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WEIGHING IN
Hatton bt Tszyu,
retired after 11th round

That old conqueror of Kostya by Bob Drane, co-writer of Kostya's next book

Kostya Tszyu has always lived by the homespun maxim, “no excuses”. Tonight, he will have none. He got himself as fit as he has ever been, and lost to a tenacious bull of a fighter with the same indefinable, swarming talent that Jeff Fenech once boasted.

Ricky Hatton’s actual fistic ability surprised no-one. It was average. He did not boast the range of punches he said he had before the fight. His power did not worry Tszyu.
His utter strength, energy and resolve won him the championship.

Australians should at least be pleased that Tszyu lost the title to a decent fellow - a fighter out of the old mold. A trash-talking Yank would have hurt us a lot more.

Tszyu will have no excuses, but for those of us who have watched him, there were some worrying signs. His complete lack of lateral movement in Manchester MEN Stadium surprised. Small, but subtle, sideways movements were always an essential element of his counter-punching against onrushing opponents.
Kostya met Ricky head-on, either because he chose that tactic, or because he has lost that split-second footwork that always made him so formidable and deceptive, against any style of opponent.
It was expected that his subtle and varied left, combined with those normally swift feet, would be chewing away at Hatton’s face. It wasn’t to be.
Hatton’s face looked worse after journeymen like Pendleton and Magee got to him than it did tonight.

By round seven, it was obvious Kostya was going to be in trouble. He hadn’t done Hatton enough damage to slow him, which at least was expected.
In that round, Kostya did something I haven’t seen him do. He threw a couple of weary arm-punches.

It was a strong signal to Hatton that he only had to muster enough energy and he was one or two sustained assaults away from the title.
When Kostya “caught” him with a right in the 10th, it was in fact a mistimed punch that landed on Hatton’s lower neck. Hatton walked through it and the crowd cheered at the symbolism of it.

These were strong signals to his fans that Kostya Tszyu’s much-mentioned career finish line might have been crossed - and there were five rounds to go.

It was a very unusual night for Tszyu all-round. If he was ever going to be defeated by anyone, that man would have had to bludgeon him to a standstill, not see him give it away on his stool.
He wasn’t comfortable against the style Hatton brought to the ring tonight. Hatton picked it. Kostya couldn’t get away with what he normally does.
But it seems an older, bigger adversary who catches up with all fighters had a lot of say in it.

The next few days will yield some explanations, but you won’t hear them coming from Kostya.

Ending, off-screen by Mike Altamura

I never thought I'd ever see Kostya Tszyu quit. I'm still trying to come to terms with what occurred in the interval after the 11th round, when the pubs broadcast ran a commercial and concealed the end from frustrated watchers.

Kostya is one of the most mentally strong fighters not only of the modern era, but of all time. Maybe, after the urging of his corner, he came to the realization that it's over. His age finally got the better of him.

Give credit, though, to the Brit, Hatton. He came in with an intelligent game plan, which comprised a smart mix of exchanging on the inside, clinching, and firing shots aplenty downstairs.

Whether Ricky Hatton holds up as the new King at 140lbs still remains to be seen. But for the moment, the hero of Manchester will be, rightfully, the toast of the boxing world.

The batteries are down by Cary Young

We looked forward to a great fight. All we got was a rusher bulldozing an old man.
Hadn't foreseen this. I was imagining the Tszyu who nailed Zab Judah and Sharmba Mitchell.

Now KT must forget a return with Hatton. The batteries are down.

Against discouragement
	by Mike C Ryan

What a gutsy fellow is Kostya! The sense of defeat could not take over in him till he had endured eleven championship rounds; though from the first he felt the Briton's greater strength and energy.

Those right hand shots that for 15 years stunned when they landed, taking no effect on Hatton . . discouraging.

No Australian sportsman ever set us a better model, of winner and lose.

Go rest in the Hall of Fame Jack Sharkey writes

Kostya Tszyu handed over his realm to a very deserving champion in Ricky Hatton.
Huge weight gains between bouts, the spoils of fame and fortune and mother time have caught up to a 35-year-old Tszyu.

Often ballooning to nearly 80 kgs leading a celebrity life, KT then underwent a strict regime to remove the excess poundage. I recently bought a leg of pork hanging on the hook at the market. It weighed in at a whopping 12 kg. That is heavy, l can tell you.
Tszyu had to lose 3 kg more than that.
This succulent offering fed three families and still some to spare.

Poised as Australia's best ever, Tszyu should go out to pasture a great fighter and definite Hall of Famer. Yours truly, Sharks, thinks that once his ring retirement is announced - and established - the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame could scrub the usual five-year wait and instal him at once. For the Hallkeepers' honour, as much as for Kostya's.

