Ricky Hatton vs. Kostya Tszyu
Encyclopedia
Ricky Hatton vs. Kostya Tszyu was a boxing
Light Welterweight
fight on June 4, 2005 between Ricky Hatton
and Kostya Tszyu at the Manchester Evening News Arena
in Manchester
, England. 22,000 crammed into the arena to watch one of the biggest upsets in British Boxing History.
champion having knocked out Tony Pep
and was coming into the fight off stoppage wins against Michael Stewart and Ray Oliveira
. He was the underdog for the fight known mostly in Britain as a young crowd favourite.
Kostya Tszyu was however an established force amongst the top pound for pound fighter in the world and had been the first man to unify the light welterweight division in 30 years. At 35 years old he had been the champion for more than a decade and was considered a national hero in Australia. His only other defeat was in 1997 to Vince Phillips
and was named the Ring Magazine upset of the year
.
The fight was staged at 2:00 am local time to accommodate the American TV company Showtime and that it would on prime time in America. The referee was Dave Parris
.
threw in the towel.
An emotional Hatton was stunned and all the fans cheered as Dave Parris waved off the fight, both boxers embraced after a classic fight.
The fight is generally regarded as the peak in Hatton's career; the stamina and heart he displayed in the fight is now legendary, although recently his body has shown signs of slowing after years of ballooning up in weight between fights.
that brought Hatton the award of 2005 Ring Magazine fighter of the year
. Hatton went on to beat such names Juan Urango
, José Luis Castillo
and Paulie Malignaggi but has since lost twice to pound-for-pound kings Floyd Mayweather Jr in December 2007 and against Manny Pacquiao
in May 2009 via a 2nd round KO.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Light Welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
fight on June 4, 2005 between Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
and Kostya Tszyu at the Manchester Evening News Arena
Manchester Evening News Arena
The Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. 22,000 crammed into the arena to watch one of the biggest upsets in British Boxing History.
Build-up
Ricky Hatton was at the time, the WBU light welterweightLight welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
champion having knocked out Tony Pep
Tony Pep
Tony Pep is a boxer from New Westminster, British Columbia. He had a record of 42 wins , 10 losses, and 1 draw....
and was coming into the fight off stoppage wins against Michael Stewart and Ray Oliveira
Ray Oliveira
"Sucra" Ray Oliveira in New Bedford, MA, USA is a former professional boxer who plans on coming out of retirement in an attempt to gain his 50th career win...
. He was the underdog for the fight known mostly in Britain as a young crowd favourite.
Kostya Tszyu was however an established force amongst the top pound for pound fighter in the world and had been the first man to unify the light welterweight division in 30 years. At 35 years old he had been the champion for more than a decade and was considered a national hero in Australia. His only other defeat was in 1997 to Vince Phillips
Vince Phillips
Vincent Edwards Phillips Sr. is an American boxer best known for upsetting and beating then undefeated Kostya Tszyu for the junior welterweight title.- Early life :...
and was named the Ring Magazine upset of the year
Ring Magazine upsets of the year
The Ring was established in 1922. Since 1980, it has named a fight that has resulted in an outcome that was highly contrary to general expectations as upset of the year, based on the magazine's writers' criteria...
.
The fight was staged at 2:00 am local time to accommodate the American TV company Showtime and that it would on prime time in America. The referee was Dave Parris
Dave Parris
Dave Parris is a former British heavyweight boxer, who is now a referee and judge, based in Woodlesford, Leeds.-External links:* at BritishBoxing.net...
.
The Fight
Tszyu was a notoriously slow starter and Hatton won the first two rounds in an aggressive start to the fight, however the champion qualities of Tszyu shone through in rounds 3–5. At one point Tszyu intentionally hit Hatton below the belt and immediately followed the shot with another to the head, scoring an underhanded knockdown. Nevertherless, Hatton's aggression won him some of the rounds that followed and going into the twelfth he had a slight lead on all three judges scorecard (105-104, 106-103 and 107-102). After a back and forth battle in which both fighters took great punishment, Tszyu failed to emerge from his corner for the final round as his trainer Johnny LewisJohnny Lewis
Jonathan Kendrick "Johnny" Lewis , also credited as Johnny K. Lewis, is an American actor.-Life and career:Lewis began making television appearances while in his late teens with guest starring roles in American Dreams , Boston Public , and The Guardian , among others...
threw in the towel.
An emotional Hatton was stunned and all the fans cheered as Dave Parris waved off the fight, both boxers embraced after a classic fight.
The fight is generally regarded as the peak in Hatton's career; the stamina and heart he displayed in the fight is now legendary, although recently his body has shown signs of slowing after years of ballooning up in weight between fights.
Aftermath
Kostya Tszyu retired after an illustrious career and is still loved in Sydney to this day. This fight formed one of two fights, the other being against Carlos MaussaCarlos Maussa
Carlos "El Apóstol" Maussa is a former professional boxer and light welterweight titleholder. Turning pro in 2000, at the age of 29, Maussa won two titles and fought in several significant fights until his retirement at age 38.Maussa was raised in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Montería, a city...
that brought Hatton the award of 2005 Ring Magazine fighter of the year
Ring Magazine fighters of the year
The Ring was established in 1922. Since 1928, it has named a fighter as Fighter of the Year, based on the magazine's writers' criteria...
. Hatton went on to beat such names Juan Urango
Juan Urango
Juan "Iron Twin" Urango is a professional boxer in the junior welterweight division.-Pro Career:...
, José Luis Castillo
José Luis Castillo
José Luis Castillo is a Mexican boxer. Nicknamed El Temible, Castillo is considered one the best lightweights of his era. He is the former The Ring and two-time WBC Lightweight champion....
and Paulie Malignaggi but has since lost twice to pound-for-pound kings Floyd Mayweather Jr in December 2007 and against Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
in May 2009 via a 2nd round KO.