Rumors abound about a TV interview showing a plump Ricky Hatton and many people have said Hatton will be too busy losing weight to train properly. Reportedly, Hatton had been on holiday in the Caribbean prior to that interview, so it's possible he put on some extra weight while relaxing. The rest and indulgence Hatton probably enjoyed would be a good thing, as he will go into training camp fresh, content and not desiring a break. The amount of punches Hatton throws per fight indicates he trains hard so should easily shed any excess pounds he gained. I think the weight situation has been blown out of proportion. Hatton has been quoted, “Be assured I will be there fully fit and to the best of my ability on the night.” I’m swaying with the same opinion especially after seeing recent shots of a very lean and fit looking Ricky Hatton.

I have read a few articles involving Hatton discussing the biggest bout of his career and how he plans to overcome one of the most dangerous boxers in the history of the 140-pound division. Here is what Hatton said about Tszyu’s strengths & weaknesses:

“He is very good at dictating the pace of the fight.” With a Kostya Tszyu (bout) the pace is very similar and perhaps people (his opponents) are mesmerized by the big right hand. This actually works for Tszyu as when they drop the pace, watch, and wait for the big right hand it actually gives him more time to place it at the right speed in just the right area. He is very clever in this respect in what he does. He is a thinking fighter but I do not think his style is that awkward to read, it is just he is very good at it.”

“It is very difficult to spot any huge weaknesses that are so obvious and so glaring- my main belief is that I aim to put the pressure on him and change the pace at which he is used to fighting. I will not be mesmerized by the potential of this big right hand landing but fighting at my own fast pace. It may sound stupid but the plan to beat Kostya Tszyu is obvious, as I have described. A high work rate and speed backed by a volume of punches and good defense is the basic plan. The game plan is almost set and he will stand tough with the right hand cocked and it will be up to me to put on concerted and effective pressure for a long period of time.”

I have to give Hatton credit here, he is a lot smarter than Judah and Mitchell, who simply regarded Kostya as robotic slugger and paid the price for such complacency. Ricky, in my opinion, has realized the only way to beat Tszyu is to fight him coming forward and not run from him. For an opponent to beat Tszyu in the ring they need to have excellent fitness, be able to apply a high work rate, apply and utilize above average skills, have above average power and be in possession of a very solid chin. Somehow I think Hatton will lack the chin and skills to get the job done if Tszyu comes into this bout in the same form he did in his last fight.

Tszyu appears to be taking Ricky Hatton very seriously. Tszyu was quoted in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph as saying he was in training three weeks before he went into his usual two week stint down at the Institute of Sport in Canberra to get in shape just to go into training camp! Five weeks of training to get into shape to go into training camp is unheard of. For those of you who may think Tszyu will over train for this bout and will wilt under Hatton’s relentless body punches here is what he says:

“I’m preparing for a very hard fight. I’m doing a lot to strengthen my body because I know he will concentrate his attack there. By the time of the fight I will have done so much work on my stomach that if he wants to punch me there I will say go ahead my friend, you’re welcome.”

Having witnessed one of Tszyu’s training sessions I believe Tszyu here but I do think it would be unwise for Kostya to not defend his body against Hatton. I’m pretty sure Tszyu will be looking to avoid as many punches as possible and he is confident that if Hatton does get through with his any of his famous body shots they won’t have any effect.

Hatton further states: “I will be throwing volumes of combinations to head and body and he will not be able to push me around. I don’t think he is a very good inside fighter and so if I move in quick and throw volumes of punches I will have some definite success.”

Wrong, Tszyu is very strong and he has fought other men who are as strong as Hatton but I don’t think Hatton has fought anyone as strong as Tszyu. Kostya is an excellent inside fighter; he just hasn’t had too many fighters who have wanted to fight him this way. However, when fighters such as Ahmed Santos, Julio Cesar Chavez & Rafael Ruelas tried to fight him coming forward, Tszyu moved to fighting on the back foot until he had his man in trouble or in a position to attack aggressively.

It is worth mentioning that Tszyu also uses awkward angled punches at times, usually when he is close to his opponents. Miguel Angel Gonzalez was hit by sharp inside uppercuts from Tszyu in the 1999 bout and I recall seeing him connect with a funny looking short overhand right on Ahmed Santos and a very short right hook on Angel Hernandez in 1994. These punches were awkward in the angle and manner thrown, more like something you would expect from Roy Jones or Naseem Hamed.  Tszyu has many tricks up his sleeve that Hatton has not encountered. After having watched Tszyu pin DeMarcus Corley to the ropes for 4 rounds,  constantly banging on him from an in close fighting style in a gym sparring session whilst he was preparing for his last bout, I know Tszyu can fight in close if he chooses. Still, fighting his natural style will be the best bet for Hatton as I believe he can’t fight on the back foot and he will be in trouble if Tszyu connects hard early and forces Ricky on to the back foot.

In addition, Tszyu has been sparring the IBF number one ranked middleweight Sam Soliman amongst others in preparation for this bout. Soliman is a lot bigger and stronger than 140-pound fighters are and he is extremely fit and throws many punches like Ricky Hatton. Soliman has been a regular Tszyu sparring partner as he has the talent to mimic just about any fighter’s style. Tszyu will be prepared come June!

“My danger zone is going to be where Tszyu is in the range to explode one of his big right hands. I anticipate for the early rounds making sure my movement is good enough so I avoid his big right hand. My plan is to avoid it totally and if I am up close and in his face he will not have the leverage to land with power effectively. I feel my on-fighting is superior and couple with speed and movement I have all the skills to defeat him.”

