b'ROUND 10It really seemed the entire crowd was on the light blue sideOn reflection, Ricky Hatton may havebroadcaster, and a lot hangs on him beinginjury to his hand, his arm or perhaps a rib.significant. As he proved against Tszyu, made more of an impression with histrue to his word.Hatton insisted afterwards that thereHattons stamina is his strength, but he has public speaking here in Las Vegas thanIt did seem as if he would be truewas no injury, that he had merely beentwice seemed sapped of energy. in the ring. Indeed he went prettyto it here. He started well; indeed, heweathering a storm. But when the stormMaybe hes reached his peak, Wayne much straight from 12 rounds withbelieved that he had started so well thathad died down, Hatton was not able toMcCullough, the Las Vegas-based Irish Juan Urango onto the press conferencehe compared himself to Willie Pep, theregain his earlier supremacy, Willie Pepboxer, said. Maybe his lifestyle is catching podium where he told us about how hisAmerican featherweight of the 1940s andhad gone and taken Mr Entertainment withup with him. fellow Vegas star Tom Jones had rung1950s who was so technically good that,him.Hatton will detest the suggestion, but his room to wish him luck (He said:legend has it (wrongly), he once won aIt was then that the mind flashed backit may be that his friendship with Mr Its Tom here. I said: Tom who? Heround without throwing a punch.to his finest moment, against KostyaGuinness and fast food has begun to dull said: Tom Jones. I said: Bollocks.)Hatton may have been overestimatingTszyu 19 months ago. Against Tszyu,the fast-twitch fibres of his body. It was and about how awkward an opponenthimself, but after the first round, whichHattons workrate had been phenomenalbound to happen at some stage, if not at the Urango had been (Its very frustratingwas close, he began to find his range andand undiminishing. Here, against a lesserage of 28. when youre hitting someone like I washe won the second, third and fourth with anopponent, his workrate slowed and heIt was this subject that Bob Arum, all night and F-all happens.) ease and a class that emphasised the gulf instarted throwing single punches and thenCastillos promoter, came straight to after And yes, Urango had indeed beenquality. By the fourth he was dancing roundfalling forward into the clinch. One punch,the bout. Arum will co-promote the bout frustrating. Frustratingly impervious tohis rival, firing off hooks and uppercutsclinch; one punch, clinch. Totally out ofagainst Castillo and it is in his interests for Hattons armoury, frustratingly strong, sothat Urango was struggling to spot. Thecharacter, this was the staccato rhythmHatton to put on a good show. He observed durable that he denied Hatton a showpiecechampion was slow of pace and short ofwith which he elected to defend his clearthat Hatton and Castillo had been a little knockout and forced him to go nose to noseideas. He seemed to be doing well merelylead.disappointing and noted that Hattons to the end of the twelfth before claiming theto withstand the assault.According to Hatton, this was tactical.energy levels had fallen as the bout Colombians IBF light-welterweight crownThat was why that fifth round was aWhy make yourself vulnerable, he asked,progressed. The key to both these guys is on a unanimous points decision.surprise. The Hatton camp knew to expectwhen you are so far ahead on points?that they dont balloon up, he said. All three judges agreed that Urango hadUrango to go to the body and when theWhy, indeed? But four rounds is a longThe good news is that Hatton will have been worth only one of the 12 rounds andColombian connected with a series of shotstime to play out the punch-clinch rhythmlittle time to work on his beer-and-kebabs while that was a little hard on him, theirin quick succession, he drove them homeand Hatton did not look as if he had theregime. What also augurs well is that it did scores reflect Hattons superior ring-craft.with a force that would influence the rest ofreserves to box in any other way. He looked The story they do not tell is of how badlythe contest.spent. Hatton insisted that he was boxingnot take long for him to acknowledge that Hatton was hurt in the fifth round andImmediately, Hatton protected his chestclever. I think I know when to hold on andhe was only reasonably happy with his how his strength deserted him in the finalwith his right arm. He was still