arty: 
Ricky Hatton, with his fresh legs and 22,000 roaring fans on his side, was simply too much for the old king, Kostya Tszyu.
Hatton and Tszyu waged a blistering, physical battle until Tszyu had nothing left, and quit on his stool after the 11th round on Sunday morning in Manchester, England, handing the city's favorite son the junior welterweight world championship.
The fight took place at 2 a.m. Manchester time to accommodate Showtime's live Saturday night broadcast on the East Coast of the United States, but the MEN Arena crowd was in a frenzy from the outset and it seemed to carry Hatton through some tough moments.
But by the end of the 11th, the 35-year-old Tszyu was sitting on his stool with a blank look on his face and trainer Johnny Lewis urging him not to continue. Tszyu agreed and referee Dave Parris stopped the fight, sending Hatton, 26, and the crowd into a celebration.
"I didn't complain too much," Tszyu said of the stoppage.
Hatton (39-0, 29 KOs) had never faced anyone of Tszyu's caliber, having built his record against a series of unknowns or name fighters well past their prime, including former champion Vince Phillips, the only man to previously defeat Tszyu. But against Tszyu -- long regarded as one of the world's best pound-for-pound performers -- Hatton showed he belonged among the sport's elite.
"I'm so humbled by what I have achieved. I just can't believe it," Hatton said.
Hatton now takes command of the sport's deepest division, one that could have a new hierarchy by the end of a month that also features Arturo Gatti vs. Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto and Vivian Harris defending their belts in other matches. But Hatton is the ruler.
"I always said I'd be No. 1 and we did it together tonight," Hatton told the adoring crowd. "If I can be half the champion Kostya Tszyu was, I will do well."
Hatton led on all three scorecards -- 107-102, 106-103 and 105-104 -- as he roughed up Tszyu (31-2) all night.
Hatton stayed in Tszyu's chest for most of the fight to smother his potent right hand. Meanwhile, he was ripping Tszyu with uppercuts and digging his dangerous hook to the body.
"I made the wrong fight. I don't know why I stayed close to him," said Tszyu, who was fighting for just the second time since January 2003 because of injuries. But he was coming off a sensational third-round knockout of Sharmba Mitchell in their November rematch, and was the favorite against Hatton.
After Tszyu was warned for a low blow in the ninth round, Hatton retaliated with a severely low blow later in the round that seemed to sap Tszyu of any desire to continue.
"I never really caught him on the chin," Tszyu said. "He deserved the win."
Hatton had a huge 10th round, pinning Tszyu along the ropes and rocking him with right hands and uppercuts. By the end of the 11th, Tszyu had taken enough.
"I knew it was nearly impossible for me to win. I thought I was behind, three or four points behind," he said. "I haven't been that tired or exhausted for years and years. I had one of the best training camps and I was in great shape. Something was wrong. I was just flat. It wasn't me.
"He was the better man tonight."
Said Hatton, "I was very surprised [Tszyu quit] but you can never tell what a fighter is feeling. I took a few shots early on but the last five rounds I felt like I was in control. I wanted to get through the first 4-5 rounds, smother him and then come on, and that's what I did. I knew I was ready for this step up for a long time."
Tszyu's best moment came in the seventh round, when he appeared to drop Hatton with a body punch. Parris ruled it a slip, although replays showed it was a clean shot on the belt line.
The loss could mark the end of Tszyu's marvelous, Hall of Fame-caliber career. Tszyu, a native of Russia now beloved in his adopted home of Australia, was a world amateur champion, a two-time junior welterweight champ and the undisputed champion. He boxed in 17 world title bouts, fought a who's who of 140-pounders and was willing to go to Hatton's hometown to take up his challenge.
"I'm not saying this is the end of my career. Maybe yes, maybe no," said Tszyu, who began boxing when he was an 8-year-old living in Russia. "But today I lost to the better fighter. Ricky was better than me everywhere."
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com
Hatton and Tszyu waged a blistering, physical battle until Tszyu had nothing left, and quit on his stool after the 11th round on Sunday morning in Manchester, England, handing the city's favorite son the junior welterweight world championship.
The fight took place at 2 a.m. Manchester time to accommodate Showtime's live Saturday night broadcast on the East Coast of the United States, but the MEN Arena crowd was in a frenzy from the outset and it seemed to carry Hatton through some tough moments.
But by the end of the 11th, the 35-year-old Tszyu was sitting on his stool with a blank look on his face and trainer Johnny Lewis urging him not to continue. Tszyu agreed and referee Dave Parris stopped the fight, sending Hatton, 26, and the crowd into a celebration.
