Tszyu vs. Hatton

I went into this fight as a Hatton supporter. While the fight was entertaining, I am left unsatisfied.

I think Ricky Hatton got some home cooking from the refereeing. Several times, he made eye contact with the referee, and got a break. Other times, when the tie up was in Ricky Hatton's favor, it was allowed to last much longer than normal. If John Ruiz had gotten this type of favorable treatment, he would have beaten Roy Jones, Jr.

We also have to look at the low blow issues. Kostya's "low blow" that dropped Hatton was a bit low, but Hatton's low blow that dropped Tszyu was a full fist lower.

Press row scoring was much closer than the judges. It was a difficult fight to score. I am highly suspicious that the really close rounds went to Hatton by default.

Kostya showed he was the fighter with superior skills. Hatton was competitive because he is one of those athletes with freakishly good conditioning. The first athlete that comes to mind with this sort of freakish conditioning is Sammy Henson. Unfortunately, most of you are probably unfamiliar with Sammy Henson. He is one of the most dominating athletes I have ever seen in an individual sport.

Kostya (did I mention we are on a first name basis? =) ) looked very uncomfortable. The decision to have the fight in Manchester, IMHO, was a bad one. Kostya seemed uncomfortable with the crowd, which is understandable. Someone who has accomplished as much as Kostya shouldn't have to deal with such a one-sided crowd sentiment.

I think a rematch in a neutral location is necessary. I think the winner should face Miguel Cotto if he defeats Muhammad Abdullaev.