A gentleman and master boxer Tzyu ranks among world boxing's elite, the best of the moderns. Swimming in a timeless pool with De la Hoya, Trinidad, Hopkins, Jones Jnr, Prince Naseem Hamed; with Tyson, Lewis, Mosley and Barry Michael. Oops, typo.

Ricky Hatton had been a courtier in world boxing for a couple of years, and now he occupies the 140 lb throne. An impossible Everest, most thought. But he climbed over the former pinnacle man.
The Hitman (worthy to wear Harding's laurel wreath) can look for huge pay days. Zab Judah at welterweight is a possible money tree for Hatton.

Until D-Day came at 3 am, Kostya had been planning to fight Zab and retire a two-divisions champion.

I hope Tszyu, ageing if not aged warrior, is not tempted to grasp at one more money bout.
Were Johnny Lewis to allow him to chase that zephyr, he could try for a night out with another superstar. Another great name, also over the peak: namely, Oscar de la Hoya.
Oscar has been talking of returning to welterweight.

A Kosty and Oscar match would probably flop, like the first Big Fight I heard on the wireless as a kid, the Heavyweight Championship return match, Joe Louis and Billy Conn.

Two great names - both over the hill.

There is too much wishfulness in boxing, sometimes.
Oscar v Kosta? Tsu-Sydney- Tszyu could do with an extra half-stone allowance . . .

But perish the thought!

Rather see him walking around at 80 kg, moon faced as ever.

Damon Runyon tipped Hatton Dave Wellings in a nutshell

Damon Runyon might have had the Manchester early-morning outcome in mind. Said the great American sports writer: "The race is not always to the swift not the battle to the strong - but that's the way to bet."

That rabble minority GRAHAM (Bomber) MURRAY, former Australian super-middleweight champion, university man

Kostya Tzyu, great man and great fighter, has more class in his little pigtail than the human refuse that booed him and his national anthem at the outset. I'm no flag waving patriot and I don't care if Poms, or anyone else, want to boo Australia.

But their disrespect towards this great man showed up the rabble minority in the Manchester crowd as the pathetic ex-rulers of the waves that they think they are.
They are just as boorish as the Ugly Aussies and Ugly Americans that we know all too well.
What is it with us white, anglo-speaking types? No wonder the other half of the world wants to blow us up.

Ricky Hatton is tough, strong, determined. He wore down Kostya from the outset with these attributes backed up by youth.
I thought Jim Watt's scorecard was about on the mark: Hatton to evenish early, Tzyu picking up a lot of points in the middle, culminating in the ninth, the last round that he won; and Hatton winning 10 & 11 with Kostya exhausted.

Smart fight by the boy who sunbakes under a street light. Ricky would not have been able to outbox Kostya (the shape of his dial hints at that) but constant bustling and strength were the way to go.

Time kosta lot BRIAN SCHOFIELD

Good time to shoo, Mr Tszyu. Great in defeat, which is the true test of
character.

Time has Kost a lot for Tszyu. 35 is old for most fighters. The 'Old
Mongoose' and 'Hands of Stone' were only two.

I thought it wise of Kosta to not come out for the last round. He must
have feared permanent injury. Better to go out humble than on a stretcher. A wise man knows his limitations.

On fight eve, in circular e-mail to the team, Mike Ryan admitted ". .
fear that KT will expire. 14 years past his prime. Hope all of you are right
predicting Aus glory." Nice call, Mike.

A punching machine JAIME PIMENTEL

I've said it before and I'll say it again after watching footage of the Tszyu-Hatton fight: Kostya's weakness is defence. Against a punching machine like Ricky, it showed.

I believe that, as a fighter gets older, his defence becomes more important for his survival.

Kostya should have one last hurrah, and then fade away like a fine old soldier that never dies.

'Brave Fans' BARRY RATHBORNE

After being drenched in geysers of Brave Delta and Brave Kylie, we now have to put up with newspaper gush about Brave Kostya.

Without meaning to offend all those Brave Fans, sorry: all I saw was the ex-champ getting bashed for almost the entire fight.

Watch the bout again and with your hand over your heart see if you can honestly give Kostya even two rounds.

As for his not wanting to quit after the eleventh, I certainly did not see the boxer remonstrate with the trainer who was proposing to call it off.

Kostya Tazyu has always called the shots in his camp. He definitely looked like a fighter who just wanted to be anywhere except across the ring from the Mancurian Candidate.

At least we might now see the Tszyu Keeper, Vlad Wharton unstaple himself from Kostya’s back.