There's only one Ricky Hatton!

I'm going to have to simply agree with Dan Rafael and many others -- Saturday night was the best that Ricky Hatton has looked since his 2005 win over Kostya Tszyu. Not only did Hatton charge and rush more effectively than he has in recent years, but he did show some change, too -- change that was nothing but good.

Will Hatton ever lose his 140-pound championship? If he keeps fighting like he did last night, it doesn't seem too likely. Hatton is 44-0 at 140 pounds (1-1 at welterweight), and is likely to fight the de la Hoya-Pacquiao winner next. If it's Pacquiao, one assumes Hatton's 140-pound championship would be on the line, and I think Pacquiao has the best shot of guys who do or could fight at 140. If it's Oscar, Ricky will go back up to 147 and risk the weight for his payday and the chance to again be in THE fight.

There are good young fighters at 140, but I don't see them beating this Hatton in the next year or two. He threw Malignaggi out of his rhythm in the second round, hurt him badly (and Paulie's beard is stronger than that of Holt or Torres, and the jury remains out on Bradley), and dominated from that point on.

So far, so good for Floyd Sr. and the Hitman

As much as I think Billy Graham seems like a solid guy and would probably be fun to drink with, Ricky Hatton needed a new trainer. Graham's inability to really give Hatton any advice during the loss to Mayweather was apparent; Hatton underperformed against Lazcano again in July.

With Floyd, you have a professional trainer that isn't Ricky's friend, isn't amused by the big weight gains, and will, for lack of better words, ride his ass and make him the best he can be. And Hatton looks like a very willing student at 30 and having achieved just about all there is to really achieve in boxing. With Floyd in his corner, I don't know that we'll be hearing the constant talk of retirement anymore. OK, we probably will.

Where does Malignaggi go now?

For one thing, I won't be shocked if that was it for Paulie and trainer Buddy McGirt, even though he says there are no hard feelings. Rafael also says that McGirt's decision to throw the towel was done with "encouragement from promoter Lou DiBella and attorney John Hornewer," so it wasn't a one-man thought.

But really, Paulie Malignaggi has more about his career to examine than most 27-year old contenders do. His hands are glass, he can't punch a lick, and that's always going to have him losing to truly top-tier guys. He can shuffle and use his defensive skills and jab against guys like Ngoudjo, N'dou, Cherry, etc., but the two times he's fought truly world class fighters, he met a horrible beating at the hands of Miguel Cotto and got smacked around pretty good by Hatton, too.

These guys who aren't overwhelmed with what Paulie's good at will always beat him. He can have a damn nice career, hold world titles, defend them, and outbox folks. But he's never going to be the guy. He's a tough customer and if his hands were "normal," he'd probably be able to ride the rocket a little higher. Paulie is fully aware that his career can only last so long, and he's making the most of it. This was probably the most he'll be able to make. He got a shot at the champion, did his best, and that's that.

Keep smiling, Brian

It was a butt ugly fight, really, but the TV opener between James Kirkland and Brian Vera was certainly fun to watch. Kirkland won every round en route to an eighth round stoppage after Vera was knocked down for a third time, but we certainly got to see Kirkland pressed more than most times out, and certainly more than his other 2008 fights where he met almost no resistance.

Vera is sloppy, badly-balanced and leaves himself wide open. He's also very slow-handed and not an especially heavy puncher, in part because he throws such looping, swooping punches. But he did catch Kirkland time and again with a loaded-up right hand, and at one point caught him with three of them in a row before Kirkland finally blocked one. That'll be a problem for Kirkland. A better puncher definitely rocks Kirkland with some of those shots, and might have him in real trouble.

Kirkland's vulnerability, we always say, is part of what makes him so interesting. But he's going to have to be more willing to actually defend himself when he steps up and fights the next rung of opposition, and then higher. Vera showed exactly how easy Kirkland can be to hit.

During the fight Larry Merchant mentioned that it's rare for a Kirkland-like fighter to reach the highest echelon of the sport, because he meets a boxer that can take a shot and run circles around him at some point. As much as I like JK, I'm pretty sure that's where we're headed with him. It'll be damn fun along the way, though, because he comes to fight and he can punch.

But hats off to both of the Austin natives, who put on the show everyone expected. Kirkland remains a load of fun to watch, and Vera is tougher than leather.

Does perception of Hatton change?

