BOXINGS GREATEST WORKOUTS
BY GARY TODD
A behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall look at a training day-in-the-life of the world's best boxers
Read Uppy's review

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Gary Todd is a man who walks the walk and has talked the talk with some of the fight game's biggest names.
He is an international author and has been involved in all aspects of the boxing game for over 25 years.
As always, he will do almost anything to get an interview.
UPDATE ON Tszyu-Hatton SUPERFIGHT

• HATTON HAMMERS TSZYU
• LADIES & GENTLEMEN- MR RICKY HATTON
• HATTON LOOKING SHARP [Gallery]
• STRAIGHT FROM THE HITMANS MOUTH [Gallery]
• TSZYU PRESSER ANNOUNCING FIGHT
• TSZYU V HATTON - ON THE EDGE OF REALITY

Englands young lion , Ricky Hatton hammered Kostya Tszyu into submission last night at the M.E.N. arena in front of a capacity crowd.

This was allways going to be a special night for British boxing from the time the fight was signed in January this year. Special in the fact that the city of Manchester would be playing host to one of the greatest light welterweights in the history of the sport. Special in the fact that it had been a long time since a fight of this magnitude was made in Britain. No one knew, just how special it was going to be.

With a huge fanatical crowd singing their hearts out with chants of "The great escape " theme song, and " Walking in a Hatton wonderland" , Ricky Hatton emerged, and shadow boxed through the backdrop of a bluemoon , before making his way to the ring.

With 22,000 fans spurring him on, Hatton had fire in his eyes and prowled the ring, beating his chest, while waiting for the Russian /Aussies entrance.
Tszyu wasted no time, and made his usual walk to the ring with his entourage at his side.

After referee, Dave Parris gave his final instructions to both warriors, it was time to go to war in the city of peace.

Round 1 started off well for Tszyu, as the champion worked the jab well.
Hatton was happy to use his right and left hooks to Tszyu's head, before settling in and pumping out his own jabs with great effect. This round was the battle of the jabs. Tszyu round [ close]

Round 2 ,After taking a big straight right at the start of the round, Hatton hurt Tszyu to the body and pushed him back before closing down Tszyu's range and smothered the best of the champions big punches. Hatton pushed Tszyu back onto the ropes and unleashed two of his powerful uppercuts which took Tszyu's head back. Hattons rd.

Round 3 . Tszyu came back well and again caught Hatton with a big right at the start of the round, and targeted Hattons body with great success.
Hatton came back , pressing the attack and setting the pace to win the round.

Round 4. Hatton took another big right hand at the start of the round, but still he kept moving in to get off his left hooks. Hatton was boxing more in this round and ducked under Tszyu's punches. He was winning this fight but you always had the feeling Tszyu was going to catch him with a big shot.
Hatton rd. [ close]

Round 5 . This was the best round of the fight for Tszyu so far and he needed it . Tszyu was catching Hatton while coming in and seemed to be picking him off, but Hatton kept coming forward. Tszyu rd.

Round 6. Tszyu had thrown alot of punches in the previous round and looked tired from the pace that he was made to keep by Hatton. Tszyu was starting to drop his hands in between exchanges and Hatton seemed to be stepping up the pace as the round ended. Hattons rd.

Round 7 This round was a ragged , gruelling round , with fatigue from both men starting to show. Tszyu gave his all , throwing left hooks and trying to use every bit of his 27 years experience to try and get back into this fight. Hatton went down with a low blow from Tszyu, but got to his feet quickly. Tszyu rd.

Round 8 Hatton seemed to be getting stronger and Tszyu was starting to look rattled and tired , as Hatton pressured him into fighting his fight, landing solid right hands almost everytime he threw them. Hattons rd.

Round 9 For me, this was the beginning of the end for Tszyu. Hatton was hitting Tszyu with everything and was confident , so much so , that Tszyu's punches were having little or no effect on him. Tszyu was frustrated by this time and landed another low blow to Hattons mid section. Hatton took it and carried on but opened up and hit Tszyu with one of his own which dropped Tszyu to the canvas . Tszyu was in big trouble as the bell rang for the end of the round . Hatton rd.

Round 10. Tszyu starts round well with a left hook which shakes Hatton but he inmmediately comes back with a hook of his own. Tszyu didnt have much left at this stage and Hatton was starting to dominate him with hooks, uppercuts , and straight rights. Hatton rd.

Round 11. Hatton threw huge left hooks at Tszyu, and was beating him up on the inside. Tszyu was gone but held on , and moved out into the centre of the ring. Hatton started to push the champion, back with his strong jab and the battle was over for Tszyu. The champion was looking fight weary as the end of the round came. Hatton rd.

Just as the bell was to be sounded, Tszyu's sat on his stool, and didn't move. The referee approached the corner and after a few moments, he raised his hands and waved the fight as over.
Ricky Hatton had done what many men had tried , and that was to out muscle Kostya Tszyu, and take him somewhere he had not been before.

