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Ricky Hatton has taken to Twitter this morning to criticize Kell Brook for conduct during his fight yesterday with Ricky's brother Matthew, which turned out a fairly easy win for the rising Sheffield star in his home arena, as he completely outclassed Hatton over 12 rounds.
It's not Brook's boxing performance that big brother Ricky, who also promotes Matthew, has an issue with, though. It's that Brook, he says, took time to wink at the Hatton family at ringside, which he felt was disrespectful.
"Kell was winning by a mile, granted. But at one point tonight, I think it was round 11, Kelly winked at the family at ringside. ... Jenna (Matthew's girlfriend), me, and the close family saw it. It was really bad taste.
"But as far as the fight went, the Hatton family would like to wish Kell all the best for the future. ... Just to wink at the family when you're so in control was bad taste. And I swear on my kids I'm not lying. ... Matt wouldn't do it. It doesn't matter if you've won or how good you are. That's shit." (edited for clarity)
It's easy to say it's no big deal, but the Hattons were having enough of a time dealing with watching Matthew get shellacked in there. Parts of that fight, Brook was really putting it on him, and it couldn't have been fun. That's part of the sport and all, but still.
That said, I can't put it in class with Dereck Chisora spitting water in Wladimir Klitschko's face or anything like that. I guess I'd put it more along the lines of David Haye with the chopped off Klitschko head t-shirts, which may be because I was raised with violent video games and the rap music and am thus desensitized, but to me that was no big deal. Disrespectful and annoying, but ultimately just an indication that Haye is sort of a clown. Spitting in a man's face on the other hand...
I do see Ricky's point though, and can understand the anger. It is in poor taste. If that's who Brook is, then fine, that's who he is, but the Hattons have every right to be annoyed by it. I can't personally feel his anger over it, but I do understand it.