Hatton v Malignaggi - Predictions

[D-MAC]

A couple of days to go now, so lets get those Brit Forum predictions for this fight.

I've been going back and forth on this one for the past few weeks, but I'll settle on my original pick of Hatton via close decision victory.

I've never really rated Hatton that highly, and think that he is in state of decline in his career at this point.

However, he should have enough left in the tank to squeeze past the tranny, who I don't rate very highly at all.

To be honest, for me its hard to make a prediction on how the fight will pan out; I just think Hatton will take it (more gut instinct that anything else).

Maybe one of you lot could give a proper fight analysis; I have two scenarios in my head, but one works completely against the other so I won't make a dick out of myself by choosing one, or typing out both.

Make your picks.

[trotter]

Hatton on points. Fading down the stretch, slightly contentious decision.

Hatton to look good early but Paulie won't yield, and Hatton will struggle to do good work in the second half of the fight.

Not far off a rerun of the Collazo fight but Paulie will be a bit less effective than Collazo was.

That's how I see it panning out. But when a fighter starts to decline, you never know the rate of decline until they step through the ropes.

[Beeston Brawler]

Hatton late stoppage.

I simply don't rate Paulie at all.

[robpalmer135]

If Mallagnaggi's hands don't break, he will win at a canter on points.

[dwilson]

Hatton to pull through and win by 6 points.

[GazOC]

Hatton point for late stoppage. Paulie can't move particulary well and can't hurt Hatton either.

[toffeejack]

I'm hoping for a Hatton resurgence but I am picking Malignaggi by UD.

Hope I'm wrong though.

[Cobbler]

Hatton outboxes and outworks Malignaggi. Probably points, but I don't rule out a late stoppage.

[Scratch]

Hatton 6th round.

He'll wear him out then fuck his ribs up.

[GazOC]

I'm not saying this out of bravado but if Hatton can't beat Paulie then he should retire. Malinaggis the type of fighter he'd have punished to the body and probably stopped late any time from 2004-2007. If he hasn't got enough left to get a points decision then he's clearly on the slide and should call it a day and enjoy his money.

[ron u.k.]

i'm taking malignaggi to outhustle hatton and win a close ud. i'm not mad on malignaggi but i do think he's a bit underrated.i think he has enough skills about him to frustrate hatton and pinch enough rounds to win the fight.to be fair to the kid underneath all the flashiness he proved himself a tough nut when going the distance with cotto.ok cotto was weight drained but a weight drained cotto still punched hard enough to demolish any 140 pounder put in his way.if cotto doesn't stop him i don't think the lighter punching hatton does.there's just less intensity in hattons work now,he's on the slide despite his new training regime.it's paulie for me.

[ScouseLad]

Hatton no problem at all against a mediocre opponent, though if Paulie's lucky his reputation will grow against despite another pasting.

[BIG WORM]

i think hatton'll either stop him or completely bully him for a UD, i dont think paulies strong enough to keep hatton away, hes got all the flashy combos but theres no power or nothing behind them.. he should have cruised past that geeza in his last fight with the so called mayweather skill set he has.. he should have boxed him from range and stopped him late on etc etc.. hatton will rough him up!!!!! i could see hatton stopping him late or about round 5-7

[slipnduck]

Hatton points win....not wide.

[Claypole]

Hatton by stoppage. Hatton may be coming towards the end of his career, but I feel he will be on top form here and bust him up.

[GPater11093]

i think either 2 things will happen

1. the hatton that fought lascano turns up and tries to get inside but just gets hit out the way and loses a desicion

or

2. a new invigorated hatton turns up and forces he fight to malignaggi and gets inside and backs him up constantly and getting a late stoppage win

i think 2 will happen

[Welly]

There are question marks over exactly what Hatton has left and anything below a top performance from him could let Paulie in to give Ricky all sorts of problems. I'm not 100% confident Hitman can deliver, but I'm willing to believe he will and pick up a comfortable points victory.

[TFFP]

I can usually play fights out in my head but its not happening for me in this fight.

[JIM KELLY]

hatton by split decision, may be controversial.

[phonk]

Paulie points. Hatton to lose at least 1 point for holding.

[stakeout]

Malignaggi split decision. Think Ricky's lifestyle is going to catch up with him and his decline will accelerate. Malignaggi seems better motivated and is desperate to put the Cotto defeat behind him and restore some pride. Also think Malignaggi is tougher than people give him credit for. Hatton better pray his numbskull fans don't boo the Yank anthem and piss the ref and judges off. It could tip things against him.