What a performance, what a tactical plan from Billy Graham , what a fight in "The city of peace"

Kostya Tszyu has been in Manchester for just over a week now, and his professionalism, and commitment has shown yet again, in his preparation and build up for the highly anticipated superfight with Englands young lion, Ricky Hatton.
Its been a successful training camp by all accounts and long time trainer, Johhny Lewis has commented that the big punching Russian/Aussie, was in the best shape possible for "The Hitman"
In my mind, he'll need to be.

This is without doubt, Tszyu's toughest defence for many a year. Since the Vince Philips defeat, Kostya Tszyu has dismantled, and disposed of No 1 contenders with precise , calculated ease. At 35, "The Thunder from down under" does not have too many defences , or even too many challenges out there for him.
On June the 5th, he will be facing Ricky Hatton, in a fight that will give him a real challenge.

Ricky who??
Ricky Hatton [ W38 28kos L 0 D 0] is virtually unheard of with the boxing fans around the world and on my travels, over the years , i allways asked the fans, if they had seen him on pay per view or even fighting live.
Just to give you an idea , recently, i was invited to the Tszyu press conference in Sydney. Upon arriving , i was approached by an Australian journalist who said to me, "i suppose you will be going for Hatton?" To my surprize, i said "why would you say that?" He replied, "your a pom arent you and your wearing a Manchester M.E.N. t-shirt on it." Then he said Hatton is going to get bashed" By this time, i had heard enough and i asked this guy how many times he had seen Hatton in action. He could not give me an answer.

I told him i had been following Hatton since his amateur days, and that i had over 25 fights on tape, and that i had trained alongside him at the gym in Denton. He then put his head down and shuffled off to try and bullshit someone else. I also spoke with another journalist, and after yet another bold statement from him, i asked if he had seen any of Hattons handy work.
He replied, "yes, i saw him fight Zab Judah" ??? Unbelievable.

Ricky Hatton has fought most of his career in England, with only a couple of fights in Europe and America. He sells out Arenas everytime he fights and has made alot of money doing it. In Hattons case, it was, why change something which doesent need to be changed.
In this game , every successful fighter will tell you that you need to seen to be believed and a hungry fighter will do everything to accomplish that. By fighting through the rankings, winning domestic honours, and winning the W.B.U. world title, and defending it against good solid pro's, Hatton has become a household name in Britain.
He has payed his dues to boxing and he deserves the right to face Tszyu for the I.B.F. World title.

After speaking with him, Ricky Hatton told me that he has never been as hungry to mix it up with the best in this talent laden division, and come fight night, he feels he will be peaking, just at the right time. All out attack, ferocious workrate to his opponents head and body, confidence in his own ability, and age on his side, Hatton believes he could very well do a "Nigel Benn" on Tszyu, by grinding down and taking the champion into the later rounds and from there, go through the gears to win the prestigous I.B.F. world title.
Hatton has recieved some stick over the years, about the company he has kept in the ring. Shot fighters, blown up lightweights, too old, but i know for a fact , Hatton could have fought W.B.A. champion , Vivian Harris on June the 5th, but he told Frank Warren he wanted to fight Tszyu.

How can you not respect him for that.

In the early morning hours of Sunday morning, the whole of Britain will be watching to see if he can do what Nigel Benn did as a massive underdog , when he fought the devastating power puncher, Gerald Mc Clelland in 1995.
On the otherside of the world , Australian sports fans will be rushing down their Sunday bacon and eggs before making their way down to their local pub or club to see Kostya Tszyu "knock out some pommy guy "
This might seem ignorant of them, but how can you blame them as thats all they know. If the journalists dont know who Ricky Hatton is, how can you expect anything else from the punters.

With both fighters training camps winding down, both boxers have sweated and strived for their personal bests in training and now with only a day to go until the weigh in, both men will be concentrating and focusing on making the 140 limit, and from there, going through in their minds how they will fight their fight.
For us fight fans around the world, all we can do is wait but at least now, for anyone who didnt know him......

Ladies and Gentlemen......Mr Ricky Hatton.

England's, Ricky Hatton has issued this statement , to the world of boxing whilst preparing himself like never before, for his superfight with Russian/Aussie strongman Kostya Tszyu on June the 5th.

" My training is going superb. I started training camp a month earlier than before. Iv'e been able to start my weight training earlier and my timingband fitness levels are razor sharp already."

" Also started training a month earlier than normal, im a full 12lbs lighter than I would normally be at this stage of my training camp. i'm sure the photos show what good shape im in with two months to go. hopefully silencing all the crap that has been around regarding my condition and weight.

Ricky Hatton will be the best Ricky Hatton anyone has seen on June the 5th.

Like Kostya, I never make bold predictions, beat my own drum or disrespect an opponent but believe me I have never been more confident in winning a fight as I am right now.

Kostya and the whole world will be shocked to their boots after the fight and I will get the respect that I and my loyal fans deserve for being so patient and waiting so long for this chance."

Bring it on!