I think even Hatton's biggest fans with brains wouldn't have argued that Ricky was looking a little bit faded post-Mayweather. There were concerns in so many rumors and reports and all that about his psyche, how the loss had effected him, what it had done to him as a person and as a competitor. Struggling somewhat with Juan Lazcano did him no favors; the somewhat nasty split with Billy Graham added fuel to the fire.

But showing up and fighting three minutes a round all the way against Paulie Malignaggi made him look like the no-doubt best 140-pounder, and may have even brought him back some of the shine that Mayweather check hoooked off his face last year.

Ricky will kick back, hopefully enjoy the holiday season, and await the result of Oscar-Manny to find out what he's most likely doing next.

via d.yimg.com

Trainer Buddy McGirt stopped the fight in the 11th round, and Ricky Hatton retained his junior welterweight championship with a rather dominant performance against top-ranked contender Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Malignaggi had trouble from start to finish against Hatton, essentially, winning the first round but that's about it. Hatton hurt Malignaggi in the second round and had him hanging on for dear life, and shook him up a few more times during the fight.

It was the slickster Malignaggi who held and held, and after the fight, Malignaggi complained openly with Larry Merchant of HBO about the stoppage. "I'm better than getting stopped," he said, while classy about both Hatton and the British fans in attendance.

Frankly, from my perspective, the stoppage did seem a bit selfish on Buddy McGirt's behalf, as Malignaggi failed to implement his advice over and over during the fight. McGirt, honestly, has had plenty of failures over the last couple of years. It's totally speculative and I may be reading more into it than necessary, but McGirt's body language with the stoppage seemed more annoyed and frustrated than concerned. Maybe it's only me, but I didn't particularly like the stoppage at all. Paulie was losing, yes, but he was battling to finish the fight. Not getting stopped is a big deal to him. He wasn't getting killed in there or anything.

Brian Vera, though, was getting killed in there by James Kirkland when referee Vic Drakulich stepped in to stop the action in the eighth round. Vera had gone down twice (once in the seventh, twice in the second) and was getting tagged routinely by Kirkland. He did show that Kirkland's power was not amazing, I guess, but he didn't disprove that it's very, very real. Vera's a tough, tough kid, but he took a beating.

We'll have much more tomorrow on both fights, so come back then. Thanks for joining us tonight!

Our live, round-by-round coverage and scoring will start with the show on HBO at 10pm ET. Join us! If you're new to the site, our coverage takes place in the comments section, which updates live and requires no browser refreshing whatsoever.

Tonight at the MGM Grand in Vegas, Ricky Hatton returns to the States on official business for the first time since his December 2007 defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

He'll face another slick American boxer when he squares up with Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi is no Mayweather, and I'm sure even the brash Paulie would admit as much.

But this might not be the Ricky Hatton of old, either. UK boxing analyst Steve Bunce isn't the only one concerned about Ricky's mindset these days.

A breakdown of events for Hatton since that TKO manhandling against the "Pretty Boy":

1. At first, he showed humility. Later, it was mostly complaining about Joe Cortez, who has his faults to be sure, but Cortez was fine in that fight. Hatton's style was shut down by Cortez in many ways; Hatton's style is also frequently illegal in many ways. Mayweather was the guy hitting him, and Mayweather was the guy Hatton couldn't hit. Ricky's change in attitude didn't seem like "him," if you know what I mean.

2. Hatton beat Juan Lazcano in May, in a fight I felt was closer than the official cards. Juan Lazcano is no chump, but he's always failed against the highest-level fighters he's faced (save for Stevie Johnston, which began Stevie's downfall). Hatton often appeared gun-shy, took some power shots from Lazcano and got in minor trouble a couple times, and just wasn't as active or effective as he has been in the past. And this was with some biased refereeing.

3. He fired trainer Billy Graham. Some said it was about time that the world-class fighter got a genuinely world-class trainer. Others wondered where Ricky's head could be at if he was letting Billy go. Was he doubting Graham, himself, or both?

4. He hired Floyd Mayweather, Sr., to train him for Malignaggi. Mayweather specializes in slick, defensive-minded boxers.

We're hours from finding out how it all turns out against Paulie. Some lame, standardized keys to victory sort of crap? Sure!

