 Old versus New: The Hitman and Tszyu
The Neutral Corner by Jason Probst (June 3, 2005) Photo © HogansPhotos.com
In the world of boxing’s ever-morphing cast of players and storylines, this weekend’s junior welterweight title match in Manchester, England, has all the elements of a good ‘un. Pitting veteran champion Kostya Tszyu against hometown hero Ricky Hatton, the fight, on paper, figures to be a can’t-miss, all-action scrap, a paean to the days of old, when champions defended their title in front of hostile crowds, and an entire nation backed an upstart in his quest to knock off a reigning king.
It’s the veteran champ versus the young buck, and history has plenty of good chapters to show for it.
After initially thinking this was a one-sided win for Tszyu, I did some poking around to solicit opinions from boxing insiders. Lester Bedford, longtime manager of Jesse James Leija, gives Hatton a very good shot and said that the match may be perfectly timed to maximize the risk-reward equation for the Manchester icon. Leija traveled to Australia in January 2003 to fight Tszyu, and gave a very good effort, out boxing the champ in stretches, before retiring after a broken eardrum and injured ribs after six rounds.
“(The) crowd will cheer every punch landed by Hatton and be silent every time Tszyu lands one,” Bedford opined. “No way the judges won't be influenced if it goes to a decision. Hatton will fight harder with the crowd on his side, also. Leija never lost a fight in San Antonio and I believe there were times he could have lost against good fighters there. However, he was a more determined fighter in San Antonio in front of his home crowd.”
Bedford also believes that Tszyu “gets irritated easily,” and that Hatton and the entire setting could get under his skin.
“By fight time, that whole scene will have him pissed and unfocused. And you can bet Frank Warren will do everything possible to disrupt Tszyu. Tszyu killed himself to make weight against Leija.”
Tszyu’s big frame has proven a boon at 140-lbs., where he often overpowers opponents, particularly with his crippling body punches. When he plants his feet and unloads, there’s not a fighter in the division that can trade with him and expect to get the better of it. But Bedford believes that his longtime residence at 140, coupled with the likely fast pace of a distance fight, could prove a problem if Hatton can survive the early rough stuff.
“He's been making that weight a long time. Hatton is a really busy fighter and will set a very fast pace, probably too fast for Tszyu to keep up with at his age,” Bedford said, and he also doesn’t buy into the argument that Hatton is in over his head, competition-wise.
“Forget this being Hatton's first tough challenge. He's at least fought enough decent fighters to go in with confidence to win. It’s a similar situation to when Leija fought Nelson the first time. Everyone thought Azumah was a killer,” Bedford explained. “James was undefeated and didn't believe anyone could beat him, including Nelson. That's a big positive. Hatton doesn't know how to lose at this point. “
While he managed Leija for his entire career, over the final years of the San Antonio fighter’s time in the ring, Bedford had a lot of options from young fighters looking to match up with Leija, for a chance at adding a name to their list of victims. Leija proved a slippery steppingstone, knocking off Francisco Bojado in 2004, and losing a disputed split decision to Juan Lazcano in 2000. Presumably retired after his loss in January to Arturo Gatti, he had a lot of names offered to him in the stretch run of his career, and Hatton was one of those, said Bedford.
“I had a choice of Bojado or Hatton for Leija. Most told me Hatton was an easier fight. I knew better. It’s tough to overcome a talented young fighter, but much tougher if you know they will be in top condition and fight till their death,” Bedford said. Hatton, he adds, is that kind of fighter.
“The timing is perfect for Hatton. (It’s a) very smart move on the part of Warren and his management. Had he gone in against another fighter and gotten roughed up, he would have lost something physically and had he lost, blown his biggest payday,” Bedford said. “He can't lose with the money involved here. If he loses, people will just say, ‘well, he wasn't ready.’ He wins either way.”
While I still think Tszyu wins – especially with Hatton’s tender skin a potentially huge factor – you gotta agree with Bedford on the risk-reward ratio. Chasing Floyd Mayweather Jr. around all night, or getting counterpunched by Vivian Harris or Miguel Cotto and losing would hurt him far worse than dropping the duke to Tszyu. Hatton figures to make it a great fight while it lasts, and if he wins, America might just have to come to him.
Youth is a great thing. Though Hatton comes in to “Blue Moon,” if he wins, maybe next time he can do his ring walk to Mott The Hoople’s “All the young dudes.”
And besides, I gotta go with Tszyu. My Betting Contest is riding entirely on him. The bankroll bumped up to $8710 with Lamon Brewster’s win over Andrew Golota, and as stated in the May 21 Neutral Corner, I’m laying $7735 on Tszyu to win $2975 (the odds were -260/+220, with Tszyu as the favorite…they’ve since risen a bit after dropping considerably from the opening line).
And hey, if he loses, I will buy a Manchester City jersey and let some goons from Arsenal stomp me silly in tribute to Hatton. There aren’t too many Arsenal rooters here in Placer County, California, which is always a good thing to keep in mind when a man gives his word.
Past bets:
Andrew Golota –285/Lamon Brewster +225: $300 to win $675 on Lamon. Won $675.
Shane Mosley –825/David Estrada +525: $100 to win $525 on Estrada. Lost $100.
Jameel McCline –200/Calvin Brock +160: $200 to win $100 on McCline. Lost $100.
James Toney –170/John Ruiz +140: Bet $200 to win $280 on Ruiz. Lost $200.
Kermit Cintron –115/Antonio Margarito –115: $565 to win $500 on Cintron. Lost $565.
Mike Anchondo –200/Jorge Rodrigo Barrios +160: $1000 on Anchondo. Lost $1000.
For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Jason Probst at jason@jasonprobst.com
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