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Hatton warms up for Tszyu
by demolishing Oliveira.
By British correspondent Andy "TKO" Houghton
British junior welter contender Ricky Hatton keep alive his unbeaten record
and his dream of challenging IBF champ Kostya Tszyu by becoming the first
man to stop veteran American "Sucra" Ray Oliveira at London's ExCel arena.
Immediately from the off, it was evident the American was in for a tough
night, as Hatton got quickly into his stride and began working him over with
classy combinations to head and body. Two minutes in, a clubbing right hand
sent the challenger to the canvas, and for a brief moment it looked as
though Hatton was in for an early night. The game challenger got to his
feet, however, and proceeded to walk face-first into just about everything
Hatton was throwing in the second. The third round saw some goodexchanges,
but it was evident that Oliveira lacked the power to trouble his ten years
younger foe. By contrast, Hatton by this time was wearing him down with a
breathtaking display of heavy-handed punching.
The middle rounds were more of the same, a cut opened by a Hatton right hand
in the seventh adding to oliveira's problems. By this point, Oliveira's
offensive output was virtually zero, and any shots he did manage to land
were immediately returned with interest by the remorseless Hatton. The fight
at this stage had become simply a matter of whether Oliveira, the 15th
failed challenger for Hatton's low-rent WBU belt, could go the distance with
the Mancunian. The answer turned out to be negative, as he was ultimately
clobbered to the deck early in the 10th by a meaty right-hander which seemed
to damage his eardrum, and made a conscious decision not to take any more
punishment.
Such was the one-sided nature of the fight, it seemed that one of the fight
game's most respected gatekeepers is in danger of fading into stepping stone
status. For Hatton, who upped his log to 38-0 with 28 opponents stopped, it
is to be hoped that 2005 will finally deliver the genuine title shot his
talents deserve.
In other action on the undercard former WBO 154lb challenger Wayne
Alexander, fresh from a two round clobbering of Takaloo, avenged a previous
defeat with a shutout 100-90 defeat of Delroy Mellis, while John McDermott
was suprisingly outpointed 96-95 by Mark Krence for the English heavyweight
title. Heavy hitting super feather Kevin Mitchell took a 39-37 decision over
durable Henry Janes, while the wonderfully named middleweight prospect
Martin "The Immaculate" Concepcion dropped Bertrand Souleyras twice for a
for round stoppage.
Questions or Comments? Please Contact Andy "TKO" Houghton