What Ricky Hatton must do:

• Don't get too far out of his comfort zone. Trying to box Malignaggi almost guarantees embarrassment.
• Make Paulie throw his right hand. The thing is mostly for show anyway, but with the way Ricky crowds and bullies, chances for Malignaggi to re-break it on Hatton's elbow or something seem especially high.
• Be Ricky Hatton. That means get inside, push him around, and even get dirty. Malignaggi is an extremely emotional fighter that can't hide his feelings. When he's frustrated, everyone in the country knows.
• Lure him into a slugfest. He won't win it, and then you're taking away his best chance at victory.

God, do I love those crazy SOBs. They won't be out in as full a force for Malignaggi as they were for Mayweather, but no doubt Ricky Hatton will have his fans, singing, at the MGM Grand tomorrow night.

Ticket sales are said to be iffy -- Dan Rafael mentioned he expected 10,000, maybe a bit less.

We'll have a further preview of Hatton-Malignaggi later tonight or early tomorrow (same difference, really), and then live, round-by-round coverage and scoring with the HBO show starting at 10pm ET, and presented in glorious HD. Get with it, Showtime!

I know our regulars are quite familiar with James Kirkland, the unbeaten knockout machine from Austin, but we do get a lot of Google-led visitors that might stick around for a minute or two, read one thing, and take off, ne'er to be seen again.

And I think they should all know about James Kirkland. So let's talk about James Kirkland.

If you think boxing needs more straight-up violence, you might fancy James Kirkland's brand of fighting. If technical skills are not a top priority for you, you might be a Kirkland fan. If you like knockouts and ferocity, then this is your guy.

Kirkland, 24, is 23-0 with 20 knockouts. This year, he has laid waste to Eromosele Albert on Boxing After Dark, and later Ricardo Cortes on ESPN2. He's a human highlight reel, and there's nothing sweet about his science.

Kirkland is also one of the very, very few male fighters trained by a woman. Women's boxing legend Ann Wolfe prepares Kirkland for his fights with a vast array of stamina and power-building workouts. The training camps for Kirkland have been called "savage" by some, and it's meant in a positive way.

As a total aside, if you've never seen Ann Wolfe knocking out Vonda Ward, here it is. There are few knockouts in boxing history -- men and women -- this vicious:

Like Wolfe, Kirkland is a mean-but-clean fighter, a guy built on muscle and guts. He's a steamroller, baby, a cement mixer, baby, a demolition derby.

Here's Kirkland's November 2007 ShoBox fight with Allen Conyers. This one is awesome, in particular, because it also shows Kirkland's vulnerability, which is another big attraction. He's not indestructible, but thus far he's yet to be met with an opponent that can stay up with him.

His opposition tomorrow night comes in the form of "Contender" season three participant Brian Vera, who earlier this year stunned one of the sport's top prospects, Andy Lee. Vera (16-1, 10 KO) lost early on "The Contender" to eventual runner-up Jaidon Codrington, and Vera has his issues. He's wide, he's undisciplined, he gets sloppy, and he's maybe a bit too macho for his own good -- same as Kirkland.

It makes for a compelling fight. Here's the finishing round of Vera's upset of Lee, controversial stoppage and all:

You can argue the stoppage -- and I do -- but the thing to remember is Vera wasn't supposed to be in the same ballpark with Lee. He was a step up for Andy, but nothing really tough. Lee should have, for all intents and purposes, gone through him. Didn't happen.

I guess by titling this post after just Kirkland, I'm sort of disrespecting Vera. If you've been here a while, you might remember me jumping the gun and throwing Andy Lee into the top 10 discussion at middleweight, which was quickly followed by the Vera upset. If he makes me look bad again, I throw in the towel with Brian Vera fights.

This might not last five rounds. It might not last one. It might not be the prettiest performance from either side. But it's going to end with someone on the mat. It's going to end big. And it's a great, great reason to tune in tomorrow night.

Bad Left Hook will have live, round-by-round coverage and scoring of Hatton-Malignaggi and Kirkland-Vera tomorrow night, starting at 10pm ET (HBO). For our event coverage up to this point, go here.

All lines, as always, are taken from the Bodog book.

The biggest fight of the weekend, of course, will main event on HBO from Las Vegas, as junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton defends his crown against Brooklyn slickster Paulie Malignaggi.

The style clash should make for an interesting fight so long as Paulie is at his best -- and yes, that means I think the fight's aesthetic enjoyment is far more heavily on Malignaggi's back than Hatton's. If Paulie breaks his hand and has to fight with a jab, it won't be much fun to watch.