"I didn't complain too much," Tszyu said of the stoppage.
Hatton (39-0, 29 KOs) had never faced anyone of Tszyu's caliber, having built his record against a series of unknowns or name fighters well past their prime, including former champion Vince Phillips, the only man to previously defeat Tszyu. But against Tszyu -- long regarded as one of the world's best pound-for-pound performers -- Hatton showed he belonged among the sport's elite.
"I'm so humbled by what I have achieved. I just can't believe it," Hatton said.
Hatton now takes command of the sport's deepest division, one that could have a new hierarchy by the end of a month that also features Arturo Gatti vs. Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto and Vivian Harris defending their belts in other matches. But Hatton is the ruler.
"I always said I'd be No. 1 and we did it together tonight," Hatton told the adoring crowd. "If I can be half the champion Kostya Tszyu was, I will do well."
Hatton led on all three scorecards -- 107-102, 106-103 and 105-104 -- as he roughed up Tszyu (31-2) all night.
Hatton stayed in Tszyu's chest for most of the fight to smother his potent right hand. Meanwhile, he was ripping Tszyu with uppercuts and digging his dangerous hook to the body.
"I made the wrong fight. I don't know why I stayed close to him," said Tszyu, who was fighting for just the second time since January 2003 because of injuries. But he was coming off a sensational third-round knockout of Sharmba Mitchell in their November rematch, and was the favorite against Hatton.
After Tszyu was warned for a low blow in the ninth round, Hatton retaliated with a severely low blow later in the round that seemed to sap Tszyu of any desire to continue.
"I never really caught him on the chin," Tszyu said. "He deserved the win."
Hatton had a huge 10th round, pinning Tszyu along the ropes and rocking him with right hands and uppercuts. By the end of the 11th, Tszyu had taken enough.
"I knew it was nearly impossible for me to win. I thought I was behind, three or four points behind," he said. "I haven't been that tired or exhausted for years and years. I had one of the best training camps and I was in great shape. Something was wrong. I was just flat. It wasn't me.
"He was the better man tonight."
Said Hatton, "I was very surprised [Tszyu quit] but you can never tell what a fighter is feeling. I took a few shots early on but the last five rounds I felt like I was in control. I wanted to get through the first 4-5 rounds, smother him and then come on, and that's what I did. I knew I was ready for this step up for a long time."
Tszyu's best moment came in the seventh round, when he appeared to drop Hatton with a body punch. Parris ruled it a slip, although replays showed it was a clean shot on the belt line.
The loss could mark the end of Tszyu's marvelous, Hall of Fame-caliber career. Tszyu, a native of Russia now beloved in his adopted home of Australia, was a world amateur champion, a two-time junior welterweight champ and the undisputed champion. He boxed in 17 world title bouts, fought a who's who of 140-pounders and was willing to go to Hatton's hometown to take up his challenge.
"I'm not saying this is the end of my career. Maybe yes, maybe no," said Tszyu, who began boxing when he was an 8-year-old living in Russia. "But today I lost to the better fighter. Ricky was better than me everywhere."
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com
a lot of what ttinco says is true and what valdosta says is also true. as frank warren hattons promoter is famous for protecting his fighters like he did with a joe calzaghe or nassem hamed. while i do believe a zab judah type fighter (speed and power) would give hatton trouble hatton does have heart and is a pure pressure fighter. not always an easy combo to beat especially in england.
Hilo Boy,
While bowing to your and others more unquestionable knowledge of the game, for some reason, I seem to have an uncanny knack of seeing a good fighter and countless times have taken money off more informed people. Because I dont know how I do it, I dont specifically bet on Boxing, but I did tell everyone 2 years ago that this guy will go the whole hog. Regardless of the opponent, he just seems to have that killing trait, and nobody is going to be comfotable with that. As for Warren, he is just a glorified gambler, allbeit a great one. If he thinks the odds are in his favour, purse Vs winning chance, Hatton will go anywhere.
While bowing to your and others more unquestionable knowledge of the game, for some reason, I seem to have an uncanny knack of seeing a good fighter and countless times have taken money off more informed people. Because I dont know how I do it, I dont specifically bet on Boxing, but I did tell everyone 2 years ago that this guy will go the whole hog. Regardless of the opponent, he just seems to have that killing trait, and nobody is going to be comfotable with that. As for Warren, he is just a glorified gambler, allbeit a great one. If he thinks the odds are in his favour, purse Vs winning chance, Hatton will go anywhere.
