Hitman Hatton Comes To Town

Ricky Hatton climbed under the ropes, the crowd erupted, anticipation reached fever pitch. But something wasn’t right quite right.

Introduced as “Britain’s fifth ugliest sportsman” rather than his usual ‘Hitman’ moniker, Britain’s most exciting boxer was in the seaside town of Eastbourne instead of the glitz of Las Vegas. Hatton was wearing a suit and shoes, not shorts and gloves. Finally, the man himself explained the key difference: “It’s nice to be stood in a ring without somebody trying to punch you in the face!”

No, Hatton wasn’t boxing tonight. Instead there was a seven-fight bill of amateur bouts, with Hatton and fellow undefeated Light-Welterweight World Champion Terry Marsh watching on intently.

The pick of these three-round contests was a punishing battle between Stacey Ayers and Barry Buchannon. Ayers’ considered approach contrasted with Buchannon’s all-action style, with the latter emerging victorious in the second round after a barrage of body-blows left Ayers unable to continue.

“That was the biggest buzz I’ve had in boxing, fighting in front of Hatton;” said Buchannon. “I look up to him, especially for his body-blowing and aggression.”

After the boxing, Hatton took to the ring to give a 30-minute talk, to the delight of a packed Winter Gardens. Earlier, the 27-year-old had signed autographs and smiled for photographs. He was even stalked into the men’s toilet, posing for a photo by the urinals as a gang of fight fans sang his praises.

When at the microphone Hatton pulled no punches, describing career highlights such as his victory over Kostya Tszyu and his annoyance at having to give up world titles. “It would be nice to win a world title and keep it for more than a fortnight,” he mused.

The Manchester City fan found time to poke fun at Cristiano Ronaldo, arguing the Manchester United winger goes down so easily he should be Audley Harrison’s next opponent. But he reserved his most merciless attack for himself, answering recent criticism over his weight. “Maybe I should be called Ricky Fatton,” he laughed, swigging from a bottle of Budweiser.

Hatton stepped into the role of after-dinner speaker as effortlessly as he dispatched many opponents on his way to a record of 42 fights, 42 wins. He promised to return to Eastbourne in the summer after his fight against Jose Luis Castillo. “You’d better all turn up again though!” he demanded. Who’s going to argue with Ricky Hatton?

Greg Rose