It was a short night for European Boxing Union champion, Matthew Hatton as he knocked out challenger, Roberto Belge in the third round.#
A 20/1 on favourite with the bookies, Hatton looked sure of himself all the way through and started fast, looking as if he wanted to end Belge’s opportunity early.
Referee, Robin Dolpierre warned the fighters throughout the bout to keep their heads up as they both came in low in the clinches and he looked to make his presence felt.
In the second round, both fighters initiated clinches but Hatton was doing the more effective work, hitting Belge cleanly with shots, although Belge, from Switzerland, did have a go and tried to stamp his authority on Matthew but to no avail.
The third was the last round for Belge as Matthew found a left hook to land under Belge’s elbow, landing the punch directly to his ribs which immediately felled him.
As Belge took a knee he immediately spat out his gumshield, giving immediate signals that he had enough and rolled over on to his back and was counted out by Dolpierre.
In the post fight interview, Matthew stated that his training camp, and his intentions to destroy his opponent, went perfectly.
Brother and promoter, Ricky Hatton was asked about a potential bout with ringside spectator, Junior Witter, at which point he replied that it was a possibility and that Matthew is well on his way to heading toward a title shot.
Hatton may have looked great tonight but to put things into perspective he beat an undefeated guy who won over many opponents who had more defeats than wins on their records, so you get the feeling that he was made to look good for the Bolton crowd.
Hopefully his dream will come true and that he will get that shot at a version of the championship. Hatton has improved considerably over the past few years and has worked hard to get where he is today, even if his style isn’t to everybody’s cup of tea.
We also may get to see Hatton vs Witter after all, even if it is not the fight that we all wanted to really see, which was his popular brother facing him some years ago.
I am sure Matthew would like nothing more than to avenge his controversial draw against Lovemore N’dou but it may depend on the South African’s fight with the hard hitting Mexican sensation, Saul Alvarez next Saturday.
Whatever the future holds, I am sure he will continue to be guided and matched carefully.
This writer wishes him all the best!