Rocky Hatton Beats Juan Lazcano
By Frank Gonzalez Jr In 2005, after retiring Kostya Tszyu after 11 rounds, Ricky Hatton was on top of the World. He was at his best. After Tszyu, Hatton fought Carlos Maussa (20-2) and won by TKO in nine. When Ricky Hatton fought Luis Collazo two years ago, he had some difficulties dealing with the technically sound Collazo. It was a close fight in many rounds. The Judges gave it to Hatton unanimously. Arguments could be made that Hatton did beat Collazo. He definitely out-hustled him. That fight was the first time I thought Hatton was past his peak.
After Collazo it was on to Juan Urango, a hot prospect that Hatton beat handily. Then, Hatton scored a TKO win over (by then dishonored) Jose Luis Castillo (failing to make weight vs. Corrales), faded and clearly there just for the payday. Hatton scored a KO 4 victory over Castillo. That was the fight that preceded the preparations for Floyd Mayweather Jr. who in the tenth round, landed a check left hook that saw Ricky lose by TKO..
Three years and six fights later, Hatton has journeyed past the peak of his abilities. Five months have passed since Hatton’s devastating first loss and he was back in action on his home turf, to face Juan Lazcano, a lesser decorated, former Lightweight who hadn’t fought in 15 months. At 33, Lazcano is a pretty decent fighter who’s been around a long time but never did win a major title. It was a confidence builder match. A revival for the Hitman against a veteran who never lived up to his nickname but is a respectable opponent.
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Hatton vs. Lazcano was a better fight than the match makers intended. Lazcano gave a good account, landed cleaner punches, showed quality defensive skills and if the situation were reversed and Lazcano was the big star, the fight was in Sacramento and the referee was in his pocket, the results of this fight would have reflected that dimension.
Ricky Hatton certainly won this fight in my estimate and did so by constantly pressuring Lazcano, albeit sloppily but winning the most rounds. Hatton was the aggressor most of the fight. Lazcano was mostly on defense but managed to score the kinds of punches that won him four of the twelve rounds on my score card. Also, Lazcano hurt Hatton twice in this fight. Hatton won rounds with batteries of punches but never did hurt Lazcano.
Hatton fought in the over anxious style that made him a big hit and from the cheap seats, it must have looked very impressive. In closer view, Hatton fought wildly and sloppily and though he did score often, it was rare that he scored anything flush.
To his credit, Lazcano wasn’t just an “opponent,” he fought like a warrior who came to win. He fought an intelligent, strategic fight. He was able to score often on the inside and discovered Hatton easy to find from a boxer vs. brawler point of view. Ultimately, he didn’t do enough consistently to win many rounds. It was a steep hill for Lazcano, who was more than just an underdog on foreign soil, facing a former champion with something to prove and a referee that was as pro Hatton as could be possible. The referee, Howard Foster, took directions from Hatton’s eyes, as to when to break the clinches and actually saved Hatton from possibly being knocked out in the tenth round by stopping the action to warn Lazcano for a phantom foul so as to give Hatton recovery time. He even instructed Hatton’s corner to tie his shoelaces for another 20 seconds to recover.
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The first round was close and usually, the favorite gets the benefit of the doubt on “official score cards.” I thought Lazcano did the most damage in the first round by landing the cleaner punches, one that drew blood from Hatton’s nose. Though Hatton was busier, he was often the lesser effective in boxing terms. Hatton landed lots of grazing shots and excited the crowd.
The second round was also close, with both guys scoring in turns. The round ended with both guys locked in a clinch. That could’ve gone either way but I gave it to Hatton for being more aggressive.
The third round started with both exchanging punches at center ring, Hatton fell backwards and his glove touched the canvas on what looked like a Lazcano left to the chest. It was ruled a slip. I re-watched it a few times on tape and a Lazcano left to the face preceded the fall. The angle on the replay was Hatton’s back and Lazcano’s arms covered from view by Hatton’s body. Several times, the referee shoved Lazcano back from Hatton, particularly on breaks. Hatton landed a left hook. Lazcano landed a left hook cleanly that rattled Hatton, who clinched. Lazcano attacked the body during inside the clinches. Hatton warned for hitting behind the head. Lazcano landed at a high rate and was the more effective.
The fourth was a sloppy round, with Hatton aggressively attacking, missing a lot. Hatton landed a left and got a left back. Hatton landed a left hook and Lazcano landed four in a row. In the clinch, Lazcano popped Hatton in the face repeatedly with little inside hooks. Hatton pressed Lazcano into the ropes and again, Hatton ran into a shot from Lazcano. Ref warned Lazcano for who knows what this time.
