clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Hatton vs Senchenko: Al Bernstein previews Manchester main event

Al Bernstein of Showtime Sports and Channel 5 discusses tomorrow's Ricky Hatton vs Vyacheslav Senchenko fight, as well as his future night life plans when in the UK.

Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Kugan Cassius, iFilm London: "How are you, Al?"

Al Bernstein: "I'm doing good. I'm happy to be here, it's exciting."

Cassius: "Ricky Hatton makes his -- I don't want to say long-awaited, because people didn't know what he was going to do for three years. He's decided to comeback into the ring after that infamous defeat to Manny Pacquiao. First of all, do you think Ricky's doing the right thing?"

Bernstein: "Only he can determine that. There's a couple of things about this story that I think are interesting. One, he first needed to reclaim his life, right, from all the problems he had, get himself right both emotionally and physically. He says he's done that. So that makes him kind of a winner already. I think he said it best, we had a chat with him the other day, he said we're all going to find out on Saturday whether he has what it takes at 34 after a several year layoff, to be able to fight well. So I hope that he understands that if it doesn't go well, that he should probably leave it alone."

Cassius: "When Ricky first announced his comeback, the opponent wasn't named. He sold the venue out regardless of the opponent. The opponent has been named, the very dangerous Senchenko, who was world champion up until about six months ago when he lost his title to a man who's here today, Paulie Malignaggi. What sort of opponent is Senchenko, for the general public who may not know a lot about him?"

Bernstein: "Senchenko is a very solid fighter. He had never lost, as you said, until he lost to Malignaggi. He was undefeated. Interestingly, Ricky Hatton's style is better-suited to Senchenko than Paulie Malignaggi's was, and Ricky acknowledges that. Senchenko is kind of a stand-up fighter who's got a good jab, good right hand. He's not a monstrous puncher. But he can fight at distance a bit, and of course, that would give Ricky some problems. But Senchenko also is the kind of fighter that under pressure, has a bit of a problem, and of course, that's what Ricky Hatton is best at."

Cassius: "I Tweeted you asking you what was the general perception in America over Ricky Hatton's comeback, and you said to me they're more interested in Ricky's personality in regards to this fight."

Bernstein: "I think they are. Ricky Hatton is an iconic figure in boxing history, period. He really is. Of course, he's wildly popular here, but in America, people respect him a lot. He's a warrior, he's fought everybody, and his only two losses are to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr -- fairly good fighters, I think we can all agree. People have respect for him. And I think they hope that not only has he gotten his life back together, but that he has enough of a spark to at least perform well, and that may very well be."

Cassius: "Al, when are you going to move to the UK permanently?"

Bernstein: "You know, I love it here, of course. And I've been thrilled to do boxing -- can I mention where I do boxing on Channel 5?"

Cassius: "You can say whatever you want."

Bernstein: "OK, because I don't want to get in trouble. I've enjoyed doing the fights on Channel 5. I love it here. I joked on Twitter about how I adopted England. I don't know if I can adopt England or it has to adopt me. I'm not sure which. As long as they don't kick me out. I love it here. And I so enjoy the boxing scene here. It's so special."

Cassius: "Have you ever had a night out in a place called Essex?"

Bernstein: "I have not. Now should I? I should, huh?"

Cassius: "I'm from Essex. Next time you're in Essex, let me know. I'll take you to The Sugar Hut, which is the place everyone talks about in Essex."

Bernstein: "You are going to be my tour guide, OK?"

Cassius: "No problem."

Bernstein: "I'm gonna hold you to that."

Cassius: "Do you think we could get away with saying we're father and son? Would that work?"

Bernstein: "Yes. I believe it would. I think we could make that work."

Cassius: "We'll make that work, and I'm taking you out in Essex."

Bernstein: "We're gonna have fun. Not too much fun, though. I'm married."

Cassius: "We're all married, when we want to be."

Bernstein: "Yeah, everybody's married. It doesn't matter. Alright, you realize after this interview, I don't have a job anywhere. You know that don't you? I hope you're happy."

Cassius: "Keep Al Bernstein in a job, people! Come on! Alright, this is Kugan Cassius with the wonderful Al Bernstein here at the Ricky Hatton-Senchenko weigh-in. Thank you very much."

iFilm London (Twitter / YouTube)

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook