“Blood is thicker than water” is a family saying revered everywhere from the Mafia to Eastenders.
However in sporting terms the talent gene doesn’t always make it through to all the individuals. For every Bobby and Jackie Charlton there is an Andy and Jamie Murray. On Friday night Matthew Hatton proved him and Ricky are maybe not as far apart as most people had previously thought.
Against Gianluca Branco, Hatton fought the fight of his life and took home the EBU welterweight belt, a gateway to world title shots and big paydays. Hatton took the fight at short notice, coming a month after he stepped in the ring to dispatch Georgian journeyman Mikheil Khutsishvili by fifth-round TKO.
It wasn’t plain sailing either. Branco is no push over - despite being almost 40 years old, he is still a very handy pugilist. The veteran Italian knows all the old tricks; he will clinch, scrap and tussle his way out of any situation and in his career he has only been defeated by Arturo Gatti and Miguel Cotto. Not exactly poor opposition.
On the night Hatton completely out-boxed Branco, taking him away from the ropes and keeping him at arm’s length with his effective jab and throwing almost three times as many punches as the bucking Branco. It was a real coming of age fight for “Magic” - he out-thought and out-boxed a first-rate opponent and kept the Italian frustrated all night long.
It’s been a strange rise to glory for Hatton. At first it appeared that he was trying to make a few quid off the back of his brother’s success - wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened. He has no amateur experience and has only fought low-level fighters, often way down on the card of Ricky, who was fighting for world title belts. Cynics would say that nepotism played a part and you could argue he got shots and chances others may have deserved more. Traditionally in boxing you work your way up from the bottom, fighting in grim and depressing clubs. Hatton has fought some of the world’s biggest venues despite only coming across journeymen.
With four defeats against nobodies it looked like Hatton was just going to be a mere footnote in Ricky’s glorious career, effectively just another hanger on, but this belt gives him genuine pedigree.
The Hatton’s have got some way to go if they want to be held up with the elite of boxing families; the most famous brotherly boxing duo are the Klitschko brothers. Vitalli and Wladamir are both world champions in their own right and have dominated the heavyweight division for some time. The Ukrainian duo best personify how boxing can run in the genes and how having two great boxers in the family is no fluke. Of course for every Klitschko brother there is a Roger Leonard or Rahman Ali - talentless wannabes with a convenient name and a giving brother.
He might not be in the same elite class as Ricky, but you can’t deny Matthew Hatton his place in the sun. You can only beat what is in front of you. He 's done that, and deserves a bit of brotherly love.
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