“There’s only one Ricky Hatton,
One Ricky Hatton,
Walkin’ along,
Singin’ a song,
Walkin’ in a Hatton Wonderland,
There’s only one….”

It’s been 50 weeks since I heard that song over and over and over again, and this week, I get to hear it again.

Nearly a year ago, Ricky Hatton and I think the entire population of Manchester, England invaded Las Vegas and took over the MGM Grand. It was one hell of a week, as the days leading up to his showdown with Floyd Mayweather was the most electric atmosphere I’ve witnessed in my time in Las Vegas.

Now, nearly a year later, Hatton is set to face Paulie Malignaggi in that same ring, this time for the true crown at junior-welterweight. Hatton is still the true champion at 140, but Malignaggi is the top contender. This is a matchup that the closer you look at it, the more intriguing it gets.

Hatton and Malignaggi each have one loss, Hatton to Mayweather and Malignaggi to Miguel Cotto. Their styles couldn’t be more different, which makes for a fascinating matchup of the two.

Hatton is a walk forward, in-fighting, body-punching, tough fighter. Malignaggi is a slick, jab-and-move, no power, tough fighter. Both can take a punch. Both are quick.

Each fighter has a major question that needs to be answered in this fight.

For Hatton, it’s finding out what he learned from Floyd Mayweather, Sr., his new trainer. Hatton’s progress has been pretty much non-existent since he beat Kostya Tszyu, meaning that a change in trainers is just what he needs. Or, you could argue that Hatton’s style is so unique that it defines his success, and trying to change it after 45 fights is mad. Mayweather and Hatton have promised a more defensive Hatton — hopefully meaning more aggressive from a distance, not more clinching.

For Malignaggi, the question is which one will show up. Will it be the Paulie that took the best that Cotto had to offer, then dominated Lovemore N’Dou? Or will it be the Paulie that narrowly beat Herman Ngoudjo in a fight that he took too many punches, then survived a rematch with N’Dou, again being hit too often and stupidly sporting hair extensions?

Malignaggi certainly has the skills to fight with Hatton, but he must fight like a boxer, not the slugger he’s attempted to be in the last two fights. This is a guy that will make Malignaggi pay if he stays inside too long.

Paulie’s best chance at winning this fight is to keep his distance and use his footwork to avoid Hatton’s bum-rush. Hatton will charge in on you, but only one guy has ever been able to time him. And even if Malignaggi lands the best left hand of his career, he’s not dropping Ricky like Floyd did.

Hatton’s best chance is to be Ricky Hatton. There is almost no chance that Malignaggi can hurt him, so he can take few chances coming in. Hatton needs to slow Malignaggi down and make this a fight at close quarters, since Hatton has seemed to tire down the stretch in his last few fights. He needs to hold and attack the body in the first five rounds, taking some of the wind out of Paulie in the late rounds.

I think that Hatton will be significantly faster than Malignaggi, something I don’t think we’ve ever seen. He needs to use this advantage to counter Malignaggi and get off first as well, because realistically, he’s not knocking him out. Hatton needs to impress the judges with punches, not clinches. This one is more than likely going to the cards, and Hatton needs a clear, clean decision in this fight.

As with any Malignaggi fight, a knockout is unlikely. The guy had his jaw broken by Miguel Cotto and finished the fight strong. He’s not getting knocked out unless Hatton lands the same body shot he landed on Jose Luis Castillo.

And we know that Malignaggi isn’t knocking anyone out anytime soon. He has just five knockouts in his career, the last one coming in 2003. This one is going to the cards, folks.

I think Malignaggi is certainly a live dog in this fight, and at 2-to-1, he’s worth a look. At -300, the OVER looks even better. But in the end, I think Ricky outclasses Malignaggi.

Without a ton of confidence, I’ll pick Hatton to win a comfortable unanimous decision, perhaps dropping Malignaggi if it turns into the physical fight that Paulie’s last two have been. But I don’t think anyone’s getting KO’d in this one. I won’t be shocked if Ricky looks shot and Paulie dances around him either.

Prediction: Hatton unanimous decision.

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