Comment: Hat's that for Hitman

TEARS being shed at ringside should not be the way the Ricky Hatton story ends.

The script should read that the kid from the Hattersley estate defied the odds - and the pies and pints - and ended up ruling the world, glory be.

That dream came crashing to earth at the brutal fists of Manny Pacquiao, as conclusive and concussive an end to a championship fight as you will ever see.

Seventeen months ago Hatton was in a similar position, prone on the canvas, having been out-foxed and out-boxed by the masterful Floyd Mayweather Junior.

But even in that defeat, there were glimmers of hope, shards of reasons why he should carry on with his career.

Against Mayweather, the Hitman had moved out of his ten-stone comfort zone, his training camps were suffering from his increasing worries about the fitness of trainer Billy Graham, and he was intent on ending his career on a high note.

Everyone knew there was plenty of fight left in the old Hyde dog.

But now, the reasons for hope, the rationale for continuing his career, lie as prostrate as Hatton did in that MGM Grand ring.

Now he has had two super-fights, and two defeats - and this one was at light-welterweight, where Hatton felt invincible.

So crushing was this loss, and so worrying the outcome, that Hatton has to think of his loved ones.

He lay on his back under the unforgiving glare of the ring lights, his unfocusing eyes trying to make sense of a shadowy world, as his brain bled and his senses lay scattered to the four corners of the ring.

Stellar

A few yards away, mum Carol was desolate, fiancee Jennifer in pieces, and dad Ray looked as stunned as his son.

And for those of us who have had the pleasure and the privilege of watching Hatton's stellar career develop, these were moment of severe concern.

Even after he was helped to his stool and then guided from the ring on unsure legs, the fears remained.

Before harsh reality hit like and express train, Hatton's legion of fans had dared to hope that the stuff coming out of Ricky's training camp was all true.

That Floyd Mayweather Senior had knocked off a few rough edges, restored some of Ricky's dormant boxing skills, polished his defence and sharpened his act.

The evidence of November's defeat of Paulie Malignaggi was rolled out to fuel that hope.

But this was no Malignaggi. This was a force of nature, a southpaw with lightning feet, unpredictable moves, fast hands and deceptive power.

Pacquiao, like Mayweather Junior before him, is a modern great.

Sharper

We had heard about Hatton working hard on his jab, about him throwing double jabs in sparring, about improved head movement and sharper reflexes.

The days of Hatton relying on his strength and courage, and trying to bulldoze opponents were gone, we were told.

The first round gave the lie to all that guff.

Whether the problems with Mayweather Senior in Hatton's training camp were as damaging as some claim, or whether Ricky simply lost his head and reverted to type in the white heat of a packed Garden Arena, will come out in the wash.

But from the first bell, it was clear things were not right.

Hatton was too easy to hit, trying to stalk Pacquiao, who was in and out, flashing in big rights and lefts at will, making his man look stale and susceptible. A right hook had him down before MC Michael Buffer's rumble had barely stopped echoing from the walls.

Then in came a left hand, winging in above Hatton's poor defence, and the canvas beckoned again.

The second round gave brief cause to believe. Hatton staged a rally of sorts, catching Pacquiao with a couple of stiff shots that made the little Filipino think twice.

Accuracy

But they were brief moments of calm in the typhoon. Pacquiao came again, and a left hook of brutal power and succinct accuracy caught Hatton on the point of the jaw, snapping his head left and right with sickening force.

As he was rolled into the recovery position, the disappointment of defeat swiftly gave way to a concern for the man's health, thankfully short-lived.

With Hatton despatched to hospital, Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach outlined their game plan, and claimed, with some justification, that they had the number of Hatton and Mayweather Senior from day one.

They had picked out the basic flaws in Hatton's defence, trusted in their belief that Hatton's new trainer would not be able to correct them, and had preyed on the weaknesses.

Hatton is a warrior and will not be happy to leave the fight game in such a despairing way, yet his plans for homecoming fights at Wembley or the Millennium Stadium have surely dissipated like Nevada mist at sun-up.

The elite strata in the middling divisions is now occupied by Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and the returning Mayweather Junior - who takes on Marquez in his comeback fight in July. Hatton, who touched those heights when he beat Kostya Tszyu in 2005, no longer belongs at that level.

There are good match-ups for him should he decide to stick with the sport he loves, not least a possible clash with Amir Khan, especially if the Bolton boxer beats Andreas Kotelnik next month. Khan might also fancy the chance to add the scalp of a fading Hatton to his belt.

But whether Hatton's legion of fans, who love him for his humanity as much as for his thrill-a-minute fight career, will want to see it is another matter.

Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/boxing/s/1113350_comment_hats_that_for_hitman

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