The fifth saw Hatton explode with aggression as he continuously threw punches, many landing and forcing Lazcano backward. A lot of this fight was in a phone booth. Hatton landed a strafing right. Hatton clubbed Lazcano into the ropes. Lazcano fought well off the ropes but was being outworked by Hatton.
In the sixth round, the ref warned Lazcano for something, tapped him twice on the face in doing so. I don’t know what he was warning him for and the commentators, Wallace Matthews and Nick Charles didn’t seem to know either. Matthews said, “Lazcano’s been warned many times…” but for what, he didn’t say. Hatton bullied Lazcano, who scored some sneaky shots during the clinches. Hatton kept throwing lots of punches, a few of which landed. They brawled against the ropes and Lazcano landed a left hook right before the bell.
Hatton landed some better punches early in the seventh. Lazcano landed a right upper cut, Hatton kept on coming. Hatton busier, more aggressive, even during clinches. Lazcano landed a combination with fading power. Ref warned Lazcano again, maybe for throwing punches back?
Hatton continued his furious aggression in the eighth, Lazcano clinched, the ref took the cue from Hatton and broke the clinch. Lot of wrestling midway. Hatton took a few shots, one to the body. Hatton was taking a pack of punches from Lazcano. Hatton resets and jumps on Lazcano but was ineffective.
It was more of the same in round nine. Hatton landed but took shots in return often. Lot of clinching and infighting, where both have moments. Hatton looks to referee to break clinches when he wants them broken. Hatton clearly did more and continued to edge Lazcano out in terms of volume.
The tenth was back to clinch and punch boxing. Ref warned Lazcano for something and indicated that a cut over Lazcano’s left eye was caused by a punch. Suddenly, a lead right hand by Lazcano dented Hatton’s face. Then he landed a second right to the face before Hatton clinched, then went back to hyper aggressive mode. Lazcano landed three left hooks, Hatton tried to hold, ref broke them. Hatton was holding and the ref warned Lazcano and gave Hatton time to recover. The ref pushed Lazcano away from Hatton and told Hatton’s corner to tie his shoe lace! The referee earned his keep in this round, saving Hatton from who knows…maybe being knocked out?
Lazcano’s corner told him to keep loading up on those shots.
Hatton held almost immediately at the start of the round but landed a nice right that pushed Lazcano back. Hatton regained his momentum in the eleventh, with aggression early but slowed a bit by the midway point. Lazcano fading, took a lot of Hatton’s best shots in the eleventh round.
The twelfth was like the eleventh, often times in a phone booth as both guys clinched and punched with their free arm. With both guys tired, it was Hatton who showed better stamina late, chasing Lazcano, who clinched as soon as Hatton got close. Lazcano took a few shots to the face. Hatton landed a nice left hook. Hatton bounced on his feet with 20 seconds to go. Lazcano clinched till the bell. It was a competitive fight but Hatton certainly did more to win.
Father Time winked at 29 year old, Jr. Welterweight, Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton as he smiled to his home town fans, face swollen and bruised after winning a Unanimous Decision over former Lightweight contender opponent, Juan “The Latin Causing Panic” Lazcano. The scores were 120-108, 120-110 and 118-110. I had it 116-112 for Hatton.
Hatton had that ripened look, like the one Arturo Gatti sported after his trilogy with Irish Mickey Ward, as he took the microphone and addressed the fans, thanking them for all their support. It’s the look of a fighter on the downward trajectory, just passed the peak point. Unofficially—of course.
According to Oscar De La Hoya, a co-promoter for this event, Hatton has said he wants to fight at least six more times. With careful match making, he might win five out of six. With Hatton’s style of fighting, 30 is going to feel like 40 and it’s his wild style of slugfest boxing that makes him exciting to watch. Will he do what Arturo Gatti did and morph his style into more of a “boxer”? What we saw Saturday may have been Hatton’s last hurrah.
Hatton is now considering promoting fighters and opening a gym of his own. Whatever he does, I thank him for all the great years he’s given us and wish him all the best. He certainly has been one of the great action fighters of this era.