carrying thenick a rest, he said.days work. He gave himself seven out of throes of the bout.pain in the sixth round, but by the eighth itThe issues here are age and lifestyle.ten. There are two ways of looking at this.was clear that Urangos offensive had hadIf he had not faded in a similar way inEven that seems generous. He has made You can admire Hattons guile for findinglasting effect. Indeed, Hattons right handhis previous bout, against Luis Collazo,so many friends here, though, that many a hard path to victory, or you can questionhad become so ineffective that it seemedwhen he won the WBA welterweight titlewant to see him push himself closer to what happened to Mr Entertainment andreasonable to assume he had picked up aneight months ago, they might not seem soperfection again. the performance that the British challenger promised would dazzle boxings capital city.64 Sport2WC THETIMESMondayJanuary222007The Mancunian hordes who filled theBoxingDust-upinthedesert BoxingDust-upinthedesertarena would probably not give a stuffNumbersupeither way. They have enjoyed Las Vegas,Distance no object as Hatton 4they have let the city know that they areearns return ticket to Vegas Thenumberchallengesofconsecutivethatworld-titleHattonhasKostya Urangowon,following Tszyu,losingandhisLuistitleCarlosMaussahere and so loudly did they revel in theirCollazoin totheMancunian258mans victory that it seemed as thoughThenumber punchesthe34.1Hattona landedofduringrateofbout, successpercentthe entire 6,379 crowd was on the light- 153 punchesThenumberUrangolanded,of asuccessblue side. Many of them will start savingrateof26.8percent1Thenumberofonroundstomorrow for Hattons next bout, whichUrangowon eachofthejudgesscorecards$500was confirmed immediately afterwards asThepriceboutofaringsideseatforthe Casino attheHotel LasParisVegas and14.95being back in Las Vegas on June 2 or 23,ThepriceBoxtoOfficewatchtheboutonSky$2m secure however,pathwasto theoneassmilinghe thecontestright.ashebegantolookforwardtoanotherboutinboxingsthey capital Junewhen he will defend his title against JosHattonsestimated Headtothehead:verdict,Hattonbelow.followedHatton,apainful victory tookafteronUrango, After12gruellingrounds,bothmenclaimedthat haddonein enoughtoUrango,pursetheforthebout.champion,(aboutLuis Castillo, the Mexican who struggleddefendingearned$500,000253,000)through 12 rounds against Hermann Ngoudjo before winning a split decision on the same bill. Already Hatton is hailing the Castillo Soakingupthepunishment:TheTimeswasgrantedexclusiveaccesstoHattonsdressing-roomashecelebratedbeatingUrangoonpointstotakepossessionoftheIBFlight-welterweightbeltcontest as a classic - If you want to watchTopmarksforattainment,fewerfor MrEntertainmentthattheandBritishthe Ifyouwantouttowatch ofpaceandbeshortdoingofwellideas.merelyHe finestmoment, Kostya welterweight noeight t months body.Itwasboundtohappenperformance knockhell ofeachtwoother,guys seemedto Tszyu19monthsagainstago.Against ago,theymightitlet sosig- atsomestage,ifnotattheagechallenger would watchus,hesaid the Tszyu, nificant.Ashe seemagainst of28.althoughthe withstandwas enomenalworkrateand provedboxingspromisedcapital filled toThat whyassault.that phHattons undimhadin-two guys knock hell out of each other,entertainmentasBritonisforced dazzle arena city. thesame to rhetoric thelastwithof round was fifth been Here,his againstaslowed Tszyu,Hattonsstaminaishis ItwasthissubjectthatBobtogo12roundstoclaimworldtitle ThetheMancunian build-up It theencounter Hattoncampaknewsurprise.to The ishing. workrate lesser strength, but he ofhasenergy.twice Arum, Castillostoafterpromoter,filled wouldhordesprobablywho Urango. willbe expect opponent, seemed sapped camestraight thebout.PhotographsMarcAspland notgiveajoteitherway.They Hattonsthree-boutdealwith UrangothetoColombiangotothebody forwardinto Vegas-basedIrish histhepeak,Las Arumwillco-promotetheinbouthisconnect-and andhestartedthrowingsingle Maybehesreachedwatch us, he said - although the sameOwenSlotChiefSportsReporter haveenjoyed so they HBO,the aAmerican broad- when aseriesof he shotsdrovein punches and then falling WayneMcCullough, said. againstCastilloanditis onahaveletthecityLasknowVegas,thatthey caster,and lothangsonhim edwith boxer, interestsforHattontoputarehereand they beingtruetohisword. quick succession, punch, clinch;theclinch.punch,One Maybehislifestyleiscatching goodshow.HeobservedthatoneRickyHattonmayhavemade thathedeniedHattonashow- revelintheir loudlyvictorydid that did he themhome clinch. outofcharacter, Hatton Castillohadbeenmans trueIt itseem wouldwell;be influencewiththeaforceofthatthe wasTotallythe upHwithattonhim.wil littleanddisappointingpublicofspeakingan inLas togonose 6,379 wasonthelight- indeed, here.asHeif thathe contest. with he elected to his notedrhetoric filled the build-up to the encountermore than impressionhere withhis pieceknockouttonoseandtoforcedtheendhimof itseemedcrowdasthoughtheentire to hebelieved started had would rest tect- this which staccatorhythm tion,butit detestthesugges- a thatfallenHattonsas andVegas hedid thering. thetwelfthbeforeclaimingthe blueside.Manyofthemwill startedso thathe n defend lead. friendshipwithmayMrbeGuinnessthat levelshad theenergyIndeed,hewentalmostin straight ColombiansIBFlight-welter- pared welltoWilliePep,com-the edIhismmchestediatewithly,Hhis proarm. AccordinghiscleartoHatton,this andfastfoodhasbeguntodull progressed. bouthimself attoright bothThethatkeytheytowith Urango. It will be the last of Hattonsfrom12rounds he againstJuan weightcrownonaunanimous Hattoninsistedhe American 1950swho ofthe Hewas it was clear that wastactical.Whymakeyour- thefast-twitchfibresofhis theseguys said. is dontUrango pressconference points wasboxingclever 1940sandfeatherweight wasso thesixthstillround,carryingbutthebypainthein selfvulnerable,heasked,when balloonup,ishe news thatpodium,towherethe spokeabout All decision.judgesagreedthat technicallygoodthat,legend eighth youaresofaraheadonpoints? The goodthreehowhisfellowVegasstar,Tom Urangohadbeenworthonly butlookedspent hasit(wrongly), oncewona Urangos Why, fourrounds Afamilyaffair Hattonwillhavelittletimetohethrowing effect.offensiveIndeed,hadHattonshad indeed.timeButtothree-bout deal with HBO, the AmericanJones,hadluckphoned I hissaid: said: oneof scores roundsandwhile start saving tomorrow for round without been a lasting hand had become so isalong did playout if the 6MatthewHattonproduced workonWhathisbeer-and-kebabswishhim He roomItsto thatwasthea12littlehardonhim, punch. right punch-clinch rhythm and regime. alsoaugurswellTomhere. said:Tomwho? their reflectHattons Hattonsnextbout,whichwas Hattonmayhave over- ineffective that it seemed Hatton look he thebestperformanceofhis isthatitdidnottakelongforHesaid:TomJones.aboutI how superiorring-craft.Thestory confirmedimmediately in after- estimatinghimself,butafter reasonableantoinjuryassumetohishehand,had hadthereservesnot toboxasinspent.any 34-bout ensurethat himtoacknowledgethatBollocks.and theydonot of wards Las the round, was picked otherway. looked hiseldercareerbrother,to Ricky, wasonlyreasonablyhappyheawkwardanopponentUrango Hattonwastellhurtis inhowthebadlyfifth Vegas asJunebeing2orback whenhe close, firsthebegan whichfindhis hisarmuporperhapsarib. HattoninsistedHe thathewas wouldnotbetheonlyHatton withhisdayswork.Hegaveon 23, tohad frustrating roundand will Jos rangeandhe second, Hattoninsistedafterwards boxingclever.I takingabelt himselfsevenoutoften.whenbeenyoure(Itshittingvery someone desertedhimhowinthehisfinalstrengththroes Luisdefend who thirdand wonwiththe anease that injury, whentoholdonthinkand Inick Manchester. backforcedto Frank Eventhatseemsgenerous.Castillo,histhetitleMexicanagainst fourth knowa HelikeIwasallnightandf-all ofthebout. struggledthrough12rounds andaclassthatemphasisedthe hehadtheremerelywasbeenno weatheringthat rest,hesaid. Houghtalingtoretireatthe Hehasmadesomanyfriendshappens.) Therearetwowaysoflook- against Ngoudjo gulfinquality.Bythefourthhe astorm.Butwhen Theissues areageand endofthe to here,had ingat admire before Hermannasplitdecision wasdancingroundhisrival, haddieddown,Hattonthewasstormnot lifestyle.Ifhehere notfadedin wintheIBFseventh toseethough,had internationalround pushthathimselfmanycloserwantfruUrango Frustraindeedtinglyimbeen Hattons this.guileYouforcan a onthe winning firingoffhooksanduppercuts able to regain his earlier asimilarwayinhisprevious welterweighttitle.Tobeat to him again.strating. per- finding samebill. perfectionvious to Hattons soarmoury, hardpathto youcan Castillo thatUrangowasstruggling supremacy. flashedbacktohis bout, against Luis Collazo, himinstyleinLasVegasisa Witterwins,page62frustratinglystrong, durable question victory,happenedor to AlreadycontestHattonasisahailingclassicthe spot.Thechampionwasslowto Themind when he won the WBA dreamcometrue,hesaid.whatpage 53'