Hatton looks to be punching above his weight

Matthew Hatton in action against Gianluca Branco

Matthew Hatton, brother to fan favourite Ricky has been handed a world title shot when he faces Mexican Saul Alvarez this Saturday night. Both men will be fighting for the vacant WBC light-middleweight title after the belt was vacated by Filipino star Manny Pacquiao.

But, I have to question if this is the right move for the 29-year-old from Manchester. As of yet, Hatton hasn’t really faced anyone with real quality and has moved himself up the rankings with wins against mediocre fighters nearing retirement.

Don’t get me wrong, Hatton has improved a great deal and I have to respect the way he has battled to gain some pride because being the brother of a successful boxer has made it hard to make a name for himself.

He hasn’t lost in eight fights with some impressive victories over seasoned pros such as Ben Tackie, Gianluca Branco and Yuriy Nuzhnenko. This form has taken him to winning the European welterweight title and also moving him up the rankings to being the number 1 welterweight in Britain and 11^th best in the world.

So, yes I do believe he deserves this chance but the outcome could be a very painful and disastrous one. Alvarez is currently one of the hottest prospects in the world of boxing with an outstanding record of 35 wins from his 36 fights with 26 ending by knockout. His only fight that didn’t end in victory was the draw against fellow Mexican Jorge Juarez in 2006 but this was at an early stage of his career.

Oscar De La Hoya’s ‘Golden Boy Promotions’ signed up the 20-year-old and he is considered to be the next great champion from Mexico. Thus far, Alvarez has hardly been challenged in any of his fights and I can’t see Hatton being the first person to do this.

I would love to see Hatton prove me wrong and silence all the doubters as Ricky did when he beat Kostya Tszyu in 2005 but Matthew will need to be working very hard in training if this is to happen. Defence training has to be a must because Alvarez is a sluggish fighter who like’s to come forward and go for the knockout.

Alvaerz will win the fight in the middle rounds as I think his power and speed will just be too much for the Mancunian. It’s a great chance for Matthew to prove us all wrong and show he can do it against the world’s best and I have to respect him for stepping up and taking this fight.

Whatever the outcome of the fight, I am sure Hatton will gain experience and respect from it. Hopefully us Brits go over to California and give him as much support as possible because it’s now time to forget about Ricky Hatton and concentrate on the brother who could shock the world and become a new British icon.