Fireworks Inside the Ring, And Possibly Outside

Fight fans can expect to see fireworks both inside and outside the ring on Saturday night, when Showtime will televise the latest in a series of entertaining matchups. This time, it's Kostya Tszyu (31-1, 25 KOs) facing off against Ricky Hatton (38-0, 28 KOs) for the International Boxing Federation 140-pound title.

Tsyzu is from Russia and now lives in Australia. He won the IBF title in 1995, lost it to Vince Phillips 28 months later, and recaptured the crown in 1999. His signature win was a second-round KO of Zab Judah in a 2001 title-unification bout, but he has fought only three times since then, defeating Ben Tackie, Jesse James Leija, and Sharmba Mitchell.

Hatton is a hero in Manchester, England, where his swarming, attacking style and nonstop body-punching have made him a crowd favorite. The fight is being held in Manchester at the MEN Arena. To accommodate Showtime's desire for a live prime-time telecast in the U.S., it's being contested at 2 a.m.

"I've been doing my road work at two in the morning," Hatton said during a conference call last week. "It was a bit awkward and tiring until my body got into the swing of things. Now it feels like second nature. This week, I'll go in and do a couple of gym sessions at 2 o'clock."

Tszyu is taking a different approach.

"It does not matter what time the fight starts," he said. "I decided to not adjust anything. I had lots of discussions with different advisers about it. If you train at two in the morning every single day, it is like a night shift. You are going to get tired eventually. Everyone, under special circumstances, can stay up overnight without any problems. I decided to live normally, train normally, be ready normally, and when it is time, be ready only once."

The 2a.m. starting time has also led to concerns about security. Manchester is a working-class town, and Hatton's fans can be pretty rough. They're also fervent: When tickets for the fight went on sale, they sold out in two hours. Thus, there will be extra police on duty throughout Manchester and at the arena on Saturday night. Ticket-holders won't be admitted if they're drunk, and the sale of alcohol in the arena will terminate at midnight - while the eight bout under card is still in progress.

"When the fight was announced and they said it was going to be at two in the morning, I did have my doubts," Hatton admitted. "But I feel better about it now that I've seen the lengths that the arena, the Manchester police, and everybody else has gone to."

Although the crowd will be solidly behind Hatton, Tszyu will enter the ring a clear betting favorite. He's a technically proficient fighter with good defensive skills and power in both hands. He's also a keen student of the game, who respects his opponent's strengths and has the ability to exploit his opponent's flaws.

"Ricky's strength is his work rate," Tszyu said last week. "He throws a lot of punches, which is an advantage for him but also a disadvantage. Every time he throws a punch, he leaves himself open for a possible mistake. For me, it is all about split seconds. I will not need to look for Ricky. He will come to me. He will come into the danger zone, which is good for me. Everyone can see he is open to the right hand. My brain is like a computer and I have planned for this. I just watch and wait for the right moment and then press the button. The longer the fight goes, the more chances he will have to make a mistake. I will be there when he makes that mistake."

In response, Hatton said: "I think my style -- my volume of punches, my pace, my body-punching - will cause Kostya problems and beat him. Obviously, I've got to be very resourceful about the way I do it. I've got to be very acute defensively. I can't just steam in there at 100 miles an hour and expect to win. Tactically, I've got to be very good."

In other words, Hatton understands that he can't fight Tszyu with the same reckless abandon that he has employed in previous fights. If he does, against a pro like Kostya, he'll be hit often and hard with counterpunches.

Youth is on Hatton's side. He's 26 years old; Tszyu is 35. Also, Kostya was KO'd by Vince Phillips while Hatton won a unanimous decision over the same opponent in 2003. But Phillips had been debilitated by drug abuse by the time Hatton got to him. Ricky has never fought a quality fighter in his prime.

Tszyu might be a bit overrated: He has struggled at times against slick boxers. But he's a consummate professional. And Hatton isn't a slick boxer.

"We are not here to do the ballet," Tszyu said last week. "There is going to be war. That is what people want to see, and that is what they are going to see."

The pick here is Tszyu by knockout sometime around Round 8.