Hatton footles while the top dogs fight
Kevin MItchell
Sunday March 5, 2006
The Observer
Ricky Hatton, the most accomplished world champion at work in these islands, is in danger of succumbing to the temptation of rounding out his career with fights that add more to his bank account than they will do to his place in boxing history.
The Mancunian who beat Kostya Tszyu last year to establish himself as the best 10-stone fighter in the world - The Ring magazine named him their fighter of 2005, as did writers on this side of the Atlantic - is drifting towards a contest of little consequence in the less than stellar surroundings of Mashantucket, Connecticut, on 13 May.
Instead of chasing a showdown with the pound-for-pound best in the world, Floyd Mayweather junior, Hatton is mulling over a shortlist of staggering mediocrity. It will earn the man from Hyde decent money; in the eyes of the trade, it will diminish his standing.
The latest to shout for a chance is Juan Lazcano, who might be big in his home town of El Paso but won't shift too many tickets in Mashantucket - wherever that is. Also being considered is Vivian Harris, once a hot prospect but knocked out by Carlos Maussa last June. Hatton knocked out Maussa five months later. So how's that for reheating the leftovers?
The other concern about the direction of Hatton's career is the direction of the needle on his scales. Never skinny, he's a good two-and-a-half stone above his fighting weight - so he's going up to welterweight. But his biggest fight might not be with any of that division's contenders, rather with the fry-ups and lager he so enjoys between bouts.
It would be a shame if Hatton, one of boxing's most honest performers, were to delude himself into thinking he can continue to indulge in such a lifestyle. He has been getting away with it because of his utter dedication when he finally turns his attention to the boring but essential side of his job in the gym. If he seriously wants to build on his reputation, he needs to be more concerned with the size of his waistline than his cheque.
Having beaten Tszyu in front of the Manchester faithful last year, Hatton fell out with the man who got him there, Frank Warren, and set his sights on America. There is nothing wrong in wanting to be independent or to go for recognition where it matters most but, as Audley Harrison has learnt, cutting yourself off from mainstream promoters and doing your own deals in the United States is not straightforward.
Hatton's urge to cash in on the hard years he has already put into boxing is understandable. It's his living. But it's not a conventional one. There is an unwieldy anarchy to contain, loose rules to abide by. Doing your own deals with people unconcerned about your integrity is one of them. One defeat and you're toast.
Naseem Hamed had an even bigger name when his unbeaten run came to an end against Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas in 2001. He lost bravely, but compounded defeat by falling out with nearly every deal-maker in town. When he was introduced at ringside in London last December, the fancy gave not a flicker of response. They are as unforgiving as any television executive.
This is no free advertisement for Warren, but he is the leading promoter outside the US, who has earned his fighters good paydays, and for Hatton to imagine he can do better himself, with new advisers, is to play in the toughest gambling school in sport.
Hatton has fought in America before, but this move is of a much higher profile. They know who he is now and want to see in the flesh what the fuss is about. They are unlikely to be impressed, whatever the result, by the likes of Lazcano, Harris, or Carlos Baldomir.
Warren, meanwhile, is trying to match France's Souleymane M'baye with Hatton, who claims they no longer have a contract. It may go to court, as M'Baye is official challenger for Hatton's slice of the light-welterweight title. Whatever the rights and wrongs, the wrangle is counterproductive to Hatton's day job.
Hatton normally talks sense - but is not making much lately. He says M'Baye would be poison at the box office, yet his preferred option for his debut in America is Baldomir, the out-of-the-blue World Boxing Council welterweight champion. Baldomir imagines nine defeats and six draws on a 57-fight log entitle him to ask for $2m to fight Mayweather. He will not demand much less to go in with Hatton, and that would eat up a lot of the available cash for the unbeaten Brit.
Baldomir came from nowhere to upset Zab Judah recently and was paid a mere $100,000. He justifiably wants top dollar, but punters are not going to rush to support his ambition. Shane Mosley, who shut the loudest mouth in boxing, Fernando Vargas, with a stoppage win last weekend, is also chasing Mayweather.
This is what is really going on: Judah is still a bigger name than Baldomir and gets the Mayweather fight on 8 April; Baldomir gets Arturo Gatti, who should have fought Hatton; Oscar de la Hoya embarks on another comeback soon - and Mayweather will move up to light-middleweight to fight him, going for titles at five weights and undisputed greatness.
Hatton should have been in that mix. Instead, he is footling around with names most fight fans haven't heard of. I hope I'm wrong, because he's a wonderful boxer and one of the genuine nice guys in boxing, but The Hitman looks to be getting it all wrong when, less than a year ago, it was looking as good as it could.