29.05.05 – By Andy Meacock: On June 4th Ricky Hatton and Kostya Tszyu will meet in the Manchester to slug it out for the IBF Light Welterweight crown in a jam packed MEN Arena. It is the type of match up that has the fans drooling in anticipation as both men are known for taking care of business in brutal fashion. In Kostya Tszyu, we have a truly great fighter and champion. Tszyu is the type of champion who takes on all comers and with the exception of Vince Phillips, has beaten them all.. He enters this fight as the clear favourite. He has some very impressive victories on his record such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Zab Judah and most recently Shamba Mitchell, all of whom he finished by knock out.
In Ricky Hatton, we have a tremendously exciting fighter who is known for his high workrate and devastating left hand body punches. His record is perfect thus far but he has yet to face an elite fighter such as Tszyu. His best victories thus far have been over Vince Phillips, Ben Tackie and Michael Stewart. Phillips, Tackie and Stewart are solid fighters but were also considered to be on the slide before meeting Hatton. I think a lot of people are still slightly unsure about Hatton’s true ability.
So let’s take a closer look at the key attributes that the fighters possess…
Power = Advantage Tszyu.
His nickname is, ‘The Thunder From Down Under’ and it’s not hard to understand why as Tszyu is one of the biggest punchers pound for pound in boxing. The power in his right hand could probably knock out a mule, so Hatton will need to very careful when throwing his left hand body attacks.
Stamina and Conditioning = Advantage Hatton.
One of the things that makes Ricky Hatton an exciting fight is his very high workrate. Hatton swarms his opponents from the opening bell and wares them down by constant body punches from mid to close range. Tszyu has been largely inactive in recent years due to injuries and many people question whether this veteran champion can sustain the constant pressure that Hatton will bring.
Strength = No clear advantage.
Both men stand at around 5ft 7 inches or 5ft 8 inches in height and have fairly stocky, solid builds. Although they are not particularly tall they have been able so use strength in the clinch to bully opponents before in fights. No clear advantage here.
Chin = Advantage Tszyu.
Tszyu has one loss by technical knock out to Vince Phillips which occurred in 1997. Ring Magazine considered it to the biggest upset of the year. Since that time Tszyu has been unbeaten and his chin has looked very solid. Hatton has never been knocked out before but was put on the canvass against Eamonn Magee in 2002. This knockdown occurred in the first round of that fight and Tszyu is a much bigger puncher than Magee. Hatton seems to have addressed his defensive technical flaws to an extent but will it be enough against a big hitter like Tszyu?
Fight Location and Venue = Advantage Hatton.
Ricky Hatton is something of a hero to boxing fans in the UK. The MEN Arena will be booming come June 4th and 99% of the cheers will be for Hatton. Hatton seems to draw strength from this support. It will undoubtedly be an intimidating venue for Tszyu and it will be interesting to see how he handles the intense atmosphere. It’s worth noting that Tszyu has fought in this type of atmosphere before against Julio Cesar Chavez, so it may not be quite as threatening to him as many think.
Experience = Tszyu.
This in my mind is what will win this fight for Tszyu. Hatton is a young lion but he has never been in the ring with a master such as Kostya Tszyu. Tszyu will be prepared psychologically to face Hatton but will Hatton be prepared psychologically to face Tszyu?
I believe this will be a great fight. I like both fighters and I would like to see them both win but I can only see one winner and that is the existing champion.
My humble prediction is that a brave Hatton loses to Tszyu by knock out no later than in round 6.
Enjoy…