England Lays Claim
By Tom Donelson

INSIDE BOXING (June 6, 2005) - This weekend, Great Britain laid claim to two of boxing titles. Ricky Hatton pummeled Kotsya Tszyu into submission and now is the undisputed junior welterweight champion. Hatton showed not just brawn but adjusted his game to adapt to Tszyu weakness and won in impressive style. Even Tszyu understood when he failed to come out in the 12th round. He knew that he had lost and that for this evening, Hatton was the better fighter.

Hatton aggressive style forced a no quarter fight in which the older Tszyu had to fight every minute of every round. Going into the eleventh round, Tszyu knew he was behind and came out with one last charge. The first minute, his jabs and right hand scored but they did not have much effect upon the hard charging Hatton. The round was close as both men nailed each other with solid shots but when Tszyu went back to his corner, he knew it was over. The Australian fierce punching power was defanged by Hatton hard swarming style. There was nothing left in the tank and while Tszyu may have taken the eleventh round in close fashion- the fight was essentially over. Tszyu did not have the power to knock out Hatton and Hatton won most of the later rounds in convincing style.

Hatton is now the king of the hill and his aggressive swarming will prove popular with an American audience that love aggressive go for broke fighters. Hatton next fight could easily be a mega event. Hatton has shown that he could sell out any arena in London and his personality to along with his skills is a boxing PR dream.

The night before the big Hatton-Tszyu, Scott Harrison overpowered the game Michael Brodie. This was the battle of Britain but after the first round, it was obvious that Brodie did not have the power to keep the stronger Harrison off him. While Brodie showed guts and guile to come back in the second and third round, it only delayed the inevitable. In the fourth round, Harrison unleashed a series of body shots that stopped Brodie in his track and after one too many left hook to the body, Brodie slumped to the canvas and failed to beat the count.

In a division that is slowly being dominated by the rugged sluggers, Harrison fits right in. While Juan Marquez is the king of the featherweights, there are many excellent fighters who are ready to take their shot. Scot Harrison has the talent and strength to challenge for the undisputed featherweight title.

Boxing is going international and many of the new stars are either coming from south of the border or across the either the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. Both Hatton and Harrison are among the best in the division. I should say that Hatton is the best in his division and Harrison is one of the featherweights elites. England is producing some of the world best boxers and one reason may just be promoter Frank Warren- who loves the sport.

Warren has shown British fighters that they could learn their craft at home and make money. The biggest criticism of Ricky Hatton was his lack of “competition” or that he just fed off everyone else leftovers. However, Hatton was learning his craft and becoming a excellent fighter-much of if away from the glare of American spotlight.

When handed his opportunity, Hatton took the next step and won. And he won in his own way in front of his own crowd. Eventually Hatton will make that trip across the Atlantic but for the time being, he is the king of the division and the 140 pound championship now must go through Manchester.

As for Manchester, this is the home of the premier soccer team in the world- Manchester Union and now it is the home of the best junior welterweights. This past weekend, Manchester featured two of the best in their division fight before rabid fans. Boxing took it place along side soccer.