Ricky Hatton has offered his opinion on Tyson Fury’s upcoming rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, revealing exactly what he thinks Fury needs to do to turn the tables on the Ukrainian in December.
Hatton, a former world champion, also weighed in on Anthony Joshua’s recent knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, suggesting why he doesn’t believe AJ should be granted a rematch with DDD.
Hitman Hatton wrapped up his exclusive interview with Mail Sport in the run-up to Jack Catterall’s clash with Regis Prograi live on DAZN this weekend by stating when he would like to see Fury and Joshua finish their illustrious careers.
Recalling the first fight between Fury and Usyk, Hatton acknowledged how rare the Ukrainian’s talent is, particularly highlighting his mental strength in the face of Fury’s notorious mind games.
‘He doesn’t mind mind games at all, right Usyk? It just goes in one ear and out the other, right? Hatton said, underlining the fact that Usyk is immune to the psychological tactics Fury has previously used to destabilize his opponents.
Ricky Hatton has offered his opinion on Tyson Fury’s upcoming rematch with Oleksandr Usyk
‘Fighters like Usyk only appear from time to time, right? I mean, Olympic gold medalist, undisputed cruiserweight champion and now undisputed heavyweight champion. He is an incredible talent that cannot be taken for granted. It just seems to me that whatever Tyson does won’t affect him. It’s not going to reach you.
In the first meeting, Usyk seemed to defy the physical disadvantages, pushing the much larger Fury around the ring with surprising ease. Despite Fury’s height, reach and weight advantage, Usyk managed to control the pace and dictate much of the action.
Hatton, however, believes Fury can win the rematch, scheduled for December 21 at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, if he makes the right adjustments.
“I think Tyson has a good chance if he makes the necessary changes. He has a reach advantage of four or five inches, and he has the weight and height advantage, but that was not seen in the first fight. Usyk managed to push him all over the ring despite being the smallest man.
Hatton went on to explain how Fury’s best path to victory lies in being more stationary at times and using his size to his advantage.
Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly (C) spoke to Hatton and Jack Catterall ahead of the latter’s fight.
“I think Tyson needs to hold his feet a little more. Of course, you can still give ground, but hold your feet a little more and use the attributes you have to your advantage: height, reach, weight. I don’t think he’s done that enough.” “If you make those decisions and have a voice in the corner, you might be more successful.”
The mention of having “a voice in the corner” is a key point for Hatton, who believes too many instructions from multiple sources could have hampered Fury in the first fight. In a high-stakes battle like this, Hatton says communication between fighter and trainer needs to be very clear.
‘You don’t need to tell anyone in that corner that there must always be a voice. You can talk to any trainer and they will tell you that the boxer is not going to assimilate information if it comes from here, there and everywhere.
‘I mean, they can talk to each other during the three-minute rounds, but when that minute comes around, you have to be quick and concise. “You have to spread the message effectively, so you need one voice to deliver it.”
Usyk (left) and Fury faced off at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of their rematch.
While Hatton believes Fury can make the necessary adjustments, he still sees the fight as incredibly close, with no guarantee of victory for either man.
“If you do things like that, I think you’ll be a lot more successful.” But I still think it will be a matter of luck how the fight will play out and who will win. But I think he has a better chance if he uses his attributes more and his team helps him by giving him one voice.’
Turning his attention to Anthony Joshua, who was recently knocked out by Daniel Dubois, Hatton expressed his opinion on whether Joshua should seek a rematch or retire from the sport for good.
‘You know, the great Eddie Hearn said the other day about AJ’s rematch with Daniel Dubois. I think that would be tough on Daniel, as I think he deserves to fight the winner of Fury vs Usyk or get a rematch with Usyk directly.
“If he gets to fight Usyk he can reverse what happened last time, and if he gets to fight Tyson he will get a great British fight.” I think that’s what should happen next, really. I mean, you’re not telling me that people won’t pay for Tyson vs. AJ. We’ve wanted that for 10 years. So, I think if they’re going to do that, that would be great and a credit to them, but I don’t see that next.”
Hatton holds Fury and Joshua in high regard and believes the boxing world should honor them both by allowing them one final showdown against each other before they call it a day.
“That said, I like to think of it as a family in boxing, and I like to think I can call them both friends. I think we should let them have their last fights with each other. Personally, I’d like to see Tyson now on the couch with the feet in the air.
‘I would like to see AJ do the same and tell him that enough is enough. But, if I’m being selfish, I wouldn’t want to tell them until they’ve fought each other. “Then they can put their feet up and play fair with both of them so they can have brilliant careers.”
Watch Jack Catterall vs Regis Prograis at Co-Op Arena on Saturday night live on DAZN.