The Morning After: Hatton and Malignaggi
 By Taj Eubanks - One thing can be said without the slightest hint of controversy: a Ricky Hatton fight is not just a fight, it is an event. Hatton is, along with Oscar de la Hoya and Joe Calzaghe, one of the very few true stars in boxing, whose presence can fill an entire stadium regardless of the opponent. Such was the case last night when 55,000 Mancunians greeting their hometown hero with deafening cheers of adulation in his much-anticipated comeback fight.
The fact that his proposed autumn dance partner, the ever-loquacious Paulie “The Magic Man” Malinaggi, was featured on the undercard was the proverbial cherry on top. A lustrous showing was needed to counter the painful memory of Hatton crashing to the canvas, courtesy of a Money Mayweather check-hook. And Hatton did not disappoint.
Hatton performed as expected, and despite being hurt in the tenth, delivered the dominating performance that fans expected. Better than ever, some would say. With the Mayweather brass ring looming in the distance, Hatton’s return to form marked the first step in his march back to credibility.
Malinaggi’s showing before the main event was not as convincing. To be fair, Malinaggi reportedly suffered a broken right hand in the sixth, yet fought on courageously and still won by convincing margins on two judges’ cards. Also, it is also extremely difficult to follow-up a dominating performance (see N’Dou-Malinaggi I) with a carbon-copy effort. That said, Malinaggi’s performance in the first five rounds was pedantic. Such an effort doesn’t bode well for the Brooklynite, as he was shown to be repeatedly vulnerable to N’Dou’s headshots despite his superior speed. Malinaggi also showed that he can be made to fight the other man’s fight, a fact that must certainly have Team Hatton licking it’s chops.
Part of the joy of boxing is that while watching a match one not only learns about how a fighter performs against his current foe, but also how he might perform in future fights. What did we learn of Hatton? He still possesses maddening pressure and stamina, he is still vulnerable defensively (see round 10), and he is still one of the most exciting pugs in the game. Does that mean he can beat Mayweather? Highly unlikely. Can he beat Malinaggi? Definitely. Hatton is superior to N’Dou in every way and he is stronger, a fact that doesn’t bode well for the Magic Man.
Can Malinaggi beat Hatton? While anything is possible, a Malinaggi victory is unlikely for three reasons. First, Malinaggi doesn’t have the firepower to earn Hatton’s respect. Most telling is that Mayweather, clearly larger and more powerful than Hatton, could not keep Hatton at bay until the end of their bout. Second, Malinaggi is prone to abandoning his plan to box his opponent, allowing himself to be lured into a contest of machismo. Box, box, box should be his mantra all night with every opponent. If only he would stick to it. Third, Malinaggi’s hands may not hold up, as he will certainly have to unleash them more than he ever has against Hatton, who doesn’t know the meaning of backwards.
Entertaining though they were, last night’s fights, if anything, revealed more about what the fighters couldn’t do more than what they can do. Here’s to hoping that I’m wrong.
Ricky Hatton - "I've Never Been So Nervous Before A Fight!"
 by James Slater: Manchester's finest, Ricky Hatton won his comeback fight last night, out-pointing the gutsy Juan Lazcano. But "The Hitman" had a couple of dodgy spells during the distance fight, and admitted afterwards that he was not altogether happy with his performance. Speaking with Sky Sports post-fight, the 29-year-old admitted he has never been so nervous before a fight before.
"I have to admit I've never been more nervous before a fight in my whole life," Hatton said. "I felt great in the gym but it's different once you get in there. The fans pulled me through. All those demons are in your mind, like can you come back as strong. Tonight I've proved it and I think I'll be better now I've got the first one out of the way."
Overall then, Hatton can smile about last night's very first comeback fight. Coming back for the first time after suffering your very first loss can be a hard thing for any fighter. And though Hatton was perhaps hit more than he'd have liked/thought he would be going in, he got himself that all important W.
Hatton also gave complimentary remarks about the man he defeated in Juan Lazcano.
"Out of 43 fights I think he has only lost four," Ricky said. "He was a fantastic challenger. I knew it was going to be like that - when you fight someone like Juan Lazcano, who doesn't take a backward step. It's not like me to jab and move really. I know I keep saying I should do. There was about three or four times where I thought I had him hurt and out of there. I think if I wanted to box my way to a points victory I could have come through a lot more comfortably. But the minute I had him hurt with a few punches I tried to put my foot on the gas and sometimes landed myself in a bit of trouble."
Hatton, who was stunned in rounds eight and ten, will now be hopeful a big fight with current IBF light-welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi will be a somewhat easier fight. If "The Magic Man," who struggled far more than Hatton last night, in winning a spilt decision over Lovemore N'dou, proves as hittable as he did, Ricky will likely get back his old title later this year.