A good plan and although I respect Hatton’s ability to assess Tszyu’s strengths and to map a good strategy to victory, it’s another thing to effectively execute such a plan. I feel Hatton has already underestimated the all round boxing ability that Tszyu possesses and something Ricky might need to remember is Tszyu possesses jaw-shattering power in his left hand too... Kostya Tszyu is quite capable of beating Hatton with just his left hand jab and left hook, in recent years he has used these punches to position his opponents for the big right hand cross. Tszyu knocked out his second pro opponent with a single left hook and he knocked down Leonardo Mas in a 1997 IBF title fight three times in the first round with his left hand. He also drilled Sharmba Mitchell, Julio Cesar Chavez and Miguel Angel Gonzalez with huge left hooks, so don’t be surprised if Kostya hurts or even drops Hatton with a left hook or left uppercut. Tszyu’s jab is also under respected by his opponents and boxing analysts alike, as he does not throw a light fast flicking jab as often as say a Floyd Mayweather Jnr. or Roy Jones. In contrast, Tszyu throws a very stiff and solid jab that does more than keep his opponent away; he aims to do damage with his jab and when it connects it really throws his opponent off balance.

What Tszyu has said about the fight recently: “I’m definitely a much smarter fighter now. With experience comes wisdom. I train differently without taking shortcuts. I can read a fight differently and I can see the mistakes my opponents make quickly. Hatton gets hit a lot and he gets cut a lot, he bruises. In some of his fights his face was a mess. He also likes to attack the body and that creates openings. I doubt anyone has hit him as hard to the body as I will.”

I believe Tszyu intends on giving Hatton some of his own medicine and I do realize I will be crucified by the British boxing fans here, but Kostya Tszyu is a tremendously capable body puncher, and it is a great disappointment to fans like Jeff Fenech and myself that Kostya does not go to the body more often. Tszyu has stopped Diosbelis Hurtardo and Corey Johnston in world title fights. If Tszyu has decided to target Hatton’s body then Ricky will want to be prepared, as Tszyu’s opponents are usually not looking for a body punch and his body punches come faster than Hatton’s, but  less frequently.

I can see many openings that Ricky Hatton gives when he is launching his relentless aggressive tactics. Hatton exposes not only his chin but his whole head as he winds up for his big bombs. If I can see these openings then I’m sure Tszyu will ten times more than me. Kostya Tszyu is one of the most accurate and straight throwing punchers I have seen, not to mention one of the best counter punchers, and he is very quick to take advantage of any opening. Tszyu is twice the counter puncher Eamon Magee is with twice the power and Magee gave Hatton some major problems early in their bout but he was unable to maintain the pace. If Tszyu can find the chin of elusive & awkward fighters such as Zab Judah, Sharmba Mitchell and Oktay Urkal he will have no problem finding Hatton’s chin and I do recognize that Hatton does at times use very effective head movement.

I can see Hatton getting caught by sneaky punches from Tszyu as the fighters break. This is not illegal unless the referee has ordered the break and I have seen Chavez, Gonzalez, Santos all knocked off balance by these types of shots from Tszyu and the way Hatton breaks with his hands slightly lowered will leave him vulnerable to this tactic.

After more thought on how Tszyu-Hatton will pan out I have only changed my mind slightly on the outcome. I feel Hatton will be more competitive and stands a better chance of victory than Sharmba Mitchell did. Tszyu beat Mitchell the first time around when he was not at his best, if he comes into this bout like he did against Leija, Phillips, Lopez or the first Mitchell fight he will probably come away from England with the second loss of his career. Tszyu could also grow old overnight, I do believe this is what Frank Warren and the best of the British boxing analysts are hoping and praying for this time round. Depending on whom you talk to this is either a possibility or a probability. I expect both men will be in the best shape of their lives and if Tszyu is as sharp as I expect him to be, I expect Ricky Hatton’s game plan will be thrown off track the first time Tszyu connects with a big punch.  Hatton has ever been hit as hard or as often as he will be on June 4. I think this bout will follow a similar pattern to the Julio Cesar Chavez-Andy Holligan bout where Holligan bravely came forward with Chavez moving onto the back foot allowing Holligan to walk into his power shots. Once Tszyu hurts Hatton and forces the pale puncher to fight on the back foot it will over. I do think Tszyu-Hatton will be much more spectacular than Chavez-Holligan. I am more concerned about 22,000 English spectators full of alcohol at 2.00 in the morning than what Hatton has to offer. I do believe that Frank Warren and Tszyu’s management team have a very large security force employed. It would be a shame if something similar to what happened to Marvin Hagler in the UK when he defeated home town hero Alan Minter were to occur again.

Kostya Tszyu was asked by the Daily Telegraph’s Grantlee Keiza how much longer he will fight. The answer was “one year,” three more fights including the Hatton bout. Should Tszyu be successful in June, as I expect him to be,  I am hoping a rematch with Zab Judah for the undisputed Welterweight crown becomes a reality before the end of the year. If not, hopefully a bout against Gatti, Mayweather, Cotto or De la Hoya!  I really don’t think Tszyu will be pursuing anything other than super fights from June onwards if he defeats Ricky Hatton.

Tszyu wishes to fight once again in Sydney and once in his native Russia before he retires. I don’t know how likely he will be able attract one of these opponents to Russia or Australia. Like Bernard Hopkins and Oscar de la Hoya, Kostya Tszyu is nearing the end of his career so we should enjoy the few remaining fights he has left.

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