned energy fending her off in round seven, Ryan took full advantage, landing massive hooks to further drain the American’s energy in the eighth round, and both men discharge at the end of the round. The final two rounds were high octane, but both refused to move, with Mayer landing a solid combination in the final round that Ryan took well as the fight went in favor.
The 95-95 card was overturned by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 in Mayer’s favor and she was declared the up-to-date champion.
Xander Zayas (20-0, KO12) dominated the defense of his NABF and WBO NABO super welterweight titles, winning every round ten on all three scorecards against Damian Sosa (25-3, KO12).
LATIN CO-MAIN DID NOT DISAPPOINT 🫡@TwistedTea | #RyanMayer pic.twitter.com/6Ht89rzuLt
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 28, 2024
Featherweight prospect Bruce Carrington (13-0, KO8) had his fight extended by Sulaiman Segawa (17-5-1, KO6) and went home with the WBC Silver, WBO Intercontinental and NABF featherweight belts after a majority decision victory. Carrington issued two verdicts of 97-93, and the third card resulted in a draw of 95-95.
In the super lightweight division, Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, KO13) dominated in a ten-round victory over Kendo Castaneda (21-7, KO9). Rodriguez won all ten rounds on two scorecards, with the third giving him a 99-91 victory.
In the only fight that ended earlier, Rohan Polanco (14-0, KO9) defeated Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-5-1, KO22) in the sixth round of their super lightweight fight.
🥊 Marcelino Nino López 🇦🇷 peleó at Madison Square Garden, lamentamentamente cayó KOT6 in front of Rohan Polanco 🇩🇴. pic.twitter.com/JAuwe5i7YT
— Cristian Brossy 🎙️ (@CristianHB77) September 28, 2024
Super welterweight hope Vito Mielnicki Jr (20-1, KO12) was the next winner on the cards, but had to settle for a majority nod over Khalil El Harraz (16-6-1, KO2). One of the judges somehow ended the fight with a draw 95:95, while the others scored 100:90 and 98:92 in favor of Mielnicki.
In eight rounds, Delante Johnson (14-0, KO6) won the lightweight fight against Yomar Alamo (22-3-1, KO13). Johnson had two judges give it 78-74, with a third scoring it 77-75. Bantamweight hopeful Floyd Diaz (13-0, KO3) also won on the cards against Mario Hernandez (12-5-1, KO4).
With just six rounds on the card, Ali Feliz (3-0, KO2) could inflict his first defeat against Orlando Rashad Coulter (5-4, KO3) in the heavyweight division.
Former world champion David Benavidez shed airy on who he will fight next.
Benavidez has become one of the sport’s biggest stars over the past few years, with fans clamoring for a fight between him and Canelo Alvarez.
Unfortunately for the boxing world, the unified super middleweight champion, Alvarez, is reluctant to step into the ring with the “Mexican Monster,” who has decided to move up to airy heavyweight in pursuit of gigantic fights.
The most tempting fights include the fight with the talented Cuban David Morrell, who made his debut at 175 pounds in July.
There was excitement Wednesday after Benavidez announced on social media that a fight with Morrell could be next.
“I’m preparing something gigantic for you guys for my next fight. Wait for further information. If everything goes well and he agrees, I fight Morrell next.”
However, fans were disappointed today when the 27-year-old announced that talks had broken down and he would fight Jesse Hart next, not Morrell.
“I’ll fight Jesse Hart next, not Morrell. But Morrell is a future opponent.”
Although Hart is a two-time world title challenger, he has been most effective as a super middleweight, and at age 35, his best days are likely far behind him.
“Challenging Work” has five wins following a split decision loss to Joe Smith Jr in 2020, although their level is low and Benavidez represents giant improvement.
David Benavidez said reports about his potential next fight with David Morrell are not true, and he will face Jesse Hart in December.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) September 26, 2024
The Phoenix-born pressure fighter will be the clear favorite against Hart and will want to emulate him wide decision victory over former light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in April.
However, he will likely share fans’ frustration that he will have to wait until at least 2025 to secure the mega fight that has long eluded him.
There has been no official announcement regarding the Benavidez vs. Hart fight, but it is expected to happen in December.
On Friday night at York Hall, in a bizarre family celebration, former world champion Charlie Edwards attempts to win the European bantamweight title from champion Thomas Essomby, whose manager is Charlie’s younger brother Clear.
Wasserman promotes the Edwards vs Essomba fight as Channel 5 broadcasts it live in the UK.
Edwards’ (19-1, 7 KO) stock has been in decline in recent years, despite the Croydon fighter continuing his unbeaten streak, which has stretched to 11 fights since making a belated shot at a world title in 2016, when he was stopped by IBF flyweight champion John Riel Casimero in a thrilling display at the O2 Arena. Edwards has reset and learnt his craft, and in December 2018 he won the WBC flyweight title with a stunning points victory over Cristofer Rosales.
Edwards defended himself once, against a controversial no contest with Julio Cesar Martinez forced a change in weight.
Since then, “The Eagle” has boxed just four times in four years, all against lowly opposition, and was last seen in April when he scored a wide points victory over Georges Ory to win the vacant WBC International silver bantamweight title.
He will face a tough and experienced champion in Essomba (13-8-1, 4 KOs), a former Olympian who has never been afraid to travel and take risky opportunities. Born in Cameroon and now based in Sheffield, Essomba has an impressive list of opponents and despite eight defeats to his name, he has performed well each time, not being stopped by Lee McGregor until the 12th, final round in 2018.
He also worked with Clear Edwards, who lost on points in 2020. In May last year he travelled to Italy and won the European title by defeating Alessio Lorusso, then defended in his adopted Sheffield in February, taking a split decision against Elie Konki.
Prediction: Edwards starts out as the clear favorite in this one, and understandably so. Essomba will test him, but once Edwards gets through a tough first few rounds, he could take control and secure a wide enough victory to become the recent champion.
Wasserman’s prospects and tantalizing domestic clashes fill the bill
The undercard is only up in the eighth round as Germaine Brown (13-3, 4 KOs) takes on Grant Dennis (18-7, 3 KOs). Brown has lost twice in the English title fight, after decent performances against Zak Chellie and Mark Jeffers, while Dennis has lost four of his last five matches, including two on the schedule. Brown could do so on the break.
In six rounds, super lightweight newcomer Jesse Brandon (4-0, 1 KO) could go the distance for the first time with a unanimous decision over Miguel Angel Nunez (4-10, 1 KO). In the middleweight division, Joel Bartell (6-1, 3 KO) could rebound from his loss to Jordan Reynolds with a unanimous decision over Nikolas Dzurnak (7-7-2, 6 KO).
Lightweight prospect Brandon Olbrechts (6-0, 2 KOs) could also go the distance against Brayan Mairena (15-46-1, 9 KOs), while super lightweight Hannah Robinson (1-0, 0 KOs) should also triumph on the judge’s scorecard against Laura Reoyo (2-1, 0 KOs).
Atomic @Tomwelland04 can let go of hands 🧨
He hopes to break his professional record of 6-0 at York Hall on September 27th 👀@Ladbrokes | @SauerlandBros | #EssombaEdwards pic.twitter.com/cE6O9HEo5U
— Wasserman Boxing (@WassermanBoxing) August 15, 2024
The four-round fight will be headlined by the popular Tom Welland (5-0, 2 KOs), and the featherweight should emerge victorious on points against Darwing Martinez (8-23-2, 6 KOs), while Danny Boardman (1-0, 0 KOs) should do the same, also in the featherweight division against Yin Caicedo (10-21-4, 4 KOs).
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