[icemax]

Hatton stops Faggot first half of the fight.

[JonOli]

I want Hatton to win but part of me thinks Pauli on points.

[JonOli]

The fever for this fight is hotting up - which is cool.

[Little Tyson]

Hatton to stop Malignaggi 9th or 10th

[realsoulja]

Magic man embarresses ricky wide UD

["TKO"]

Here's mine for the record guys. This will be appearing on another boxing site later, but not sure if I'm allowed to plug otherwise my account might be deleted.

Shorn of the Dread?

You know IBF Junior Welter champ Malignaggi is serious about a fight when he gets his prize locks cut especially. But has the brash New Yorker got what it takes to upset the Hatton applecart? British correspondent Andy "TKO" Houghton looks at a fascinating matchup from Las Vegas

You've got to hand it to Paulie Malignaggi. Not only has the tough Italian-American from the streets of Brooklyn worked his way up to become world 140lb champ with two successful defences. Not only has he amassed an impressive 25-1(5) ledger and become the first man to last the distance with Puerto Rican wrecking ball Miguel Cotto in a world title fight. Nope, not content with that, Paulie set a new best in May on the undercard of Hatton's last bout when he became the first fighter in living memory to have a mid-fight haircut, his braided dreadlocks substantially impairing his vision.

When he's not more concerned with being a one-man pugilistic fashion statement, Malignaggi can fight a bit as well. The defending IBF belterholder looked in great shape at the weight in where he made the 140lb limit with a pound to spare. Hatton weighed in on the button, but looked gaunt though unarguably ripped. Nonetheless, the calls of let's hair it for the champ fell slightly flat, with his few supporters drowned out by the estimated 4,000 Hatton followers who had made the trip. The challenger is expected to have 2-3 times that number cheering him on when they step into the ring tonight.

From a purely boxing perspective, both men will feel they have something to prove. Following on from his career first loss up at welterweight to Floyd Mayweather last year, Hatton failed to sparkle in his unanimous decision win over Juan Lazcano in May, though he won the fight comfortably. Nonetheless, his popularity remains undiminshed, with 55,000 tickets sold for that fight in a matter of days. As for Malignaggi, he was lucky to keep his belt that night with a split verdict over Lovemore Ndou whom he had previously outpointed to win it. Mix in another close call with Herman Ngoudjo in his previous outing and you've got a fighter desperate to showcase his wares on the biggest stage of all.

Quite how good Malignaggi actually is, at the moment, is much of a muchness. Brave and impressive against Cotto and superb in easily outboxing Ndou the first time, recent outings have caused some judges to question what he brings. Never noted for his power with only 5 stoppage wins, Malignaggi's reputation as a slick boxer seems somewhat misguided. In truth, whilst the American's hand and foot speed is blurring and he has good variety and a stout chin, he has never been a Mayweather, James Toney or Bernard Hopkins with mastery of every fundamental going. His game is built around using his combinations to get off first from middle distance and get out before his opponent can fire back.

In Hatton, 43-1(31) he faces what may well be a stylistic disadvantage. The diminutive Mancunian is noted as a pressure fighter who's game is built around closing the range and working his opponents over on the inside. Hatton's own footwork is deceptively good - he was able to get close to Mayweather the best technician in boxing for the first few rounds. Whilst Hatton is noted for occasionally being reckless and leaving himself open in his eagerness to get inside, you do not get the feeling that his rival tonight has the dynamite in his fists to make him think twice about doing it. Rather like a bastard child, Paulie has no pop.

The intangible factor in this bout is the impact of Hatton's new trainer Floyd Mayweather snr, the father of the man who handed him his only pro defeat. Hatton has looked good in training with a new emphasis on slipping punches and working his way in with educated pressure. There are some who feel he had got away from this approach following the night he won this title against Kostya Tszyu in favour of raw brute force. Mayweather's approach seems very much to focus on technical subtleties rather than the fitness and power training of Billy Graham.

There is always the suspicion, though, that when push comes to shove Hatton will revert to type. Which, in this of all fights, may not be such a bad thing. Whilst a more thoughtful approach undoubtedly prolongs careers, against Malignaggi, being over ponderous may allow the American to launch his flashy combos whilst Hatton thinks, as he did with some success against Cotto. On the other hand, reckless abandon from Hatton could see a messy fight for the fans, with him rushing to get close while Malignaggi gets on his bike.

