By Michael Collins: Former WBA World welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko (32-1, 21 KO’s) is potentially in a position of power on November 24th in his fight against a rusty and short Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO’s) at the Manchester Arena (formerly M.E.N Arena), in Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom. The 35-year-old Senchenko is in the position where he could put Hatton out of his misery by sending him into a permanent retirement by knocking him cold in this fight.
It may sound impossible but it’s not. Hatton has already been softened up for Senchenko by knockout losses to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. before Hatton retired from boxing in 2009 following his KO loss to Pacquiao. Additionally, Hatton has all that negative mileage put on him from high living with a lot of eating and drinking and not exercising.
I don’t care who you are. If you live the way that Hatton has lived in the past three years, it’s going to do something to you in a negative sense. You can turn your life around, to be sure, but that’s going to undo the damage that you’ve done to your body. In other words, this isn’t going to be a 25-year-old Hatton that walks out into the ring to face Senchenko on November 24th. This is going to be a fighter with a lot of miles on him who may have big problems taking head shots or fighting hard for three minutes of every round. Taking head shots might be a problem for Hatton at this point.
The course that Hatton has set for himself doesn’t seem to be a difficult one if he were still in his prime. His goal is to beat Senchenko and then to fight for and win a world title against likely Malignaggi and then retire. It’s as simple as that. Hatton likely won’t challenge himself by facing anyone dangerous like Mayweather or Pacquiao, so it’s doable for him to accomplish his goal of winning a strap if he’s not all messed up from sitting around all those years.
You bet, though, if Senchenko knocks Hatton out on November 24th then he’ll be sending him straight into a permanent retirement.