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Experts & Blogs Home | Experts' columns | Ricky's Diary | Adam Smith

The win is not enough

Does Ricky Hatton need to put on a show - or is winning enough?

Posted: 14th May 2008 15:23

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Hatton: time to shine

I also think he needs a performance, because his last half-dozen or so fights since he moved up to world-class level, have seen him grind out results more than anything. Now I think he needs a couple of good performances.

Jim Watt
Quotes of the week

THE HOMECOMING
Ricky Hatton v Juan Lazcano
IBO Light-Welterweight title
Live on Sky Box Office
7.30pm, Saturday, May 24
Call 08442 410888 to book
Click here for more information

Also see

Sky Sports' legendary boxing panel have followed Ricky Hatton throughout his rise to the very top.

They will be there on May 24th when he comes home to Manchester but in the run-up to the big night, will be sharing their expert insight with us here on skysports.com.
We will be putting a series of questions to Jim Watt, Johnny Nelson, Glenn McCrory and Nicky Piper as we countdown to The Homecoming, so let them mark your card ahead of a massive night in Manchester.

Question Two: Hatton is of course coming back from that to defeat to Floyd Mayweather, in front of 55,000 fans. Given both of those facts, how important is it that he puts on a good performance - or will just beating Juan Lazacano be enough?

Nicky Piper: I think it's imperative at this stage of his career that he does. He's now after the glory, he's made enough money to last a lifetime, so he needs to look good. I don't think is is just about getting the win in the column - from now on in, every one of his fights needs to be an impressive performance to show everyone that he is still the best.

Johnny Nelson: I don't think Ricky is ever affected by the stage he's fighting on. I remember seeing him on the undercard of Naseem Hamed-Kevin Kelley in New York and there he was, a young lad who had done nothing, in Madison Square, the Mecca of boxing, yet he blew the other guy away. The only time I have seen anything get to him is against Mayweather when I thought before the fight that Floyd talked him into getting angry, hating him and getting emotionally involved - he'd bitten.

But that won't happen here. Ricky always wants to put on a show because that's the sort of fighter he is, but this is all about getting that 'w' back in the column, proving to us, to those fans and to himself, that he is still the best.

Jim Watt: Ricky's Ricky and always will be. I don't think he'll feel any pressure to look good - although he needs to. With the way Ricky fights and the way Lazcano fights, with 50,000 fans there I think this will be a helluva fight, but I also think he needs a performance, because his last half-dozen or so fights since he moved up to world-class level, have seen him grind out results more than anything. Now I think he needs a couple of good performances.

Glenn McCrory: Because he's such a humble guy people don't expect too much from him - just the win.The fans are behind him whatever he does and that is what makes Ricky so good. He's a modest man and even being beaten by Floyd Mayweather has not changed that and when you look at someone like Naseem Hamed, as soon as he lost a fight, he lost his fans.

Ricky will always be the people's champion and we will see the fans rallying round him, delighted to have him back in Manchester. Mind you, I am sure he'll want to put on a show.

Last time we asked The Panel just how Hatton, coming off the back of a defeat, manages to pull 55,000 punters in for his comeback fight...

Click here to read what they had to say