From this writer's perspective, we are likely to see something in between, with Hatton taking his time more to size up the openings. Nonetheless, when one arises, we are likely to see him whipping away to the body of Paulie on the ropes. Hatton under Mayweather is likely to use his jab more and could have considerable success were he able to master the lead right that Mayweather Jnr uses to such effect. Malignaggi has looked open to this punch in the past, never more so than in the 7th round against Ngoudjo. Nonetheless, Hatton has always been more of a left hooker and at 30 (Malignaggi is 27) you have to wonder how much scope there is for the old dog to learn such new tricks.

The other major intangible here is the question of how easily Hatton made the weight. Whilst he usually appears pale at the weigh-in before rehydrating in the hours leading up to the fight, stories were flying round about Hatton being 3 1/2 pounds over the day prior to the fight. Whilst this is not a huge amount and he is likely to come into the ring at around 155, you have to wonder whether it is as easy for him to make the limit at 30 and whether his well-documented out of the ring lifestyle may be taking its toll.

Mayweather has stated that he has made his views well known on this and required his charge to knuckle down prior to training camp. Hatton may require his stamina here as his opponent is unlikely to be found wanting if the going gets tough. Whilst an inch taller, Malignaggi is more comfortable at the weight and despite his pretty-boy image has a mental strength which may be needed in the championship rounds, as he showed by going 12 with Cotto despite a broken jaw.

For Hatton, the IBF belt held by the New Yorker is a minor consideration. Hatton is Ring Magazine champion and ranked as the division's top dog, with Malignaggi immediately behind, though he holds no alphabet belt. He was won this title twice before, from Tszyu and Juan Urango, each time giving it up to avoid meaningless mandatories. Hatton has also held WBA and WBU honours in a glittering 11 year career, in addition to the WBA welterweight strap he won in a close call with Luis Collazo who has sparred with Malignaggi.

The real motivation is to show he can still do the business. Hatton has never really come close to losing at his preferred weight, but there is a first time for everything and the popular Brit has more career years behind him than in front at this stage. Former cruiserweight champ and current heavyweight contender David Haye is on record as saying that a loss here would probably signal the end of Hatton's time as a massive stage fighter. The reality may not be too far from that assessment.

So who wins? I can see Hatton getting off to a strong start, eager to show that he still has it and what he has learned. Malignaggi may come back into it in the middle rounds as he did with Cotto. Nonetheless, his brittle hands and lack of genuine knockout power at the best of times are going to be a problem. The champion will be heavily reliant on his footwork to prevent Hatton getting close. On the inside, he cannot beat Hatton at his own game the way Mayweather was able to at time. We have to assume here that Paulie will be ready for his big chance and will be significantly better than he has showed in his last two outings. Nonetheless, I think Hatton's workrate and superior power will put enough rounds in the bank to shade a close but justified verdict with Malignaggi complaining about the scoring. A late stoppage would be an unexpected, though possible, bonus.

Any comments on this story? Andy "TKO" Houghton can be reached by email at [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Beatboxer]

Hatton wide UD

A decent fight for Hatton to make, but no way am I buying it.

[rooq]

Hatton on points. Fading down the stretch, slightly contentious decision.

Hatton to look good early but Paulie won't yield, and Hatton will struggle to do good work in the second half of the fight.

Not far off a rerun of the Collazo fight but Paulie will be a bit less effective than Collazo was.

That's how I see it panning out. But when a fighter starts to decline, you never know the rate of decline until they step through the ropes.

i'm with you on this one. i can't see hatton being outclassed thoroughly enough by malignaggi to lose a decision.

hatton will get the nod if the fight is close. a hatton win is much better for vegas than a mallignagi win.

[Watto]

Hatton by stoppage mid to latter rounds.Malignaggi was extremly poor in his last bout and im with a few of you guys by saying that i dont really rate him that highly.It will def be an interesting fight early.

[pijo]

Hatton TKO 10.

All this depends on the new trainer/training methods though, it may confuse him and force him to adopt the old style mid-fight which may be to late or it may just work out for him.

Either way it should be an interesting fight.

[D-MAC]

:bump

Not long now.

Any more votes need casting?

[sean]

IMO hatton will wear pauli down and stop him late.

malinaggi flatters to deceive.

i thought he was lucky to get the nod in his last 2 fights.

if malinaggi gets on his bike and runs then he will frustrate hatton.

if the malinaggi that i beleive will come in tries to hang tough, he will get steamrolled

malinaggi is fairly profecient v the right hand in defense but is open to left hooks and jabs.

he has good leg speed and shit head movemernt.
it is there on a plate if hatton shows his old handspeed.

hattons body work should slow pau;lie down that he lands big left hooks as the fight goes on.

the only way malinaggi wins IMO is if hatton is shopworn and finished as malininaggi IMO is simply not that good either tecnically or abilty wise.

call him plugrinni from italy and he would barely raise an eyebrow on the world scene.

hattons fight to lose through to many meat pies and pints affecting his conditioning .

