FIGHT OF FANTASY: RICKY HATTON VS. RYAN GARCIA
knew what you were getting with Ricky. It was just picking a game plan to stop him from doing his good work. “Ryan is a good fighter – great win for him last time, and he’s been in with some big names now. Of course he’s a world champion; you can’t win a world title and not have talent. “I still think at 147, Ryan’s style was made for Ricky. Ryan’s a good fighter; I just think Ricky would have beat him. I think he would have slipped and got inside, got on his chest and broke him down as the rounds went on. I’d go for a stoppage late for Ricky. RIP to a legend. He’s in the history books and always will be, and there will always only be one Ricky Hatton.” Prediction: Hatton TKO
“Garcia would need to start fast. He has one of the key ingredients to beat Hatton, which is the booming left hand. As we saw in the fight with Floyd Mayweather, the counter left hook, and even with [Manny] Pacquiao and Luis Collazo, [...] Hatton struggled to read [left hands] when he looked to close the gap. So, Garcia has the basic intangibles, hand speed, range; he just needs to keep control, because Hatton is the much better fighter on the inside. He needs to learn how to lock the arms, how to hold him, walk him on the inside and then reset. But for Ryan to win the fight, he has to be very disciplined, pick his spots, force the mistakes out of Hatton and then walk him into the counters. “Hatton would need [to show], in his famous words, that it’s ‘not a tickling contest.’ He’d need to move the head, get inside and then dig hard to the body. We know that Garcia is a little vulnerable to the body, and it would be key in breaking him down and slowing his legs up, slowing his speed and movement. I think Hatton would have to be real cautious closing the range so he doesn’t walk into a check hook, and when he gets inside, explode and go to work, body and head. Look to keep creating those subtle angles and just hit Garcia as hard as possible on both flanks and just keep chipping away at him. “I see multiple outcomes for the fight, especially because of the vulnerabilities of each against the opposite fighter’s style. I think Hatton’s nonstop aggression and body-punching and dexterity inside brings out the weakness in Garcia, and I think the hand speed and his booming left hook is Hatton’s Achilles’ heel. But it’s one of those fights I lean towards the person who at the peak of their powers was a little more stable and consistent, and that’s Hatton. I would lean towards Hatton edging Garcia in a hard contest. Hatton may even sustain a flash knockdown early to mid-rounds but
Chris Algieri Former WBO junior welterweight titleholder
“It would be massive. The convergence of the fan bases would be interesting to watch. Ricky Hatton’s fans were die-hard. They traveled in droves. They’re loud. They make the atmosphere so much fun. Ryan’s fans are just volume because he’s such a crossover star. Ryan’s a trash talker; I can see him calling him ‘Ricky Fatton,’ saying you’ve gained this much weight, you can’t beat a guy like me. Ricky was always respectful, but he was smart, he was clever, he was funny. I think the trash talk and buildup would be a lot of fun. “Stylistically it’s a very interesting fight. Ricky is a two-fisted body-puncher/destroyer, cuts angles, had that frenetic, herky-jerky style. Next thing you know, he’s beside you, he’s ripping body shots to the rib cage, he’s hitting you to the liver. “I look at Ryan as a counterpuncher. He’s fantastic at pulling the trigger and landing the big shot. He’s very precise and throws with bad intentions with very fast hands. “I can see the fight going a lot of ways, but I have to put on my reality cap and understand there are weight classes for a reason. I think Ricky had a lot of trouble at 147. His best win was Luis Collazo, which was a very solid win, but he just wasn’t a welterweight. I think the way he fought helped him at 140. He always struggled to close the distance, and with Ryan that’s the entire game. I think it would be a matter of time before Ryan lands the left hook, and that would probably spell the beginning of the end for Ricky. I see it very similar to the Oscar Duarte fight. I think at 140, Ricky beats the crap out of Ryan. But at 147, Ryan looks so strong and Ricky has struggled at that weight, and the size difference would be immense. I’d say late- round stoppage for Ryan.” Prediction: Garcia TKO Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk, and you can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght.