Ricky " Hitman" Hatton.

After speaking to a close Hatton team mate. "Aussiebox" was told Hatton is already lighter now at this stage of his training camp, than his previous fights." Hatton is really up for this fight and his preparations could not be better" " it will be a crackerjack fight".

Meanwhile , on the other side of the world, word has it, that the super lightweight king, Kostya Tszyu, has tried to get the brawling services of Arturo "Thunder" Gatti . If terms can be reached, Gatti would be coming to Sydney to spar Tszyu in preparation for his mega buck fight with Hatton in June. Gatti's fight experience and recent ring generalship skills would indeed be a tremendous help to Tszyu.
Gatti could do worse than coming to Australia, to spar with " the Thunder from downunder" as he will need to be in top shape , when he faces Floyd Mayweather jnr, also in June. once again, Tszyu has shown his class.....
more to follow.

Today [10th of January ] Super lightweight King, Kostya Tszyu, and his management team, called a press conference to officially announce to the world that , he would be defending his I.B.F. world belt against the pride of Manchester, Ricky "The Hitman " Hatton, in Manchester, England, on the morning of the 5th of June, 2005.

Tszyu, and his manager, Matthew Watt, announced the record breaking fight will go ahead at 4am in the morning, to satisfy the American pay per view giants, Showtime, and guarantee [Tszyu is contracted to Showtime] them maximum exposure for their fanatical boxing audience. Watt kicked off the procedings by telling the media about the bout, before handing over to Kostya Tszyu, to tell us why he decided to fight the Manchester "Hitman"

" I needed a challenge to make me want to train, no one trains like me, I'll take him [ Hatton] to my training, to make him really train." "He is the No 1 contender, and a good fighter"

When asked about the money he is reportedly getting for the fight [ a staggering, 5.2 million Australian dollars] Tszyu answered " no, its not about the money, its about a challenge for me. he will give me a tremendous physical challenge"

Like all press conferences, the usual questions were asked and Kostya answered them graciously, but I wanted to find out what he thought about fighting in Hattons " Bluemoon" backyard. Tszyu answered "I am not worried, I have security, maybe bring my dog, [ smiles] I have been there. when I fought Julio Cesar Chavez, I had 50,000 crazy Mexicans shouting at me, and look what I did to him.
It wont be a problem. [ he smiles]

I also asked Tszyu how he was going to train for Hattons legendary body shots. He answered, "look, if you punch a heavy bag, the bag doesnt hit you back- I will. - he has great body shot, but I too, have great body shot. it feels beautiful [ laughs] when you connect.

After a few more questions, about his next opponent after Hatton, retirement, really things which should not have been asked, things started to wind down, and it was time to move on. I was happy to be there, but I was excited and happy about the thought of this fight becoming a reality for not only me but thousands of boxing fans around the world.

Boxing is a funny old game.

When a big fight is close to being made, there is always something, or someone who , for one reason or another, tries to get that little bit more money for themselves, and this is usually why ,a lot of the big fights never materialize.

Since Kostya Tszyu walloped Sharmba Mitchell in November, 2004, and Ricky Hatton pummelled , Ray Oliviera in December, and even before that, there was alot of talk about a collision course with the two most exciting 140 lb fighters, in the world.

Everyone wanted it, the promoters, the tv companies, the boxing fans in America, the U.K, and Australia. When I interviewed Ricky Hatton, in Manchester, sometime back in September, he told me he wanted to fight Tszyu, anywhere, and he didnt care about the money. For him, it had gone past that.

When talking with him, you could tell how desperately, he wanted Kostya Tszyu. Ricky Hatton is financially secure, and he has made more than enough money in his boxing career, and he believes 2005 will be his defining year.
With the new year over, its back to business, and I am excited to tell the readers of aussiebox.com that after talking all night to my contact in Manchester, and with all the rumours and speculation, going around the around the world with regards to this fight, I am happy and excited to tell you, the Tszyu vs Hatton fight is all but signed.

In this exclusive, I have been told by a close friend in the Hatton camp that Ricky Hatton and his dad, [ Hattons dad is the main negotiator for Ricky when a deal is being put on the table ] will fly down to London tomorrow[ 4th in London] and meet with promoter, Frank Warren, where they will be guest at the shrewd millionaire's VIP boxseat at Arsenal soccer club's ground, to watch Arsenal take on Hatton's Manchester City...... [and talk about business]  

I also have some exclusive information from down under, from a good source, that Kostya Tszyu wants the fight with Hatton, and is happy to go to Manchester in June. The fight would have to be at 4.00am in the morning to appease the American pay per view giants, but Tszyu is happy to fight anytime and Hatton will also accommodate this request from Showtime.

With Tszyu willing to fight in Manchester, and Hatton and his dad going to London, to meet Warren, the only missing link could be Tszyu's promoter, Vlad Warton. Lets hope not, but as I said, its a funny old game.

Tszyu vs Hatton, in Manchester, in June. should be explosive.