[Primadonna Kool]

8 round TKO Ricky Hatton Win.

[Healy]

Malignaggi should be too quick-handspeed wise and foot work wise and Hatton will come on to him

Expect the first 3-4 rounds to be cagey as FMSnr has Hatton is defensive mode, then Paulie should go into the halway mark at least even.

Hatton will be gassed after 8 as usual and it will then be rab Grab Grab V Jab Jab Jab

If Hatton somehow ups it to something from the 2005 version of Hatton then he has the beating of Paulie, if Hatton doesnt up it and comes against Lazcano, Maussa, Urango or Collazo then Paulie should dance around him

I dont believe how ignorant the UK forum is being to the over-rated Hatton and why is this poll 80/20 percentage wise???

Paulie looked good in weight in and it should be a great fight, probably close

Il go for Malignaggi 116-112 as he dances around Hatton and cuts him up

[GazOC]

Just had £25 at 3/1 on a Hatton stoppage, its gone into 9/4 at Ladbrokes.

[TFFP]

I fancy Hatton to struggle to a points win.

Wouldn't surprise me either way, its a high risk fight to bet on because of the variables.

[Healy]

Just had £25 at 3/1 on a Hatton stoppage, its gone into 9/4 at Ladbrokes.
Hatton isnt a patch on Cotto and he didnt do it, but maybe

Had a few euro on Paulie Pts wins at 3/1

[hitman_hatton1]

hatton on pts.

convincing win. :yep

[GazOC]

Hatton isnt a patch on Cotto and he didnt do it, but maybe

Had a few euro on Paulie Pts wins at 3/1
"Styles" dear boy, "styles"..........;)

But its more of an interest bet than an actual prediction, I'd probably got with Hatton UD.

[Healy]

"Styles" dear boy, "styles"..........;)

But its more of an interest bet than an actual prediction, I'd probably got with Hatton UD.
Ok, styles smileees

Dont see how Hatton possess anything Paulie cant deal with

[GazOC]

I'm hoping a higher rate of pressure than Cotto exerted.

[Kid Lucky]

Ok, styles smileees

Dont see how Hatton possess anything Paulie cant deal with

So which recent fight of Paulie's impressed you most? :?

Neither of them have been looking like PFP but I like Hatton to win by stoppage.

[El Cepillo]

Late Hatton KO.

Hatton looks in great shape.

[Fat Joe]

Malignaggi UD. Can't be bothered giving my reasons.

I'm not going to part with £15 but for some reason I really want to watch this fight now it's almost here.

[icemax]

I dont believe how ignorant the UK forum is being to the over-rated Hatton and why is this poll 80/20 percentage wise???


Its not that we are ignorant, we just know a fraud when we see one, and Paulie is a fraud.

[Fat Joe]

Is this fight on the radio? What time is it on?

[Healy]

Its not that we are ignorant, we just know a fraud when we see one, and Paulie is a fraud.
Very very ironic, and what is Hatton so, the man who looked so great against taxi drivers like Lazcona, Urango, Mausa and Collazo?

PS- neither are 'frauds' in my eyes

[Healy]

So which recent fight of Paulie's impressed you most? :?

Neither of them have been looking like PFP but I like Hatton to win by stoppage.
None of the his last 2 fights have impressed me, not since N'Dou 1 have i seen that spark

Yet again i never really saw the Hatton spark, at least not since '05

Hence its a close fight..

[Fat Joe]

It's on 5 Live. Think they are due in the ring about 3.30.

:good

[GazOC]

None of the his last 2 fights have impressed me, not since N'Dou 1 have i seen that spark

Yet again i never really saw the Hatton spark, at least not since '05

Hence its a close fight..

Maybe most of the 80% who voted for a Hatton win think it will be a close fight too, but that Hatton will win?

[D-MAC]

Malignaggi UD. Can't be bothered giving my reasons.

I'm not going to part with £15 but for some reason I really want to watch this fight now it's almost here.

I hear ya Joe:good

Still resisting temptation as we speak.

