Matthew Hatton Vs Chris Va Heerden - Post-Fight report

@PriceyJ97.

Hatton falls short in South Africa

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

On March 2^nd British welterweight Matthew Hatton (43-, 17 KO’s) travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa to take on IBO world champion Chris Van Heerden in what could be his third and final attempt at winning a world title.

Unfortunately for the tough 31-year old his challenge was not successful. The talented youngster that stood opposite him was just a little too fit, smart and tough for Hatton’s rough tactics. Early on Hatton attempted to work on the inside and wear Van Heerden down, but surprisingly the South African met him head on and started to push him back. Hatton seemed a little flustered by this and allowed Van Heerden to gain momentum in the fight.

Referee Howard John Foster had his work cut out in what was a frustrating clash-of-styles fight for both men. They were both looking to march forward and get to their opponent but most of the work was being smothered and there wasn’t much landing clean. Both fighters suffered cuts above the right eye early on, Van Heerden’s slightly worse, and as the fight progressed it became scrappier and scrappier, with the ref repeatedly having to split them.

Matthew Hatton Vs Chris Van Heerden - Fight Preview

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

Matthew Hatton will attempt to finally step out of brother Ricky’s shadow this weekend, when he competes for world honours for the third time in his career at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The belt on the line may only be the lightly regarded IBO strap, but a win for Hatton would seal a long and hard ascent through the less trodden paths of the welterweight ranks.

His opponent isn’t regarded so lightly however. In the opposite corner on the night will be 25-year-old South African Chris ‘The Heat’ van Heerden (18-1-1 10 KOs), who in the rainbow nation at least is being marketed as a rising star and by some observers is touted for a bright future.

There’s no denying it’s a tough task for Matthew with a recipe for some home cooking perhaps if it goes the distance, but Hatton’s had it tough on the road many times before and won’t be phased by entering the lion’s den.

Kell Brook rejects fight with Timothy Bradley... Hoping for Ricky Hatton!

Brook after beating Ricky Hatton's younger brother Matthew.

British welterweight No.1 Kell Brook has revealed that he was very close to taking a bout with WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Timothy Bradley but turned it down in order to finish his quest in becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.

'The Special One' takes on Hector Saldivia on October 20th at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. The winner of this bout will earn the right to challenge for the IBF world title in the near future.

Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn believe the mandatory route is the right way to go for the 25-year old and could potentially lead to super showdown with Ricky Hatton sometime next year.

"The Bradley fight was put in front of me but I believe the mandatory position in the IBF is the right move," said Brook. "Eddie (Hearn) has worked hard to get me into the position and providing I beat Saldivia, I'll be fighting for a world title at the start of 2013."

"I would love that to be in Sheffield too and I know Eddie would do his best to get it here as it would be an amazing event. I will also be watching Ricky Hatton's comeback with great interest as a fight against him next year would be an absolute blockbuster for British boxing."

"When I fought his brother Matthew you could see that the Hatton name still means a lot in boxing and we would fill a big stadium fighting for a world title."

Hearn also explained why they made the decision to turn down the fight.

"Top Rank contacted me in August and made us an offer for the Bradley fight. It was a nice ego boost for Kell to be offered a fight of such magnitude but we begun this journey with a goal of becoming a mandatory challenger and now we are just one win away."

For me, this is important for two reasons. Firstly, it looks clear that Brook is not one of those fighters that just wants to rush into big fights that could potentially back-track his career and he and Eddie Hearn are being very careful when it comes to planning his career and picking fights. It also proves that some of the top welterweight fighters are taking Ricky Hatton's comeback very seriously. The fact that Kell Brook is planning a potential "super" fight with him next year shows us that most of his fighters are expecting him to become serious competition for them.

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Heffron-Barnes is off! Barnes injured in car crash!

David Barnes with his British title.

The highly-anticipated small-hall clash between David Barnes and Ronnie Heffron has unfortunately had to be postponed due to a car crash involving Barnes.

The former British champion is in pretty bad condition following Tuesday's unfortunate accident and is no condition to fight. According to those close to Barnes, the 31-year old's condition is improving but he did pick up a lot of injuries during the crash.

The Manchester show's promoter David Coldwell is just thankful that Barnes is still with us.

"David Barnes is lucky to be alive and I'm so grateful that he escaped from the crash without suffering fatal consequences," said Coldwell. "I've spoke with David since the accident and his description of the crash means that someone up there is smiling down on him. His fight with Heffron can wait for another day but at the momentmy thoughts are with David and his family as he starts his recovery."

Fans who bought tickets to for the event can get a refund from the point of purchase. However, the Manchester show still goes ahead on October 12th and fan favourite Matthew Hatton will now headline the bill. The Mancunian will take on Michael Lomax, and if he wins the fight he wishes to go on in search of his first world title. The show will also feature a few of Coldwell Boxing's top prospects including the professional debut of Anthony Jevons and former ABA champ Hosea Burton.

