Colin Jones v Ricky Hatton @ 147

I'm sure I won't be the only person who remembers watching Colin Jones' heroic attempts to wrest the welterweight title from Milton McCrory back in the early '80s. Jones put up two superb performances, the first of which earned him a draw when most folks felt he had done enough to win. The return was razor thin, and while on the night McCrory might just have deserved the nod, there still lingered a sense of injustice that Jones hadn't been crowned champ after the first affair.

Colin Jones was an excellent fighter and a thunderous puncher. By nature a slow starter, he would twice stop the brilliant but erratic Kirkland Laing in come - from - behind wins, would be British and, if memory serves, European welterweight champion, a bona fide world level campaigner and would retire with only three or four losses on his record.

I'd love to have seen Jones go head to head with Ricky Hatton at welter. Contrasting styles, strengths and weaknesses would render it a fascinating clash, in my opinion, with Ricky being all coils and springs hunting Jones' body, and Jones looking for the opportunity to tee off with either hand to Ricky's chin. I believe it would have made for a classic, and with his being the natural welter and the heavier single shot puncher I'd favour Jones to eventually nail Hatton, though not without some uncomfortable moments along the way.

How do you folks see this one going ?

What a matchup Windy.....Two fighters I have the utmost respect for. I thought Jones beat Mccrory in Reno and got robbed with a draw....I've seen the fight with Laing and was impressed although Laing was mercurial to say the least.......

Regard Jones as Curry's second greatest win after Marlon....

Think this fight could be a bit on the lines of Hatton-Magee albeit with Jones showing Hattton more movement...

Hatton was relentless but not as effective at welter......Would Jones be busy enough???? he'd certainly give Hatton trouble...

Hard call but i'll take the cowards way out and say Jones by split at welter.....Hatton by decision at at catchweight 144.....

But two tremendous fighters..one who overachieved and one who probably underachieved but through no fault of his own..

Nice analysis, Truss.

I have the Curry v Jones fight, and your man looked top class that night. Every punch in the book and beautiful balance and unerring accuracy.

Fact is most people see the Honey fight and think that was the real DON but some of us know different, balance, timing and countering brilliance..

Would have won easy that night..but Jones was past his prime if truth be told...........

Shame for these guys who deserved titles and see such chaff garnering the title of champ these days...Life is a beach..

Yeah was a great Curry performance. Even then there were mentions of weight troubles, would be interesting to see how his career would be different if he went to LM after that.

Interesting how his career had developed if he'd knocked been caught by that left of field hook by mccallum..

I had it 3-0-1 after 4 rounds and he was outboxing him......

All ifs and buts with Curry....very depressing thinking about the waste..

Curry was pure class. That is undeniable. His destruction is McCrory was simply awesome. His final punch that put Milt to sleep was beautiful in its poetic destruction. Never a punch wasted.
Highly skilled, but we will never know how good he could have been and how he would have coped with swarming and physicaly stronger boxers.

Mccallum was swarming and stronger.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Mccallum was swarming and stronger.

McCallum was no way a swarmer. Physically stronger maybe, but look what happened. Curry also got outhusstled by Rene Jaquoet (spelling). I mean, come on! His lights dimmed too quickly.

He was a pressure fighter..

Don't throw up the Jacquot fight.....When he beat Rosi he looked half dead..

Curry was finished by then....and it was sad to see......

Jacquot fight means nothing..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:He was a pressure fighter..

Don't throw up the Jacquot fight.....When he beat Rosi he looked half dead..

Curry was finished by then....and it was sad to see......

Jacquot fight means nothing..

MM had it all. He could box and stand and trade. He possessed the best body punches I have seen. Practically cut Mike Watson in half with them. Everything flowed smoothly with him. But to call him a pressure fighter is doing him a disservice.

He was like Azumah Nelson he made you work by pressuring you..There are different types of pressure..

Watch Cowdell-Nelson and look at how he pressures Cowdell without really doing anything..

It's a trait only quality fighters have........

Fact is though Curry was outboxing him which was something you didn't see happen alot.