Hatton Needs Help & Malignaggi Gets Hair Cut
 By Paul Strauss: Ricky Hatton demonstrated his popularity by packing the Manchester Stadium with his cheering fans. He started them off with a good chuckle by entering in his Ricky Fatton suit. He looked like 400lbs of baby blue with white fringe. When he wiggled out of it (with help), he looked fit and tough, ready to pounce.
Initially, Hatton looked sharp too, using his quicker hands to win rounds and punish Juan Lazcano. Lazcano enjoyed physical advantages of three inches in height, and seven inches in reach. But, Hatton would dart in and out, and side to side, landing his hooks both to the head and body. Lazcano proved to be plenty tough though, and also demonstrated the ability to do some rough-housing of his own, managing to manhandle Hatton occasionally. But, it was clear Hatton was winning rounds by doing more.
Referee Howard John Foster intruded upon the action several times, issuing warnings, as he would go through gyrations to make his points. It seemed at times to be overkill and unnecessary. In the eighth round, Hatton got a little too eager in his pursuit of the "Hispanic Causing Panic", and he got clipped with another one of those "check hooks"; then another one and another.
Viewers knew he was hurt when they saw his legs wobble, and his head dropped forward, arms extended, trying instinctively to tie up. Lazcano started to salivate over the sitting duck, but before he could take advantage, there was Referee Foster again!
Foster stopped the action, and issued yet another warning to Lazcano (for what I'm not sure), while Hatton recuperated in a neutral corner. Before Foster decided to signal for action to resume, he noticed Hatton’s left boxing shoe (held up by Hatton) had untied lacing. So, he directed Hatton to return to his corner where the shoe lace could be re-tied. This all seemingly took a minute or more, more than enough time for Hatton to fully recover.
In the post fight interview, Hatton readily admitted he was hurt more than once in the fight. The reason he volunteered, was "(him) being over-eager when he thought he had Lazcano hurt." He would rush in with abandon, and would get clipped. He further explained he was easily winning when he used his “under-rated boxing ability”, and that seemed to be the case.
When asked why he took those unnecessary chances, he quickly added that if he didn't, it would make for a boring fight. Hatton is a refreshing ingredient to the fight game. He makes fun of himself (fat suit), mingles freely with the people (even on the way into the ring), and exhibits an honestly and genuine-ness that fans love. In this case, all 55,000 in attendance,
The Paulie Malignaggi versus Lovemore N'dou fight was ugly. Paulie blamed his poor performance on a (he claims) broken right hand he says happened in the 6th round. If he did break his hand, it would be interesting to know how he did it, because he certainly didn't throw a hard enough right hand punch to break through tissue paper.
To make matters worse, his entrance was ridiculous, further alienating him to an already disinterested crowd. He chose to wear a mask of some kind. What it was supposed to signify, only he knows. Then when his garb was pealed off, he had what I guess are called "dreadlocks", but of course they weren't really his, but extensions. Apparently, he likes the Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs look?
These braided strands were tied together in a hawser like ponytail, which hung down way past his shoulders. Of course soon after the action began, the binding broke loose, and Rapunzel's locks came falling down right in front of Paulie's face,
Strangely enough Paulie never received a point deduction for this comedy, and was even allowed stops in the action to have the locks taped into place again. This procedure repeated itself several times. Finally, one of his corner-men pulled out the scissors and gave Paulie a shearing.
N"dou failed to put much together in the way of an attack, or even a counter attack, but he did manage to land a few good right hands. By the second half of the fight, he had landed enough to slow Paulie down, and turn the fight into a clinching match. By the end of the fight, Paulie wasn't moving much, and almost stopped throwing his jab.
His post fight explanation was that he sustained his broken right hand. When asked why he didn't at least use the "one good hand", he said he thinks N'dou started picking up on the timing or rhythm of the jab, so he didn't want to throw it and get countered. It would appear that it makes more sense to just be a target, but regardless, N’dou wasn’t interested in taking advantage of the situation, and would let Paulie walk in back into the ropes.
Despite everything, Malignaggi came away with a split decision, but more importantly, he failed to come away with the respect he wanted. Rather, his performance left a bad taste in the mouths of the Mancester fans. It's hard to imagine that any of those Hatton fans think the "magic(less) man" is a worthy opponent for their hero.
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