[Smazz20]

I'm leaning towards PM winning on points. It entirely depends on what Hatton has left and what Mayweather has done with him. But I do think he has slipped considerably and Malignaggi will have trouble, no doubt, but will do enough to ensure victory. I'm really not sure, Ricky has the hunger to do this much longer. He was outright dreadful in the Lazcano fight. He needed the ref to step in and save him from being sparked out. He's talking about a Pacman/ODLH fight already which means he just wants another big payday. Who knows though, maybe Mayweather has worked wonders with him and Malignggi is not as tough and good as we think.

[Smazz20]

I was wrong

[GazOC]

I was right.

[Anthony Farnell]

I voted for Hatton UD and did the same in the prediction thing.
The fight pretty much went the way I expected but Paulie was even worse than I believed before the fight.

[GazOC]

I voted for Hatton UD and did the same in the prediction thing.
The fight pretty much went the way I expected but Paulie was even worse than I believed before the fight.
Hatton UD was a fair result, Paulie couldn't deal with Hatton and was never going to win but I thought he could have stuck it out for a points loss if the corner hadn't have pulled him out.

[Anthony Farnell]

Hatton UD was a fair result, Paulie couldn't deal with Hatton and was never going to win but I thought he could have stuck it out for a points loss if the corner hadn't have pulled him out.

Agree. Paulie was outclassed badly though imo and it didn't shock me much to see him pulled out. He wasn't doing what his corner wanted and just wanted to hang on until the end of the fight.

[GazOC]

I dont believe how ignorant the UK forum is being to the over-rated Hatton and why is this poll 80/20 percentage wise???


<ahem!>..........

Sure looked like a 80/20 fight to me?;)

[El Cepillo]

I was right! woop! thats three in a row for me.

[ScouseLad]

Hatton no problem at all against a mediocre opponent, though if Paulie's lucky his reputation will grow against despite another pasting.

Easiest money ever! The lad is dire, he has a few "decent" attributes and thats about the highest praise he deserves, he was never ever a winner here.

[Primadonna Kool]

8 round TKO Ricky Hatton Win.

close..

[brown bomber]

close.. I think you could of beat both of them with your natural talent.:good

[D-MAC]

I think you could of beat both of them with your natural talent.:good

:lol:

Laughed my ass off at that one; old dear in the library here just give me a real dirty look.:D

[brown bomber]

:lol:

Laughed my ass off at that one; old dear in the library here just give me a real dirty look.:D Beat her with your natural talent.:D

[D-MAC]

Beat her with your natural talent.:D

Already done:good

The police are trying to pull me away from the computer as I type this, and the medics say the old dear probably won't make it...fuck it...she had it coming.

[TFFP]

I really should have been 100% absolutely correct, except for the unconvincing bit. Why did they pull Malignaggi out and put a KO loss on his record when he was never actually going to get knocked out, and wasn't even taking a huge beating?

Oh well.

[Healy]

<ahem!>..........

Sure looked like a 80/20 fight to me?;):good
Heinsight is great

[JonOli]

Why did they pull Malignaggi out and put a KO loss on his record when he was never actually going to get knocked out, and wasn't even taking a huge beating?

Oh well.

Stopping the no1 contender the fight before is stunning form going into a big money Oscar fight. :think

[TFFP]

Stopping the no1 contender the fight before is stunning form going into a big money Oscar fight. :think
If you are hinting at backhanders it did cross my mind.

But it seems a little far fetched. McGirt really knew Malignaggi was going to get his ass kicked, and was just talking him up and making a fool of himself pre-fight? McGirt was confident as hell, he woulda just kept quiet that being the case.

I think it was just a horrible call.

[pijo]

Hatton TKO 10.

All this depends on the new trainer/training methods though, it may confuse him and force him to adopt the old style mid-fight which may be to late or it may just work out for him.

Either way it should be an interesting fight.
One round out.

Nearly.

[JonOli]

If you are hinting at backhanders it did cross my mind.

But it seems a little far fetched. McGirt really knew Malignaggi was going to get his ass kicked, and was just talking him up and making a fool of himself pre-fight? McGirt was confident as hell, he woulda just kept quiet that being the case.

I think it was just a horrible call.

I extremely doubt any foul play - certainly not from the trainer, but there were a few promoters ringside (all the big wigs, GBP, Oscar etc) who wouldn't have been to discouraging about the towel going in! In fact one of the promoters after the fight said he would have "fu@@in thrown it in himself" if the trainer hadn't.

At the end of the day though it was best for Pauli as he was never going to win the fight by knocking Hatton out - so why take the extra punishment.