Holyfield Vs Mercer! February 2013!

Evander Holyfield.

Former world heavyweight champions and boxing legends Evander Holyfiel and Ray Mercer will meet in the ring in an exhibition match at the start of next year.

Ray Mercer in his prime.

The event takes place on February 2nd 2013 and the idea of the whole show is that a whole bunch of famous "fighting" celebrities come together to put on a show in honour of former president Nelson Mandela. The show will take place on the date that Mandela was released from Robben Island.

The fight involving Holyfield, 49, and Mercer, 51, will only be four rounds and will not be a full-blown, hard-punching slugfest that you usually see in the heavyweight division. The 40-year old WBF champion Michael Grant and New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams, who is also a professional boxer, are also likely to be involved in the exhibition.

Despite rumours, the event will not be held on Robben Island as there are no suitable facilities available. It also isn't certain that the event will be held in Cape Town.

"I am negotiating with a number of organisations to find the most suitable venue," said Showpony CEO Damian Michael. "Cape Town has certain advantages because of it's proximity to Robben Island, but I'm also considering the Johannesburg area."

There will also be serious bouts on the show. English welterweight contender Matthew Hatton is set to fight an opponent that will be named in the near future.

Ricky Hatton to return to the ring?

Hatton in his fight with Paulie Malignaggi.

There have been tons of rumours circulating that retired British fan favourite Ricky Hatton is looking to make a return to the ring for the first time since 2009. The rumour has not yet been confirmed by Hatton or any of his team but there are a lot of UK media outlets that are stating that this rumour is true.

Hatton, 33-years old, last fought in May of 2009, where he suffered a devastating knock out loss to Manny Pacquiao.

It's fair to say that at this moment in time, Hatton is not in shape. However, according to inside reports, the former two-time world champion has been training a lot lately and has also been shedding a lot of weight. It's  hard to believe that this story is true as there have never been any signs that the Manchester-born man was even considering returning to the ring. At the moment, I'm not actually sure whether I would want to see Mr.Hatton back in the ring. I've enjoyed watching him fight so many times and he does usually bring a lot of excitement for the fans. However, I do not want him to become another one of the ring legends that tarnish their career because they just don't know when to hang up the gloves. I know he's only 33, but he's been inactive for over three years and I just don't think that he will ever be able to make it back to the top. I hope I'm wrong.

What's even more surprising is that the rumours that are circulating also state that Hatton is targeting WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton defeated Malignaggi by an 11th round stoppage prior to his loss to Manny Pacquiao.

Always chatty and willing to talk Malignaggi gave his thoughts on the rumours:

"I'm hearing that Ricky Hatton is interested in a comeback," said the New Yorker. "I'm hearing rumours that I'm the target of that comeback. I've had two rematches in my career and I'm 2-0 in those rematches. In our fight, he did very well. I'd like to think that there are a lot of things that I could have done [better] and I'd like to think that I have made a lot of changes on my team that have really, really brought out the best in me."

"It's a loss that I've had to live with. It's a loss that hindered me and every day I think about the loss and it bothers me. It's unfortunate because I should have done much better, but it was what it was. The rematch is something that interests me. I have nothing but respect for Ricky, his fans and his family. They were nothing but respectful to me during the entire promotion and I expect nothing less in the rematch. I know that he wants to come back and win a title to reclaim old glory but it's my time now and I know that I can beat Ricky Hatton."

Ricky Hatton has not yet made a comment regarding the rumours of a ring return.

Kell Brook Proves He Is World Class!

Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton was one of the most highly anticipated fights so far this year and many people were expecting to be very close but it was far from it. 'The Special One' Kell Brook showed true strength and skill which dominated for Hatton throughout the fight.

Straight from the off you could see that Brook was on a different level to Hatton, in the first few rounds Hatton barely landed a punch whilst Brook landed plenty. When it got to Round 6 Brook was still in control but there were a few glimpses of hope for Hatton as he landed a few strong right crosses.
That was until he was dropped by Brook early in the ninth. Hatton rose to his feet and tried to fight back but once again Brook proved to be too classy for the Mancunian.

When it came to the announcement of the results there was no doubt in anybodies mind that Kell Brook had got the decision and retained his titles. Brook who was also certain that he had done enough strutted around confidently just waiting for the results. The MC done his bit and confirmed that Kell Brook had beaten Matthew Hatton by a unanimous decision.

In an interview straight after the fight Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn stated that Brook will be fighting in bigger and better fights in the future with a chance of a world title fight in the summer.

Amir Khan will certainly be worried about fighting Brook after seeing this performance and it looks like Brook's next fight is likely to be against Khan.

