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Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?


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Ricky Hatton: The New Millennium’s Best Body Puncher

by Jeremiah Preisser

 

Among the modern landscape of “Fistiana”, specialists in the ancient art of midriff demolition have become sparse. Amateur boxing’s scoring system is partly to blame (though it’s changing), as the lack of tallying body blows by judges has created a generation of headhunters, keen on single scoring shots. However, there are men who have pursued the rougher craft of bodily percussion—men who have made many long, unwelcome stays just around the waist protector.

 

This century has produced a number of them. The hard-swinging, hook-heavy Miguel Cotto battered men downstairs, sapping both his foes’ stamina and fighting will. The bearer of a divine nickname, ol’ “Sugar” Shane Mosley, learned to accurately place a left to the liver while sparring and fighting multitudes of Mexicans while coming up through the paid ranks in Southern California. Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez both carried on the longstanding tradition of quality body punching laid down by their fighting ancestors. Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, or as some call him, “GGG”, frequently rakes challengers with pinpoint strikes to the abdomen, folding some of them like the cheap plastic tables you sit at for an employee picnic. Men like Felix “Tito” Trinidad, Antonio “Cast Hands” Margarito, Lucian “Ostarine” Bute, Vassiliy “The Tiger” Jirov, and Jose Luis “El Temible” Castillo also focused their efforts south of the neck. “Irish” Micky Ward performed some fancy fistic tricks, as well. Yet for my money, Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton was the king of them all.

 

Oh yes, what a hard-charging stomach surgeon the Manchester-native was. He was a wizard with the belly whips and gave more fellas gut bombs than late night Taco Bell. On top of that, he had boundless stamina, quick hands and feet, a killer instinct, and a mean streak—all while being just one of the lads at the pub on the weekend. Hatton prided himself on it all, too.

 

The future conqueror of Kostya Tszyu came from humble beginnings, but took to boxing like a “duck takes to water”. Even in the amateurs Ricky took a liking to body punches, “knocking people out on a regular basis.” Once he entered Sale West, a Manchester boxing club, and incorporated rolling and weaving into his game under Paul Dunne’s guidance, he started cracking it a little harder, a little bit more accurately. The turning point in his fistic excellence, however, came during countless hours of labor on a fifteen-kilogram body-belt under the tutelage of longtime coach, Billy Graham. Billy molded him, shaped him, told him a one-trick pony wasn’t good enough.

 

Read more: Ricky Hatton: The New Millennium’s Best Body Puncher - - Boxing News - Ring News24

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Fascinating read by American writer Jeremiah. Is Hatton your pick or do you rate someone elses body punching higher?

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re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

If you say "of the Millennium" I think Ricky Hatton might be at was the best bodypuncher, even Jirov and Miguel Cotto in the superlightweight were really bad with the bodyshots. In the past a special mention for Julio Cesar Chavez and Mike McCallum

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re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

"Fascinating read by American writer Jeremiah. Is Hatton your pick or do you rate someone elses body punching higher?"

 

Author of the article here. First off, I appreciate the compliment. I did go into it with an open mind and let the stats guide me, as opposed to bias. I also felt that I had a good grip of the subject, seeing as was familiar with the careers of all of these men. Secondly, if you want to talk historical, Henry Armstrong is worth noting. From all that I am aware of, he scored over 20 knockouts from body punches and surely many more helped contribute.

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Re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

Another great body puncher of the 2000s, also a Mexican, is Antonio Margarito, I remember the two match with Cintron, especially the last, when a devastating hook to the liver destroyed the Puertorican fighter

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Re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

i go for mike tyson most brutal fighter i have ever seen for me best pound for pound boxer of all time

If you think Tyson is the best body puncher of all time you haven't seen enough boxing! He wasn't even the best of his era. Have a look at Mike McCallum or Julio Cesar Chavez. The latter's fight against Rosario is a masterclass of body punching.

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Re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

as I've said before I appreciate your comments but boxing is subjective Tyson was a beast would have gone down as a absolute legend if he would have been managed better and I've been following boxing for about 35 years now

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Re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

as I've said before I appreciate your comments but boxing is subjective Tyson was a beast would have gone down as a absolute legend if he would have been managed better and I've been following boxing for about 35 years now

 

More or less 90% of boxers have out of the ring issues. Duran and Chavez were prodigious boozers during their title reigns, Leonard was on coke yet all fulflled their potential. Discipline is one of the key factors to greatness. I agree that Tyson could have been a legend but frankly his ring accomplishments don't back that up.

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Re: Hatton the best body puncher of the new Millennium?

 

He stopped weak opponents with his body shots. The body shots has no effect on the elite fighters that he stepped up to face i.e Post Tzuyu. Also watching him he was like an explosive energy charged bunny with his body shots i.e he had enough speed to hand 2-3 left hooks to the body in succession when on the inside which is rare. I still think a guy like Canelo if he had faced the same opponents as Hatton at LM or M weight would get them out of there with body shots too. The technique that Canelo throws his body shots is beautiful to watch and you wince every time he connects where as Hatton was not a concussive body shooter when you looked with your eyes.

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