Ricky Hatton's latest outing at the MEN arena in Manchester was of greater significance then his most recent battles, as this bore the tag of being a Final Eliminator for the IBF Championship of the World. Whilst Hatton was once again to feast upon a fighter previously vanquished by the exceptional Sharmba Mitchell, at least this time he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Unlike his most recent outing, where a bored Hatton went through the motions against Argentinean opponent Vilches, here Hatton was determined and focused, with the long awaited prize of a contest against the division's best his motivation. As the cavernous hall was filled with the strains of ‘Blue Moon' once again, this hub of boxing in the North West came to life and the crowd rose to their feet to welcome the hometown hero. There is no atmosphere to rival it in British boxing and despite there being fewer fans in attendance then usual, the sound was deafening.
Stewart had entered the ring accompanied by the American flag and a smattering of boos. This part time truck driver from Newcastle, Delaware (USA) had experienced a Hatton fight night in his last visit to this country and refused to let his concentration waver as the MC went through the introductions.
Hatton, decked out in his now familiar Blue, Black and Silver knee length trunks, prowled the rings perimeter like a caged animal as he waited for the hostilities to commence. Once the fighters had disrobed it was clear who the bigger man was, as the powerful Hatton appeared almost a division bigger then his American counterpart.
Hatton (9st 13 ¾ lbs) shot out of his corner at the bell for the first round and looked to gain centre ring and let shots fly at Stewart. A right hand from Hatton backed Stewart (also 9st 13 ¾ lbs) to the ropes, where he absorbed an early Hatton fusillade. Stewart, an adept in-fighter himself, looked to punch off the ropes but a wicked light hook to the body dropped him in his own corner for a count of 8 and the crowd went wild.
This was a bad omen for the visitor and it wasn't much longer before he was on the matt for a second time, courtesy this time of a double jab which masked the excellent straight right Hatton detonated on ‘No Joke's chin. The visitor was a determined type and looked to tie Hatton up but ate a hard right uppercut for his efforts on the bell. It was a 10-7 round for the local man and already Stewart was facing an uphill battle to secure his second tilt at the big prize.
As Hatton came out for the second he once again forced Stewart to the ropes and continued his assault to the body. Hatton was already into the grove and was tripling his left hook expertly. The crowd were in excellent voice as a left uppercut and left hook combination shook Stewart. Hatton was also landing his under appreciated jab with thudding effectiveness, as the visitor looked to hold. Hatton was warned to keep his punches up in this round, but it was hard to see, even this early on, a route back for the tough man from Delaware.
The third round followed the pattern of the opening stanzas. True to his word, Stewart had come to fight and the Mancunian did not have to go looking for him. Hatton ripped in his trademark hooks up close. He could not miss Stewart and used a good variety of punches, including a sweeping right hand, to break his foe down. Hatton demonstrated his advantages in strength by throwing Stewart off in a clinch and attacking hard. Hatton was warned for his loose use of the head in close but he had no need to foul in this contest, it was strictly one-way traffic.
The fourth saw Stewart attempt to stem the tide. Hatton attacked with his straight right but, as always, the crippling left hooks to the body weren't far behind. Stewart was managing to get his elbow in the way of the majority of Hatton's forays to his midriff by now, but Hatton continued to give him a working over. When Hatton got too close the American was sure to trap his dangerous left arm but even from range Stewart's right hand leads were ineffective. The double jab-right hand combination from Hatton was an excellent tool in this bout and he used it to good effect. Stewart had a rare success with a left hook to Hatton's head but the local man's excellent footwork helped him avoid the majority of what was coming his way.
After the early round shellacking, Stewart was attempting to throw more punches in the fifth round but hooks to the head and body drew gasps from the crowd. Stewart shrugged off a left hook to the head and looked to counter, he was nothing if not tough. Hatton's greatest asset is his unwavering, sustained pressure and it was this that eventually ground Stewart down. Hatton caught his foe with a left hook to the chin which wobbled him and a follow up salvo along the ropes dropped him hard for the third and last time in this one sided contest. Referee Dave Parris dispensed with the count and rushed to the downed fighter's aide, the stoppage timed at 2 minutes 57seconds of the round. The Manchester crowd were delirious, drunk on the dominant display put forth by their hero. It was another successful outing for Hatton, from which he emerged almost completely unscathed, which bodes well considering his early career problems with cuts.
Hatton is ready for the biggest tests and with this result his promoter will hopefully be able to position him as the man to meet the winner of Kostya Tszyu v Sharmba Mitchell, a task easier said then done. The wheelings and dealings in the boxing board rooms are generally murky and shrouded in mystery, but one thing is for sure, Hatton has both the talent and the support to be rewarded with the big fights he has craved since turning professional at 18.