A ROCK STAR SUMMIT AT WELTERWEIGHT By Anson Wainwright A welterweight showdown between the late, great Ricky Hatton and current WBC titleholder Ryan Garcia brings together two super- popular figures with polar opposite styles and personalities. It would be fun from the moment they announced the fight, with the two mixing it up on social media all the way up to what would surely be an entertaining final press conference. The fight itself would likely be a memorable scrap. Hatton had in the region of 80 amateur fights, which included winning bronze at the World Youth Championships and an ABA national title before turning professional in 1997 at the age of 18. Over the next several years, he thrilled fans with his ruthless body attacks and frenetic fighting style, culminating with a famous win over Kostya Tszyu (TKO 11) in front of a packed Manchester crowd at M.E.N. Arena in June 2005, a performance that garnered Ring and IBF junior welterweight titles. Five months later, “The Hitman” added the WBA belt when he beat Carlos Maussa (KO 9), which helped him clinch The Ring’s 2005 Fighter of the Year award. Hatton then jumped to welterweight and dethroned WBA titleholder Luis Collazo (UD 12). Other notable victories included a unanimous decision
over Juan Urango and an 11th-round stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi. Always one to test himself, he sought out the biggest challenges but fell short against Floyd Mayweather (TKO 10) in December 2007 and Manny Pacquiao (KO 2) in May 2009. Despite the losses, his star power remained huge at home, where he was a hero to many until his tragic passing in September 2025. Born in California, Garcia was an amateur standout who won multiple national titles. He turned professional in Mexico at 17 and had his first four fights in Tijuana before returning to America. His good looks, charisma and dynamic left hand helped him gain attention, and he quickly became a social media star who currently has 13.4 million followers on Instagram. He flattened fringe contenders Romero Duno (2019) and Francisco Fonseca (2020) in a round, then showed heart in getting off the canvas to stop Olympic champion Luke Campbell with a body shot in 2021, all at lightweight. However, he was well-beaten by Gervonta Davis in seven rounds at a catchweight of 136 in April 2023. Despite bizarre pre-fight antics and missing weight by more than three pounds, KingRy looked to have gained a career-defining victory in April 2024 when he dropped Devin Haney three times en route to a points win, only for the fight to be declared a no- contest when he tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine in
the aftermath. After serving a one-year ban, he returned with a listless points loss to Rolly Romero before getting his act together and besting Mario Barrios with a disciplined 12-round unanimous decision to capture the WBC welterweight crown in February 2026. He has since stopped Conor Benn in two rounds in a big-money showdown. At mid- and long range, Garcia would be dangerous, but Hatton would have a huge edge on the inside. A 140-pound bout would favor The Hitman, but at 147, where Garcia is finally fulfilling his potential, the playing field might be more level. Here’s what three seasoned insiders had to say:
Mike Altamura Manager
“It’s an excellent match from a fan viewpoint. I think that it would be a really fun energy leading up to the press conferences. I actually think it’ll be really fun back and forth. Of course the Brits versus the Americans, the blue-collar working class versus the influencers – there’s so many narratives that play into the fight. I think there would be a really fun buildup leading in. I think if you’re scoring the press conferences, Hatton would probably get the better of Ryan. Ryan can be a little naive and Hatton would draw him into some of the antics, and it would really build the anticipation for a sold-out fight night.
Dalton Smith Current WBC junior welterweight titleholder “It would definitely be a big fight. Both big names, big support. It would probably have been another big American fight for Ricky. “Ryan would definitely have had to be busy with his jab, keep his range, good feet, keeping the distance from Ricky getting on the inside. You look at Ricky, his range was up close – you
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keep going to work, round after round, and grinding out a close decision. Maybe something like 8-4, 7-5 with the knockdown against him.” Prediction: Hatton PTS
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