Matthew Hatton gets off canvas to retain European title
By Greg Dawson: Matthew Hatton gets off the canvas to retain his European welterweight title during his first defence at the Bolton Arena, Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom, Hatton (39-4-2, 15 KOs) captured the title in March with a hard fought win over the veteran Italian Gianluca Branco.
His 34-year-old Ukrainian challenger Yuriy Nuzhnenko (30-1-1, 14 KOs) is the former WBA champion with only one solitary defeat.
Nuzhnenko claimed his fellow countryman Andriy Kotelnik was robbed on the British shores when his bout with Souleymane M'baye in 2007 was declared a draw. Nuzhnenko vowed to knock Hatton out leaving nothing to chance, the Ukrainian’s intentions where clear as he dictated the opening round flooring Hatton in the first round with a left.
Hatton appeared to have shaken off the effects of the knockdown by the third as he loosened up while establishing his jab. Hatton opted to move and pick his shots, catching the challenger on the way in with short eye catching combinations.
The Ukrainian challenger continued the aggressor throughout the contest but Hatton had solved the puzzle as he continuously caught Nuzhnenko as he charged forward with lesser movement as the fight wore on. Hatton also threw sporadic combinations of the break.
In the ninth Nuzhnenko tried to gain a foothold in the fight, over aggressive he was caught with a right which visibly marked up his eye. The challenger came back to win the eleventh. Both rallied in the last and a close round.
Referee: Massimo Barrovecchio
Judge: Venciclav Nikolov 116 - 111 Hatton
Judge: Robert Verwijs 116 - 111 Hatton
Judge: Franco Ciminale 117 -110 Hatton
At 29, the younger Hatton is hopeful of securing a clash against a top 10 ranked fighter in the welterweight division. An interesting match-up would be against fellow Brit Kell Brook who is ranked among the top welterweights in the world.
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