johnmichael-bricHatton Detsroys Malignaggi
November 25th 2008 02:42
Nearly a year ago to the day, Ricky Hatton left the MGM Grand Garden a loser. Amidst a chorus of “Hatton Wonderland” chants, Floyd Mayweather Jr pummeled The Hitman in stellar fashion. Upon returning to the same site where he suffered his first crushing defeat, Ricky Hatton rebounded as he defended his world junior welterweight title and steamrolled Paulie Malignaggi in a matchup of the 140-pound division’s top fighters.
fightnews.comBoth Ricky Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi’s futures in the sport of boxing were in doubt after crushing losses to Mayweather Jr and Miguel Cotto respectively. Entering Saturday’s Junior Welterweight matchup, both fighters had a lot to prove but only one would continue on the road for redemption. Ricky Hatton would be that man as he bruised and battered Malignaggi as The Magic Man’s corner could watch no more and waved the white flag leading to an impressive 11th round TKO.
Although his star quality had dimmed a bit since losing to Mayweather at this very arena nearly a year ago, those who did cross the pond to support him were freakishly loud and undeniably happy with Hatton’s performance.
The crowd was not nearly as immense as it was the last time Hatton fought at the MGM Grand Garden but the result was certainly better for the raucous 9,053 in attendance. Although he lost to Mayweather and was rather unimpressive in his victory over Juan Lazcano in May, Hatton hasn’t changed much at all – unless you count the Billy Graham-Floyd Mayweather Sr trainer swap.
fightnews.comHatton – who improves to 45-1 with his 32nd KO - was up to his usual antics as he entered the ring wearing a fat suit to poke fun at his often talked about weight. The crowd still sings “Hatton Wonderland” to nausea and The Hitman still swarms his opponents with a barrage of punches. The same can be said about Malignaggi after the brutal beating handed to him by Miguel Cotto. He is still a brash fighter whose mouth has more pop than his fists. He still possesses magnificent speed and he still has an often unpleasing fight style that seemingly gets the job done. Both had something to prove. For Hatton however, his desire to remain at the top of his game was too overwhelming for Malignaggi on this night.
In the first round, Malignaggi – who falls to 25-2, 5 KOs - attempted to control the fight with his jab as it appeared that Hatton had become a bit subdued under the tutelage of Mayweather Sr. But before you can say “There’s Only One Ricky Hatton,” The Hitman emerged from his corner in round two in vintage form and chased Malignaggi with a stiff jab and ruthless aggression.
Although some things in Hatton remained the same, there were some subtle differences this time around that made a world of difference.
fightnews.comHatton – under the watchful eye of Mayweather Sr’s seven weeks of crash course training – moved his head and jammed Malignaggi repeatedly with a stiff jab. The head movement made him a much more difficult opponent to stick as Malignaggi only managed to land 91 punches in eleven rounds. The Brit’s jab set up some thudding power punches that rattled his opponent continuously.
The power punching was clearly the difference in this fight as Hatton nearly dropped Malignaggi in the 2nd with a wicked right cross followed by a barrage of punches that chopped The Magic Man down and had him clinging to Hatton for dear life. Holding is something that Malignaggi did often as he spent most of his time hugging the Brit rather than fighting him. Although Hatton appeared annoyed with the constant grabbing, he remained undeterred and continued to blitz his opponent when he could and left The Magic Man spellbound. Several hard left hooks tore into Malignaggi’s face in the sixth and a searing uppercut snapped his head back in the eighth.
By the time the 11th round rolled around, trainer Buddy McGirt was barking at the Brooklynite to throw more punches and stop standing in front of Hatton. Those orders fell on deaf ears as the pounding continued as McGirt to climb the apron and threw in the towel, forcing referee Kenny Bayless to bring the fight to a halt at :28 in round 11. The decision to stop the fight was a smart one as Malignaggi was down 99-91 on all three scorecards and simply does not possess the punching power to change the fight with a single shot.
fightnews.comThe hugely pro-Hatton crowd erupted in celebration as Malignaggi could be seen pacing the ring frustrated with the decision to wave the white flag and put a knock out blemish on his record.
Buddy McGirt had his reasons, no matter how unpopular they may seem.
"The reason I stopped the fight was because my guy was losing and I wanted him to live to fight another day," McGirt responded when asked about calling it quits. "I didn't want him to get seriously injured. It only takes one shot. I would rather have him be mad at me for stopping the fight than let him get hurt and never fight again."
"Ricky fought a terrific fight. He's a terrific fighter but this goes as a knockout on my record, but it shouldn't be. I was worse off in the Miguel Cotto fight [my other loss] and they didn't stop it then; why should they stop it now?" Malignaggi said in disgust after the fight.
For Hatton, the result couldn’t be more pleasing.
"I enjoyed this fight a lot more than the last time I was here," Hatton jested after the fight.
fightnews.com"Paulie is a great fighter, but this felt like a comeback,” Hatton said. “I think you can see all the new things I worked on in camp. I slowed down. I was more composed and used my left jab. I was picking shots off better. I left my chin out to dry a few times, but I was picking shots off better, using my jab better, moving my head a little bit more. It can still get better."
The future may be cloudy for Malignaggi, but rest assured we will see him again. As for Hatton, he’s not trying to wait to fight boxing’s elite. He wants them right now.
The victory paves the way to a possible showdown with the winner of the upcoming Manny Pacquiao Vs Oscar De La Hoya bout. Both fights are intriguing for a number of reasons and Hatton is never one to back down from a challenge.
