Hatton: back in love with boxing

Listening to Ricky afterwards, he just seemed a much older and wiser man. In the past his fighting and his interviews have been a little gung-ho and he's just rushed in, but this time he fought and talked like the intelligent boxing man we all know he is.

Glenn McCrory
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HATTON v MALIGNAGGI
IBO Light-Welterweight title
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Also see

• Hatton turns on the magic
• Hatton - I'll get better


• Malignaggi left seething
• Matthew mirrors Hitman's win


• Murray wins Prizefighter
• Book the repeats

I have to say well done to my old mate Ricky Hatton.

I thought it was a good, concentrated performance in whch he looked solid, he looked fit and above all he looked rejuvenated.

In terms of style I don't think it was vastly different to what he's always done but what I liked was the renewed vigour and confidence Ricky showed.

Things must just have gone flat for him since that defeat by Floyd Mayweather Jnr and you have to give the guy credit for going out there, trying to do something different to change all that.

Whatever he and Floyd Snr have been up to it has clearly given him a new lease of life. We saw a similar thing with Matthew Hatton in his fight with Ben Tackie, where he looked energetic and buzing and the decision to change trainers has clearly paid off.

Ricky still went out there and got hit with every punch in the book in the first round, so I am not exactly sure what defensive work they did, but he seemed sharp and was right on his game which was good.

But as good as Ricky was, I have to say I was disappointed in Paulie Malignaggi. For all my worrying on these pages in the run-up to the fight, by the time it had arrived I had come to the conclusion that Malignaggi had done nothing to suggest he could beat Ricky Hatton - even a poor Ricky Hatton.

And he did go straight into defensive mode as soon as he got hit, but that usually makes fights terrible for the guy who is on top.

To be fair to Ricky, he did his best to unravel him, although from about the second round onwards when he went back to his corner, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world than trying to fathom a guy who was running, ducking, holding and clinching for nine rounds.

But he stuck at it and did show a lot more patience. He also used that jab a lot more and threw the long jab that almost becomes an uppercut, which is so hard to defend against.

Like I say though, on the whole it wasn't like Ricky was doing things we hadn't seen before. But he was much cooler, much more laid-back and it seems that has been the biggest change brought about by Mayweather.

And listening to him afterwards, he just seemed a much older and wiser man. In the past his fighting and his interviews have been a little gung-ho and he's just rushed in, but this time he fought and talked like the intelligent boxing man we all know he is.

That bodes well for the future, wherever that may be. He could stay at light-welterweight and make more defences and stay on top of his game for another two years, but boxing is about challenges - and that means Oscar de la Hoya.

That is a fight I think Ricky can win. I said before the Floyd Mayweather fight I would rather see him in with de la Hoya for one simple reason: Oscar isn't as mobile. He stands in front of you and although he is the bigger guy, that will suit Ricky far better.

And don't forget, Oscar is no spring chicken anymore.

That is going to be one megafight for megabucks if it does come off and much like Mayweather, there's no disrespect in it if Ricky does get beaten by the Golden Boy. He'd be mad not to jump at the chance!

But in the meantime, I am just glad we saw Ricky Hatton, at this stage of his career, looking refreshed, full of enthusiasm and back in love with the sport.

I admire and respect him for taking himself off and doing something different and although it was a gamble, you have to say it worked well. He has outclassed the next best guy in the division, he has got his hunger back and he has silenced the doubters.

Hat's off to Hatton!