Ricky Hatton excited about future for Irish prospect Brett McGinty

Former world champion Ricky Hatton is one of the most popular fighters of the modern era, and now at 41, it looks like he’s got a fighter to be excited about as a trainer — one who reminds him of himself in some ways.

That fighter is 21-year-old Irishman Brett McGinty, who was meant to turn pro in March, but has had his debut delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Brett has a crowd pleasing style, he’s very talented,” Hatton said to Sky Sports. “The one thing that excites me the most is that as good as he is, I know there is so much more to come.”

McGinty, a junior middleweight prospect, doesn’t shy away from the comparisons, either.

“I would say there will be some parts of my style similar to Ricky’s,” he told Sky. “He would even say that himself. He was an aggressive fighter, I’m an aggressive fighter.”

McGinty promises an aggressive, come-forward style with a focus on punishing body work, so on paper, yeah, there are similarities. And purely as a fan, I’d say we can always use that sort of fighter in the sport.