That said, the lines favor the proven commodity. Hatton is a -260 favorite, with Malignaggi a +200 underdog. Neither line makes for a big favorite or big underdog, but it's clear enough on both sides. Of course you also have to take into account the health of both. Malignaggi has his hands, and Hatton looks kind of like Skeletor after a trip to Starbucks:

Dear Ricky,

Enough with that f***ing hat.

Sincerely,

Your Fans

The only televised undercard fight of the night pits James Kirkland and Brian Vera, with KO artist Kirkland a heavy favorite at -675. Vera is a +575 bet, and might be worth throwing down a bit of scratch. Not much, mind you, but let's not forget he upset the far higher-regarded Andy Lee this year, controversial or not. Vera is a pretty good puncher. The only real worry is we've seen Jaidon Codrington knock his block off before, and Kirkland is even more explosive than the best Codrington.

The Kirkland-Vera scrap, for the record, is taking place at middleweight, the middle ground between Kirkland's usual 154 and Vera's 168.

The Vegas show has some interesting (well, OK, maybe not "interesting") off-TV fights, too.

Rey Bautista (-500) will battle Heriberto Ruiz (+300) at 122 pounds. Bautista (26-1, 19 KO) is just 22 years old still, and the last time he stepped up competition, it was way too much, way too soon when Daniel Ponce de Leon crushed him in under one round. The 31-year old Ruiz (39-7-2, 23 KO) has been around the block a few times, and once challenged Rafael Marquez for a bantamweight title.

Also, Ricky's likable, skills-challenged younger brother, Matthew Hatton will meet Ben Tackie, a rugged veteran now serving as perhaps boxing's best gatekeeper. Tackie has lost five of his last seven, but has taken Kendall Holt, Alfonso Gomez, Henry Bruseles, Freddy Hernandez and Juan Lazcano to the limit in those losses, and has never been knocked out in any of his ten defeats. He's also lost to Ricky Hatton, Kostya Tszyu, Sharmba Mitchell, John John Molina and Gregorio Vargas. He barely won a round in three straight defeats to the Tszyu, Mitchell and Ricky, in that order.

Tackie is a -130 favorite, with Matthew Hatton an even money bet for the fight.

Friday night on Showtime, IBF junior featherweight titlist Steve Molitor is a slight favorite at home against WBA beltholder Celestino Caballero. Molitor is at -170, with Caballero at +140. Tough bet either way -- it's a highly competitive, X-factor sort of matchup on paper.

Elsewhere this weekend:

WBA titleholder Hugo Garay will take on Juergen Braehmer in a battle of top 10 guys at 175. No underdog listed; Garay is a -125 bet, with Braehmer at -105.

Former bantamweight titleholder Jhonny Gonzalez continues his comeback march on Saturday in Cabazon, California, taking on Reynaldo Lopez, owner of one of the fakest nice-looking records in boxing. Gonzalez is a huge favorite (-525) and he deserves to be. Lopez is a +325 dog. Lopez is 30-5-2 (21 KO), but only his May upset over Mike Oliver is worth much of anything. After that, he went right back to fighting bums in Colombia, beating a guy that came in with a 1-10-1 record in August. The upset over Oliver was pretty good, but it really sticks out like a sore thumb on his sheet.

Also in Cabazon, Nestor Rocha (-350) is the favorite against Michael Domingo (+275).

Say what you will about Paulie Malignaggi, but he's a tough dude. The beating he took from Miguel Cotto somehow saw him last all 12 rounds, and he's overcome an amount of hand injuries that would force many to retire.

He can be obnoxious. You can write him off as a pretty boy. But he's also a straight shooter, knows when he's underperformed, and doesn't cast himself as the second coming. In his own way, he is quite the realist.

He's also got a shot on Saturday night to become the legitimate junior welterweight champion of the world if he can upset Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.

While Hatton's biggest fans and Malignaggi's biggest detractors may point to his lack of any punching power, his frequent injuries, and his marginally soft record, which is devoid of any truly "big" wins. He also has been spotty in recent performances; since the Cotto loss, he's 4-0, including two genuine outclassings against Edner Cherry and Lovemore N'dou. He arguably won 22 straight rounds in those fights.

But his January win over Herman Ngoudjo didn't come easy, and his May rematch with N'dou in Manchester was seriously rough, as Malignaggi's ridiculous hair extensions may have caused him to give some rounds away before his corner got fed up and cut them off. And even without the stupid hair mistake, Paulie simply didn't have his best night.