Lovely match up, Windy. Have to say though, I wouldn't be all that confident of Hatton being able to win this one. To me, he just wasn't a Welterweight. In a similar way to how Wilfredo Gomez never looked the same at Featherweight or Super-Featherweight (despite the small increase in weight) as he had done at 122 lb, Hatton just wasn't as robust and imposing at 147 lb as he was when he was half a stone lighter.

I think Hatton's style was so reliant on being able to outmuscle and bully his opponent, which wouldn't be ideal against someone like Jones. I think Hatton makes a good go of it during the first few rounds, but as the fight wears on I think Jones catches Hatton coming in, and eventually (metaphorically speaking, of course) more or less takes his head off with his murderous punching. I simply don't see Hatton being able to walk through Jones for the full distance without either being controlled behind a jab (hardly a Hatton specialty) or coming off second best in the numerous exchanges I'd expect in this fight. Jones by knockout in the late rounds, for me.

You not think the fact Gomez fought three excellent fighters in Sanchez, Lockridge and Nelson had something to do with his lack of cuccess at feather/jr light Chris ???

Agree with your summation of Hatton/Jones and Hatton's problems at welter...My only worry for Jones is Hatton's quality body work taking effect and slowing him down before he can do damage to Hatton..

Certainly pickem at 147..

Thanks for the input and excellent analysis, Chris.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:He was like Azumah Nelson he made you work by pressuring you..There are different types of pressure..

Watch Cowdell-Nelson and look at how he pressures Cowdell without really doing anything..

It's a trait only quality fighters have........

Fact is though Curry was outboxing him which was something you didn't see happen alot.

I dont disagree that Curry was winning by a mile. MM altered his style depending on the fighter. Curry was good, but evidently not that good if it took Honey to destroy his confidence permenantly.

Why would he be dominating a better fighter than honey in mccallum if his confidence was shot..

Talk sense Man..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You not think the fact Gomez fought three excellent fighters in Sanchez, Lockridge and Nelson had something to do with his lack of cuccess at feather/jr light Chris ???

Very possibly, although even allowing for the level of opposition he was mixing it against at the higher weights, I still reckon Gomez had lost some of that legendary whack of his (along with some mobility, oddly enough) from his Super-Bantamweight. We can't know for sure, but I think the Gomez who beat Zarate at 122 lb, if he'd have carried his power and speed up with him, would have troubled Sanchez and Nelson.

By the way, as an aside, you make a very good point about the different types of pressure and pressure fighters that exist. A lot of people think that a pressure fighter has to be throwing a hundred punches per round, but as you say McCallum was a fine exponent of a more subtle pressure, as was Arguello. They didn't go hell for leather, but were always in front of the opponent, always feinting, always probing and taking advantage of the openings they created by doing that.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Why would he be dominating a better fighter than honey in mccallum if his confidence was shot..

Talk sense Man..

A confident Curry would not have left himself open to that hook. Everything flowed with Curry. When his confidence went, he literally looked like an accident waiting to happen. I was never confident in him after Honey blew him away.

Oh come on mate...Ali got caught by Frazier's left hook...accidents happen...

You can do better than that!!!

If the best fighter won every fight the title would never change hands.......

He made a mistake....in a fight he was winning.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Oh come on mate...Ali got caught by Frazier's left hook...accidents happen...

You can do better than that!!!

If the best fighter won every fight the title would never change hands.......

He made a mistake....in a fight he was winning.

Its not so much a mistake as MM's skill in throwing and landing that hook. Great fighters find a way of winning when the chips are down. A confident Curry would have put MM away.

Great article!

Jones one of the more unlucky figures not to hold a world title belt. Great servant for British boxing. Has done a lot of good work since his retirement for the sport as well.

It is the cowards way out - but at WW - Jones stops Hatton in a come-from-behind win in the later rounds.

At a catchweight - I'd favour Hatton's pressure and body punching. Mind you - it depends on the size of the catchweight. Anything 144 or below - I'd lean to Hatton - over that and I'd favour Jones.