Our journey into the fascinating world of boxing “fantasy fights” continues with a showdown between two of the best super lightweights of recent decades. On one side, the relentless Manchester brawler Ricky “Hitman” Hatton, and on the other, the talented American Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley. Who would have won if they had faced each other at their peak? We explore this in today’s episode!
Ricky Hatton: The Liver Punch Artist, Stronger Than He Seemed
The immensely popular Manchester boxer, whose fans adored him so much they would follow him to the ends of the earth to support him live during his fights, had a style that was not much appreciated by “purists.” A great lover of close-range fighting, Hatton would launch himself at his opponents without much ceremony and engage in grueling infighting where his physical qualities stood out to spectators more than his technical skills. However, it would be a big mistake to think that the Englishman was a crude and classless boxer. Those who believe so would do well to rewatch the 2007 fight between Hatton and Colombian Juan Urango, a powerful puncher with a bull-like neck and hands as heavy as shovels. Faced with an opponent difficult to break down with sheer strength, Ricky delivered a brilliant performance based on quick punches, distance control, and excellent timing. Hatton’s best punch, his true trademark, was the left uppercut to the liver, delivered with skill, precision, and extraordinary effectiveness, earning him numerous KOs.
Timothy Bradley: Lightning-Fast Hands and an Infinite Heart
During the early years of his professional career, when he was still just a promising prospect, Bradley built a reputation as a good puncher. This was due to his offensive style combined with the less-than-stellar resilience of his early opponents. However, as the stakes grew higher, Desert Storm’s KO percentage significantly dropped, revealing that his power at the highest world levels was not among the most devastating. Nonetheless, the American boxer compensated for this partial shortcoming with astonishing hand speed and remarkable recovery abilities: even when he was shaken or knocked down, Bradley found a way to get back on track with survival instinct and a lot of heart. This great generosity sometimes caused him problems, as when he faced the fearsome Russian puncher Ruslan Provodnikov: Bradley could have easily beaten him by keeping his distance but couldn’t resist the temptation to trade blows openly, risking a debacle.
Ricky Hatton vs. Timothy Bradley: The Fantasy Fight!
Weight class: super lightweights. Scheduled rounds: 12.
Although Bradley sometimes effectively played the role of an outfighter, it is quite unlikely that Hatton’s relentless attacks would have allowed him this luxury. Most likely, faced with the Englishman’s overwhelming pressure, Desert Storm would have willingly accepted the close-quarters battle, resulting in an intense, sometimes chaotic fight, with both fighters using a very limited portion of the ring space.
Used to wearing down his opponents in endless close-quarters combat, pinning them against the ropes and freeing one hand or the other from the clinch to strike, Hatton would have found his match this time. Bradley was also a deep connoisseur of close-quarters boxing tricks and would certainly have used all of them, along with his Herculean strength, to nullify his rival’s offensive efforts. In this scenario, which would have forced the referee to work overtime to keep things under control, it is the opinion of the writer that Desert Storm would have gained an advantage on points due to his better defense and superior hand speed, which, even in an extremely chaotic fight, would have allowed him to land more frequently.
Even if aware of being behind and likely affected by facial cuts that a head-to-head fight would have made quite possible, Hatton would have continued to fight like a lion, supported and encouraged by his many globe-trotting fans. Given that Bradley has often been guilty of distractions and imprudence during his career, Hitman’s relentless efforts to turn the situation around could certainly have been rewarded with a knockdown, perhaps due to a body uppercut or a left hook to the jaw.
At that point, Hatton would have given it his all, expending enormous amounts of energy to seek a KO. However, Bradley has demonstrated in his career that he can recover from dire situations even against more lethal and dangerous opponents than the English puncher and would likely have managed to weather the storm before regaining control in the final rounds, taking advantage of his brave opponent’s fatigue.
Fantasy Prediction: The fight would quickly turn into a close-quarters war, with several clinches and multiple referee interventions. Bradley would gain an advantage thanks to his superior quality but would eventually make a mistake, ending up on the canvas. Nevertheless, the American would recover and finish the fight strong. Result: Timothy Bradley wins by unanimous decision with a margin of about three points.