But the win, coupled with Hatton's victory over Juan Lazcano in the main event that same night, set it up. Hatton (44-1, 31 KO) would face Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KO) for Hatton's Ring Magazine championship.

Ricky has reigned as world champion since 2005, when he forced Kostya Tszyu into retirement after 11 rough rounds, defending against Carlos Maussa, Juan Urango, a faded Jose Luis Castillo, and Lazcano. He also went 1-1 in two attempts to move up to welterweight, scoring a tight win over Luis Collazo and being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather last December.

Let's say Paulie, 27, beats Ricky, 30. Hatton is working without Billy Graham for the first time, he's had even more trouble cutting weight than usual by all accounts, and the way he and new trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr., are talking in the press, that relationship just may not work out (that'd be a shocker).

Malignaggi has a shot, and if he wins, he's the real world champion at 140 pounds. Who would that put in line? Hatton says if he loses to Malignaggi, he'll have to think about retiring. So let's assume no rematch. Who are Paulie's potential suitors?

The winner of Holt-Torres III

Holt (24-2, 13 KO) and Torres (32-2, 28 KO) will meet for a third time on December 13 in Atlantic City. While their trilogy won't quite join the ranks of Vazquez-Marquez or Barrera-Morales, they've had two wildly compelling fights. The first time, bad officiating and a bad environment on a poorly-run show in Torres' home country, Colombia, led to a Torres win in a controversial fight.

When Holt appealed, he was at first shot down, but he got his rematch 10 months later. Torres had stayed out of the ring that entire time; Holt had taken a stay-busy fight that turned out tougher than he hoped for against veteran Ben Tackie. But their one-round rematch saw Holt floored twice before knocking Torres cold after a right hand...which was preceded by a nasty incidental headbutt.

Holt is the slicker boxer, but Torres' power is among the sport's best pound-for-pound. Either would present a nice matchup for Malignaggi, or Hatton for that matter.

Timothy Bradley

The 25-year old WBC titlist scored a stunning upset over Junior Witter on the road in May, chopping down longtime Hatton hater Witter's chances at ever facing "The Hitman," which was a fight many wanted to see for years. The most interesting thing going on right now in the division past Malignaggi centers on Bradley, Torres and Holt. The Holt-Torres winner is likely to face Bradley after that, with Bradley giving up his WBC strap to go after the big fight and the WBO belt. But if Paulie wins, I think the game changes for everyone. Hatton isn't going to fight any of these guys -- if he wins, he'll look for the Oscar-Manny winner. Paulie's not in that position.

The winner of Ngoudjo-Urango

Former Malignaggi challenger Herman Ngoudjo will fight Juan Urango for the IBF belt that Paulie vacated in order to fight Hatton. The IBF had ordered Malignaggi to face Ngoudjo, their mandatory, but he passed to go for the money, which any sane boxer would have done. Urango is a past Hatton victim and is probably simply too slow for Paulie. The fact is, Malignaggi-Urango isn't marketable, period, and Malignaggi-Ngoudjo II won't be what Paulie's looking to make happen. He knows with his right hand that his time in boxing is limited; he'll want to make the big money.

Zab Judah

Judah (37-6, 25 KO) would be a wonderful matchup for Malignaggi. The two Brooklyn natives could do a house in the Big Apple, and any network would be interested. Judah plans to return to 140, where he belongs. Zab can still fight, but he was again unimpressive in routing a tremendously overmatched Ernest Johnson on the horrific Calzaghe-Jones undercard. The last impressive performance Zab has had was a brutal loss to Miguel Cotto. And before that? Cosme Rivera? The TKO win over Cory Spinks?

Still, Zab's hand speed remains top notch, and the weight drop would likely suit him well. It's not like Paulie is going to back him down or push him around. Of all the potentials, this is the one I like most. Frankly if Hatton wins and couldn't land a Pacquiao or Oscar fight, Hatton-Judah at 140 sounds good to me.

It's all no guarantee, of course. Hatton still bullies with the best of them, Paulie's hand is still made of fiberglass, and Ricky's been in these big fights before. Still, it's fun to consider what would be a genuine changing of the guard at 140 pounds.

Tip of the cap to our friends at Bloody Elbow. Original article at the Daily Star is here.

And ‘The Hitman’, who faces Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand Arena next Saturday, told me: "The presentation and general approach of the UFC is something that boxing can learn a great deal from."