If they were to fight, who would win? Amir Khan or Kell Brook?.. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@BoxingOpinions1).

Tonight's fights latest odds!

Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton:


                                Bet365        SkyBET       BETFRED
         Kell Brook-       1/10              1/8                 1/8
 Matthew Hatton-         6                   6                 11/2
                 Draw-        38                 40                  28

Matthew Macklin Vs Sergio Martinez:


                                Bet365        SkyBET       BETFRED
  Sergio Martinez-       1/12             1/12               1/9
Matthew Macklin-         6                  6                 11/2
                  Draw-        33                33                 33

Carl Frampton Vs Prosper Ankrah:


                                Betfair
    Carl Frampton-       3/100
  Prosper Ankrah-       35
                 Draw-        56

Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton... Weigh-in Results

Hatton and Brook face-to-face at today's weigh-in.

Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield was brought to a stand still earlier today when Kell Brook and Matthew Hatton stepped onto the scales on the final day before their highly anticipated clash. Also there were Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Carl Frampton and Scotty Cardle (Olympic prospect making his debut) along with a load of less-known but still very entertaining fighters.

Carl Frampton with Prosper Ankrah.

Both Hatton and Brook made the welterweight limit with Hatton stepping up first to weigh in at 10st 6lb 9oz and followed shortly after by home favourite Brook who tipped the scales at 10st 6lb 4oz. The atmosphere was amazing for just a weigh-in, I can't begin to imagine what it will be like tomorrow night!

''I'd like to thank all the fans that turned out today and I promise them that I will make Sheffield proud tomorrow night'' said 'The Special One' Kell Brook.

Here are the weights of all the other boxers that are fighting tomorrow night:


Carl Frampton 8st 10lb Vs Prosper Ankrah 8st 10lb

Greg Proska Hope 11st 5lb Vs Kerry Hope 11st 5lb

Lee Purdy 10st 6lb Vs Adnan Amar 10st 6lb

John Ryder 11st 9lb Vs Alistair Warren 11st 7lb

Eamonn O'Kane 11st 9lb Vs Wayne Reed 12st 1lb

Ryan Aston 11st 6lb Vs Lee Noble 11st 5lb

Scotty Cardle 9st 12lb Vs Sid Razak 10st 2lb

Khan may face winner of Brook Vs Hatton!

Amir Khan at this weeks press conference in London.

Former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan has been challenged to face the winner of Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton which is set to take place this Saturday.

Hatton (Right), Brook (Left)

Khan has been planning to move up to 147lb (welterweight) for a long time with his main target being No.1 fighter in the world Floyd 'Money' Mayweather, but first he must prove that he can be effective at this weight and an introduction fight with either Brook or Hatton would be a great way for us to see whether he is ready for the welterweight division. My guess is that Khan would prefer to face Hatton as we all know that there is already a question mark over who would win between Khan and Brook. To be honest my vote go towards 'The Special One' Kell Brook as he has shown so much potential and is still yet to lose a round in my opinion.

Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn commented about the prospect of his boxer fighting Khan: ''Khans eyeing a move up to welterweight, so the winner of this clash is a natural fight... We'll have 10,000 fans in the arena for Brook Vs Hatton so what sort of numbers do you think a fight with Khan would do?''

Khan's main focus at the will be his forthcoming rematch wit Lamont Peterson who beat Khan in a controversial decision last year.

Most people will agree that this year will be make or break for the superstar from Bolton Amir Khan.

Carl Frampton looking to shine!

Super-bantamweight prospect Carl Frampton.

Super-bantamweight Carl Frampton is fighting on the biggest stage of his life so far this Saturday on the under-card for Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton which is expected to draw a sell-out crowd of 10,000 at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. 

Frampton will be boxing against unknown Ghanaian Prosper Ankrah. Although he knows little about him Carl is definite that he will not take him for granted to avoid any mistakes and ending up with a loss on his so-far perfect record.  

The young prospect Frampton has already been lauded as a future European and World champion by his manager Barry McGuigan. Barry himself is a former world champion so he definitely knows what he's talking about and he claims that it is the god's honest truth that he believes Frampton will be a star of the future. 

Although he is happy about all the compliments, Frampton has not let these words go to his head. He still admits that his technique needs a little polishing before he can get to the next level. 

''We've been working my head movement, making myself less easy to hit as I come forward... as a super-bantamweight it's very important... I am looking to do a bit more damage up close and I suppose you could say I need to work a little bit harder at close range but I have always felt very comfortable as mid-distance fighter'' said Frampton.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has already stated that a win for Frampton on Saturday would almost certainly secure a further fight back in Belfast in June but Carl still says that this fight is his main focus at the moment.

''I know I have to be on my game and i'm looking forward to boxing on such a big stage'' said Frampton who will definitely give the fans a fight to remember on a show that is shaping up to be one of the best of the year!