The 'Hitman Strikes Again

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The 'Hitman Strikes Again
U.K. Fight Scene by James McDonnell (December 17, 2001)

Ricky Hatton had little trouble in dispatching his game, but clearly overmatched opponent Justin Rowsell, stopping him, at :38 seconds of the second round at the Wembley conference Centre, London.

The fight was an almost perfect repeat of his performance last time out, against ‘Fearless’ Freddie Pendleton, whom he stopped in the second round at the MEN Arena, Manchester, England.

Rowsell was noted for an effective defense, but despite utilizing all of his survival tactics, to try and stay in the fight, he was unable to resist the power-punching Mancunian’s enervating body and head shots from the outset.

Referee Mickey Vann, would have been beyond reproach had he stopped the fight, at the end of the first round, as Hatton sent his man reeling through the ropes with abut 20 seconds to go.

>From the opening bell, Hatton boxed smartly, landing a sharp jab to find range. Initially, the movement of Rowsell, appeared as if it may present some problems for the short stocky Hatton, but once Hatton found range with the jab, the fight was as good as over.

Midway through the first round, Hatton trapped the Australian in his own corner, and unleashed a barrage of shots to the body and head, switch hitting with powerful hooks up and downstairs. Rowsell was hurt, but managed to survive, but it was not long before Hatton got his man.

Hatton was so strong, that he was able t hurt his opponent seemingly through his guard, bludgeoning him with heavy hooks around the sides of his head, it was these shots that finally caused Rowsell to fall through the ropes, and Hatton drove him into the ground like a tent-peg.

It was a testament to Rowsell’s warrior spirit, that he made it to his feet at all, and then beat the count. As soon as Rowsell was ready for action again, the bell sounded, allowing him to make it to the next round.

It was clear however, that the fight was all but over, Rowsell’s face was a mask of pain and panic as he made his way back to his corner, and as soon as Hatton unleashed the power once more, the towel was thrown in immediately, by a compassionate Jeff Fenech, not known for such a tender streak in his time in the ring.

Vann didn’t notice, but once he saw that Rowsell was trapped along the ropes again, shipping heavy punishment, he had no hesitation in stopping the but.

Fenech was the first to congratulate Hatton on his stunning victory, mouthing the words ‘you’re the champ’ to Hatton. One felt that he must have been full of admiration for Hatton, whose relentless style mimics that of Fenech, who was compared to a miniature Tyson in his day.

The result was the fifth victory for Hatton in 2001, and ended a series of five impressive KO victories in a row. Hatton has now stopped 22 of his 27 opponents, and appears to be getting bigger, stronger, faster and better with every fight.

However, there were a few notes of caution. Hatton’s left hook was wild during the fight, missing the ducking Rowsell several times in both rounds, and causing Hatton to lose balance.

While no fighter is perfect, it is an area that I am sure that Hatton’s astute trainer Billy Graham, and the fighter himself will be keen to work on. Hatton is a very self-critical fighter, and he did complain that he felt he had rushed his work in his eagerness to stop Rowsell, once he had him hurt, which happened early in the first round.

A better fighter than Rowsell would have made Hatton pay for those mistakes, and it is perhaps a sign that Hatton needs to temper his work with more patience on occasion, especially once he hits the big time, and gets in with fighters experienced at the highest level.

After the fight, both Hatton, and his promoter Frank Warren were bullish abut his future.

Apparently, Warren has been trying to get a date to face undisputed 140-pound champ Kostya Tszyu in September of next year, and Hatton will definitely be fighting again in February, possibly against power-hitting Ghanaian Ben Tackie.
While the effervescent enthusiasm in Hatton’s abilities that Warren has is admirable, I personally would be uncomfortable seeing Hatton face Tszyu soon.

Hatton is only 23, and according to himself and his trainer Billy Graham, prior to the bout, Hatton is growing stronger and improving all the time. Why risk throwing him to the lions against Tszyu so soon, when an extra year of fighting will improve Hatton’s all-round abilities so much further?

There are still some unanswered questions abut Hatton, which I think should be answered before he fights a fighter at his destructive best like Tszyu.

The question is how Hatton will handle the kind of punishment that Tszyu and his ranking neighbors will dish out, and how well will Hatton be able to take those shots, and regroup to fire his own? Hatton’s defense has been improving with every fight, and is only going to get better with time.

Should Hatton be matched with Tszyu before he’s ready, it risks not only a devastating loss which could permanently derail his title aspirations, but also a knock in confidence which he may never recover from.

A fight against Ben Tackie would undoubtedly answer some questions, Tackie is a devastating puncher, and knocked out one of Hatton’s own opponents, Freddie Pendleton, in a single roun recently. He is also still a hungry fighter, wishing to get into the mix for the titles currently held by Tszyu. A fight between the two would be a real test for Hatton, and his opponent as well.

What I have no doubt abut is that Hatton is the hardest hitting light welter in the world right now, and that he is getting stronger with every fight as he matures physically.

By his fighting peak in his mid-to-late 20s he is going to be an awesome puncher, and a well-rounde fighter. I don’t think that anybody can take those heavy body shots of his for long, but can Hatton deliver them against the best the division has to offer? Can he take the best shots of the likes of Tackie and Tszyu? These are the remaining questions Hatton has yet to answer.

Within the next year of his career, we should have seen these questions answered, and should Hatton come through, his two impressive performances for U.S. television, should make it easy for Warren to get him a title shot.

A fight between Hatton and Tszyu is one fight I would have no problem paying to see, and I think will catch the imagination of the paying public. Let’s hope it happens.

On the undercard, Ross Minter, son of former middleweight world champion Alan Minter, was impressive in only his fifth professional fight, stopping game journeyman Ernie Smith in the second round. Minter showed a great deal of variety in his work, and while a little wild at times, looked a solid prospect.

Cruiserweight Enzo Maccannelli also looked very impressive, if a little out of shape, stopping Kevin Barrett in two rounds, with a demonstration of swift and varied power punching.