You know what - of all the guys mentioned so far including Tszyu I think Hatton would have had the most straightforward time with Khan. Hatton will get inside against ANYONE at 140 with his ability to slip shots and fast feet - not even Floyd or Pac could keep Hatton at range. I don't think Khan would win a single round. He'd be beaten around the ring from the first bell and the ref would rescue him within 3 or 4.
Hatton would have straight up RAPED Khan. I've always said so because it is self-evident. Hatton would have gotten inside where Khan is at his most vulnerable and punched the living shit out of him. I'd have been surprised if Khan saw the sixth round. MTF
I dont even think it would take a prime Hatton. The past primmed Hatton that beat up Malignaggi would mug Khan. The pre-Mayweather Hatton goes through Khan like hot butter, and stops him within 6.
'Mugging' to me indicates a stolen, fleeting type of affair. Be under no illusions here; Hatton would have fucking smashed Khan into bits. Literally broken him down piece by piece and sent him back to his screaming mother in itsty, bitsy pieces... MTF
It'd be quiet an enjoyable massacre to watch. Hatton would brutally beat him up over the course of several rounds, as opposed to Tszyu... who would have knocked him senseless with one or two right hands, or Pryor... who would have overwhelmed him within 3.
I agree. Prime Hatton would have been an awful style matchup for Khan. People talk about a prime Tszyu, actually Tszyu doesn't even have a good style against Khan. You don't beat rangey fighters with very quick hands by having patience and slow feet. Hatton has the perfect quick footed, ring cutting pressure style to pretty much dominate Khan. Sure he'd take a fair few flush shots coming in, but Khan doesn't hit anywhere near as hard as Floyd, let alone Pacquiao. I think Hatton has become a bit underrated actually. Prime Hatton was a top tier pressure fighter. Lest we not forget, only Floyd and Pacquiao have beaten him, the top 2 P4P fighters in the world, by a big margin. Arguably Collazo too, but Hatton is a one weight fighter.
Your Tszyu hate doesnt have any limits does it? Khan would honestly have to sign waivers to fight a prime Tszyu. The ending would be VERY VERY brutal for Amir. Khan doesnt have the power to keep Tszyu off him, and has fuck all defense to avoid Tszyu's right hand. And a prime Tszyu was a HELLUVA lot quicker of both hand and foot than fuckin Maidana! And unlike retarded Chino... Tszyu would actually know how to put the finishing touches on. I cant believe how much you hate Tszyu.
I thought this was so obvious as to not bother making a thread. Hatton was a tiny short armed guy with probably the fastest pair of feet I have seen on a British boxer since Naz. Or Since Khan in rounds 10, 11, and 12 of his last fight. His short arms and fast feet and insane, never ending workrate with crippling power downstairs are killer. He was a beast at 140 and never lost a fight there till Pacquaio. I'll never forget an interview conducted by a disreputable colon of a man called Eamon Dunphy with Bill Cayton in 1998, in the buildup to the ultimately farcical series of fights Tyson had on British soil. Dunphy began the interview by saying...."Tell us how good Tyson was"...and Cayton responded, very simply..."I'm glad you asked as most people have....forgotten". That sentiment is, for me, as applicable today to Hatton as it was to Tyson 10 years ago. People have forgotten how relentless, how fit, how teak-tough the guy was. His arms were so short that if he fought Khan he wouldn't smother himself like Maidana did and there is no way, no way he would be anywhere near as jaded as Maidana became down the stretch. Hatton moved in and out like a laser on a CD. He also, when he was younger, threw a great fast jab, and stepped off it to let go with his other shots, snapping his head form left to right and moving in relentlessly. Tszyu dropped right hand bomb on him after right hand bomb, and couldn't budge him. Khan might be a pain in the arse for 1 minute or so with his speed, and there is always the threat of a cut, but Ricky has this guys number right from the get go. It's a terrible match up for Khan as Hatton is tailored in just about every regard to synch perfectly with Khan's shortcomings.
Tszyu is the second most overrated fighter of the modern era, behind Tito. The guy is an average world champ and nothing more. His best win is KOing Judah. Admittedly impressive, but who hasn't beaten Judah? Other than that, what's he done, beaten old arse Chavez and Gonzalez? Then got beaten up and quit against Hatton, and retired? The reason I hate Tszyu is quite how overrated he was when he was active. Lest we not forget Cool Vince beat the fuck out of him too, and Tszyu wanted no part of a rematch. Tszyu would be the logical choice to KO Khan given his respectable power, sharp right hand, and Khan's glass chin, but if he didn't manage to KO Khan, Khan's range and fast hands would be outscoring Tszyu every round. I dislike them both equally by the way, and would probably pick Tszyu, but if he couldn't put Khan away, he would lose.
Tszyu had better SKILLS than Khan! Fuck all that flashy athletic shit Khan has.... Kostya was faarrr more technically sound and Khan would find it a HELLUVA lot harder to "outbox" him than Maidana. And the bum BARELY survived Maidana. For a preview of how Tszyu-Khan would end.... check out Tszyu vs Jan Bergman. If anything.... people forget how FAST Tszyu's hands were! Compared to Maidana..... a prime Tszyu was Ray Leonard handspeed wise. BTW - Vince Philips would have knocked Con into the middle of next week.
I agree for sure that Kahn gets destroyed at the end but I think Mex has a point as far as Hatton having a better style to chop Amir down. I can see Kahn winning a round or two with flurries while Kostya gets closer and closer with the jab and straight. Of course once he lands, and it would be early, it's over for Amir. I dislike the fucker and he's not very good but the kid is quite big and long for the weight, added to his hand speed and amateurish flurries he can trouble whoever plays the outside game. Get him with a master of the inside game and the kid has absolutely no moments during the match.
Incredible how even a MM thread get's dragged down to this "Tszyu was good/No he wasn't" level of absurdity. Hatton, for all intents and purposes, remains the best British 140lb fighter of all time, by a country mile, although I expect that to change in the very near future once Khan has overhauled Oktay Urkal and Reggie Green in fights that prove his chin and heart are for real. And when he is through with Vivian Harris and Carlos Maussa, and has shut out Abdullaev, then the doubters will be silenced.
I really think that many have the thought of the 2000's Tszyu in their heads. Might wanna view more of the mid-to-late 90's Tszyu. He woulda fuckin slaughtered Khan with 3! Even on the night he lost to Philips, he still slaughters Khan in 3. Philips took shots in that fight which would have sent Amir to the ICU. Khan is actually MORE made for Tszyu than he is Hatton. PRESSURE was the key to beating Tszyu... boxing him at a distance was suicide. It gave him enough room to operate and get off his power shots. The 99 Tszyu would crush Khan.... and would do so with little difficulty.
X is right. Kostya would sharp shoot his straight and over hand rights through and around Amir's guard. And Khan would not take those shots. Sooner rather than later he would fall. Tszyu had quick hands too. Maybe not quite as quick as Khan. But he was more accurate and more powerful with his punches. Its a mismatch in all honesty.
