Gritty Hatton admits to ‘toughest test’ yet

RICKY HATTON dredged up a performance full of guts and grit to claim the WBA welterweight title from Luis Collazo in Boston then admitted: “That was the toughest fight of my life.”

Hatton earned a 115-112 (twice) 114-113 verdict over awkward New Yorker Collazo, who almost had the Manchester ‘Hit Man’ out on his feet in the final round of a gruelling contest.

Even the great Kostya Tszyu had failed to put Hatton in as much trouble as Collazo, who was well regarded for his slippery southpaw skills but boasted little reputation for power.