"Bring it on. I'd definitely like to do it," Hatton said regarding a probable move in weight class to fight De La Hoya. No one will beat me at junior welterweight, I really believe that. But what sort of champion would I be if I just stayed at my normal weight?
"I only have a couple of more years left. I want big fights," he said.
Judging by Saturday night’s performance, big fights are clearly on the horizon.
fightnews.comBoth Ricky Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi’s futures in the sport of boxing were in doubt after crushing losses to Mayweather Jr and Miguel Cotto respectively. Entering Saturday’s Junior Welterweight matchup, both fighters had a lot to prove but only one would continue on the road for redemption. Ricky Hatton would be that man as he bruised and battered Malignaggi as The Magic Man’s corner could watch no more and waved the white flag leading to an impressive 11th round TKO.
Although his star quality had dimmed a bit since losing to Mayweather at this very arena nearly a year ago, those who did cross the pond to support him were freakishly loud and undeniably happy with Hatton’s performance.
The crowd was not nearly as immense as it was the last time Hatton fought at the MGM Grand Garden but the result was certainly better for the raucous 9,053 in attendance. Although he lost to Mayweather and was rather unimpressive in his victory over Juan Lazcano in May, Hatton hasn’t changed much at all – unless you count the Billy Graham-Floyd Mayweather Sr trainer swap.
fightnews.comHatton – who improves to 45-1 with his 32nd KO - was up to his usual antics as he entered the ring wearing a fat suit to poke fun at his often talked about weight. The crowd still sings “Hatton Wonderland” to nausea and The Hitman still swarms his opponents with a barrage of punches. The same can be said about Malignaggi after the brutal beating handed to him by Miguel Cotto. He is still a brash fighter whose mouth has more pop than his fists. He still possesses magnificent speed and he still has an often unpleasing fight style that seemingly gets the job done. Both had something to prove. For Hatton however, his desire to remain at the top of his game was too overwhelming for Malignaggi on this night.
In the first round, Malignaggi – who falls to 25-2, 5 KOs - attempted to control the fight with his jab as it appeared that Hatton had become a bit subdued under the tutelage of Mayweather Sr. But before you can say “There’s Only One Ricky Hatton,” The Hitman emerged from his corner in round two in vintage form and chased Malignaggi with a stiff jab and ruthless aggression.
Although some things in Hatton remained the same, there were some subtle differences this time around that made a world of difference.
fightnews.comHatton – under the watchful eye of Mayweather Sr’s seven weeks of crash course training – moved his head and jammed Malignaggi repeatedly with a stiff jab. The head movement made him a much more difficult opponent to stick as Malignaggi only managed to land 91 punches in eleven rounds. The Brit’s jab set up some thudding power punches that rattled his opponent continuously.
The power punching was clearly the difference in this fight as Hatton nearly dropped Malignaggi in the 2nd with a wicked right cross followed by a barrage of punches that chopped The Magic Man down and had him clinging to Hatton for dear life. Holding is something that Malignaggi did often as he spent most of his time hugging the Brit rather than fighting him. Although Hatton appeared annoyed with the constant grabbing, he remained undeterred and continued to blitz his opponent when he could and left The Magic Man spellbound. Several hard left hooks tore into Malignaggi’s face in the sixth and a searing uppercut snapped his head back in the eighth.
By the time the 11th round rolled around, trainer Buddy McGirt was barking at the Brooklynite to throw more punches and stop standing in front of Hatton. Those orders fell on deaf ears as the pounding continued as McGirt to climb the apron and threw in the towel, forcing referee Kenny Bayless to bring the fight to a halt at :28 in round 11. The decision to stop the fight was a smart one as Malignaggi was down 99-91 on all three scorecards and simply does not possess the punching power to change the fight with a single shot.
fightnews.comThe hugely pro-Hatton crowd erupted in celebration as Malignaggi could be seen pacing the ring frustrated with the decision to wave the white flag and put a knock out blemish on his record.
Buddy McGirt had his reasons, no matter how unpopular they may seem.
"The reason I stopped the fight was because my guy was losing and I wanted him to live to fight another day," McGirt responded when asked about calling it quits. "I didn't want him to get seriously injured. It only takes one shot. I would rather have him be mad at me for stopping the fight than let him get hurt and never fight again."
"Ricky fought a terrific fight. He's a terrific fighter but this goes as a knockout on my record, but it shouldn't be. I was worse off in the Miguel Cotto fight [my other loss] and they didn't stop it then; why should they stop it now?" Malignaggi said in disgust after the fight.
For Hatton, the result couldn’t be more pleasing.
"I enjoyed this fight a lot more than the last time I was here," Hatton jested after the fight.
fightnews.com"Paulie is a great fighter, but this felt like a comeback,” Hatton said. “I think you can see all the new things I worked on in camp. I slowed down. I was more composed and used my left jab. I was picking shots off better. I left my chin out to dry a few times, but I was picking shots off better, using my jab better, moving my head a little bit more. It can still get better."
The future may be cloudy for Malignaggi, but rest assured we will see him again. As for Hatton, he’s not trying to wait to fight boxing’s elite. He wants them right now.
The victory paves the way to a possible showdown with the winner of the upcoming Manny Pacquiao Vs Oscar De La Hoya bout. Both fights are intriguing for a number of reasons and Hatton is never one to back down from a challenge.
"Bring it on. I'd definitely like to do it," Hatton said regarding a probable move in weight class to fight De La Hoya. No one will beat me at junior welterweight, I really believe that. But what sort of champion would I be if I just stayed at my normal weight?
"I only have a couple of more years left. I want big fights," he said.
Judging by Saturday night’s performance, big fights are clearly on the horizon.
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