13.12.03 – Photo (c) Tom Casino/Showtime: Undefeated WBU Junior Welterweight Champion and current WBC and WBA No. 3 contender Ricky “Hitman” Hatton successfully defended his title an 11th time with a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision over IBF No. 14 contender Ben Tackie Saturday on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature from MEN Arena, unbeaten Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy retained his WBC/CA, NABA/USBA super middleweight crowns with an eighth-round TKO over NABF Light Heavyweight Champion Donnell Wiggins. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader was promoted by Frank Warren’s Sports Network and aired live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast).
Hatton (34-0, 25 KOs), of Manchester, England, could not knock down the iron-chinned Tackie, but mostly dominated en route to winning by the scores of 120-109 twice and 118-110. The impressive youngster tired a tad in the late stages but did nothing to dispel the notion that he deserves a shot at one of the junior welterweight world champions. Hatton, who turned 25 on Oct. 6, captured the WBU 140-pound title on March 26, 2001, with a fourth-round knockout over Tony Pep in Wembley, England. Hatton successfully defended the WBU title four times in 2001 and 2002. In his first fight of 2003, Hatton registered an impressive 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion “Cool” Vince Phillips April 5 on SHOWTIME from Manchester.
Tackie (24-5, 15 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, lost a 12-round decision in a fight for the third consecutive time. As usual, the durable contender performed gamely and made for a good scrap, but he lacked the offensive firepower to keep Hatton off him. In his last appearance, Tackie dropped a 12-round decision to Sharmba Mitchell in an IBF 140-pound elimination bout May 17, 2003, on SHOWTIME. On May 18, 2002, also on SHOWTIME, Tackie lost a 12-round decision to world 140-pound champion Kostya Tszyu. Tackie’s best performance came when he rallied to register a 10th-round TKO over former IBF 130-pound titleholder Roberto Garcia June 3, 2000, on SHOWTIME.
Lacy (16-0, 13 KOs), of Tampa, Fla., dropped Wiggins with a big overhand right hand, and the bout was stopped moments later at 2:33. Lacy ended matters in impressive fashion despite fighting with a slightly swollen left eye for a few rounds. It was Lacy’s eighth appearance on SHOWTIME. Lacy retained his WBC/CA and USBA titles, and added the vacant NABA super middleweight crown with a 12-round decision over Richard Grant on July 15, 2003, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lacy went 209-12 in the amateurs, won numerous competitions and made it to the second round of the 2000 Olympics.
Wiggins (20-3-2, 11 KOs), of Covington, Tenn., performed gamely and made for a competitive fight. Wiggins, who captured the NABF light heavyweight crown by registering a 12-round majority decision over Rodney Moore on Oct. 11, 2003, had a nine-bout (8-0-1) unbeaten streak end.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.
For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http:www.sho.com/boxing.