Hatton Remains Unbeaten, Witter Stops Haeck

Photos: Tom Casino/Showtime

06.04 - In a terrific performance, undefeated Ricky "Hitman" Hatton successfully defended his World Boxing Union (WBU) light welterweight title with a lopsided 12-round decision over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound titleholder "Cool" Vince Phillips Saturday on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature, World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 1 contender Junior Witter captured the European Union (EU) 140-Pound Champion with a fourth-round TKO over defending champion Jurgen Haeck. The bouts, which aired on a same-day delayed basis at 11 PM ET/PT from MEN Arena in Manchester, England, were promoted by Frank Warren's Sports Network.

Hatton (32-0, 24 KOs), of Manchester, was relentless throughout, as won his ninth WBU title defense by the scores of 120-107, 120-108 and 119-109. Getting stronger as the match progressed, Hatton was relentless as he dominated his more experienced opponent. Despite landing a steady flow of punishing right and left hands, Hatton could not floor the gutsy Phillips, who was cut over the right eye in the second. Hatton entered the bout -- his fourth on SHOWTIME -- ranked No. 2 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 3 in the World Boxing Association (WBA). A former WBO Intercontinental and British titlist, Hatton is hopeful that the victory over Phillips, the only boxer to defeat Kostya Tszyu, will bring him closer to securing a shot at the undisputed 140-pound champion.

Phillips (44-8-1, 32 KOs), of Pensacola, Fla., was strong early and got off to a good start. With his trademark right hand on the mark, he landed several hard shots during the early rounds. He hurt Hatton, whose left eye began to swell and right eye was cut in the first round, with a solid right in the fourth. Phillips could not maintain the fast pace, however, as he lost for the second time in a row on SHOWTIME. In his previous start on SHOWTIME Nov. 9, 2002, Phillips lost the battle of former world champions when he dropped a 10-round majority decision to ex-WBA kingpin, Sharmba Mitchell. Phillips captured the IBF crown on May 31, 1997, with a 10th-round TKO over Tszyu. He made three successful defenses before losing to Terronn Millett on Feb. 20, 1999.

Witter (26-1-2, 15 KOs), of Bradford, England, dominated the scheduled 10-round bout as he won his 11th consecutive start by knockout. Unbeaten since suffering his lone defeat on a 12-round decision to then-IBF 140-pound champion Zab Judah June 24, 2000, on SHOWTIME, the sharp, switch-hitting Witter scored the bout's lone knockdown when he decked Haeck with a left hand with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth. Haeck made it to his feet but his left eye, which had begun to swell earlier, was swollen shut by the time the bell had sounded to end the round. The referee stopped the fight before the start of the fifth. During a winning streak in which no bout has gone past five rounds, Witter has captured the Commonwealth, British, WBU International and now European Union 140-pound titles. He is seeking a fight with Hatton this summer.

Haeck (15-2, 5 KOs), of Belgium, tried his best to hang in with Witter, but was no match as his three-fight winning streak ended. He landed his most significant punch in the second when he stunned Witter with a solid shot. Haeck captured the vacant EU 140-pound crown in his previous bout by scoring a second-round knockout over Christophe Carlier on June 28, 2002, in Vannes, France.

The doubleheader will be replayed in its entirety on SHO2 Tuesday, April 8, at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records and related stories, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.