It was Hatton’s first taste of live UFC action and he said: "The whole aspect of it was great and, rather than boxing ignore it, it should take a leaf out of the UFC book.

"For instance, they have big screens around the arena with pre-fight interviews which really get the crowd involved. Why can’t we do that at boxing matches in the UK?

"I was really, really impressed. I know that the UFC sells out wherever it is – but to be present at this fight night was an eye-opening experience."

This is something that's really started sticking in my craw in 2008, and I say it every time we see a big fight that takes place in England or Germany or Canada or Japan, too. Ricky's also right in that even those events could go a step further, too, but honestly I'd be happy if U.S. fights just had more of an event-like atmosphere to them. The UFC and, yes, WWE both know how to put on a show. It involves the crowd, gets them going, keeps them entertained, and people are actually there for the whole event.

And I know Las Vegas sites pay really well, but if you watched even Taylor-Lacy from Nashville on Saturday, I think you can also see my point when I wish that there were more events that did not take place in Las Vegas. Vegas is such a phony  boxing crowd, filled up with celebrities and their free tickets, and gamblers that come in for the main event, the only fight they have money on. Some damn good fights this year have gone ignored by Vegas audiences, but that goes for Atlantic City to a lesser degree, too. Rubio-Ornelas in A.C. and Segura-Canchila in Vegas spring to mind.

There's so much more energy on a UFC broadcast than there is a boxing broadcast. The fans are far more familiar with fighters up and down the card than it seems boxing's audience generally is. It doesn't hurt that UFC has a better network/cable TV presence than boxing, and that they simply promote better because it's all under their own banner. But these things can be accomplished in boxing. It would require more effort than I think promoters in boxing are used to putting in, though.

I'm not even saying that Richard Schaefer, Oscar, Bob Arum, Gary Shaw, Don King, Lou DiBella, etc., don't know how to promote a show. I am saying that they're all pretty far behind what Dana White and the UFC office does on a regular basis. You look at Gary Shaw's MMA attempt, which died a remarkable and gruesome death, and even with backing from CBS and Showtime, EliteXC against UFC was just night-and-day, even ignoring the fighters involved and just focusing on the presentation aspects.

I don't want it to turn into really corny, cheeseball-type stuff, but U.S. boxing promoters need to take note that a combat sport can and should be as much a show as it is the sport being put on display. There's no downside to it. It can only do good for the fights and for business.

Talking with Setanta Sports, junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton says what most expected: if/when he gets past Paulie Malignaggi in November, he'll look to secure a fight with the winner of the December 6 fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Should Oscar win, the fight will be at 147, where Hatton has proven far less effective. Should Manny win, it would be at 140, Ricky's best weight by far.

Either fight would be a massive payday, and I've long loved the idea of Hatton-Pacquiao. That would be a true global phenomenon -- they may be the two most purely beloved fighters in the world, at least by their own fanbases. They have passionate fans that love their fighter, even if in the case of Hatton that doesn't always mean they're much fans of boxing on the whole. Which isn't really a knock. Just sayin'.

I'm not as big on Oscar-Hatton, because I don't think Ricky is anything approaching world class at 147 pounds. I thought Collazo edged him out, and Mayweather destroyed him. Hatton just does not have the body for 147. Short arms, short legs, and guys that carry 147 well will always give him problems just because of that. I've often wondered how good Hatton could've been if he'd been able to cut down to 135. Can you imagine having had Hatton-Castillo at 135 in their primes? Hatton-Corrales? Hatton-Casamayor (what a dirty, rough, enteraining fight that would've been)? Hatton-Freitas?

I also regret somewhat that Hatton never tried 135 or that he isn't so great at 147, because let's be honest. 140 has been the "in-between" division for Hatton's entire career, with good fighters that generally passed through (Oscar, Mayweather) or plain passed it over (Mosley). It's too bad we never got Hatton-Cotto or Hatton-Judah.

Really, a lot of Ricky's career, in my mind, is what could've been. But either way, he's a likely Hall of Famer and has had a wonderful career. Most of this is hardly his fault.

I do wonder if he's looking past Malignaggi, though, which would be a mistake. Malignaggi is tough and can box his ass off when he's healthy, which he says he is. Every time he cuts a steak he's risking breaking his right hand, but assuming he doesn't break it again during the fight, I think he's got a real shot. Ricky's no spring chicken anymore, and Paulie's not a punk.