Reliving Ricky Hatton vs. Luis Collazo for the WBA Welterweight Title at TD Garden

On Saturday, May 13, 2006, at the TD Garden in Boston, Ricky Hatton faced Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight title. Hatton was still riding high after defeating Kostya Tszyu at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester – and now faced tough American southpaw Collazo. Big Fight Weekend are now taking you back to a memorable night in Boston that Dan Rafael described as “a really close fight,” on the latest Big Fight Weekend/Fight Freaks Unite podcast.

Ricky Hatton Edges Out Luis Collazo in Close Unanimous Decision

Ricky Hatton vs. Luis Collazo Recap

As reported by John Rawling at the Guardian, Collazo has been “hand-picked as the opponent to give Hatton the eye-catching win he needed on his debut as a US headline act.” Despite seeing this as a somewhat easy touch, anyone who watched the fight will tell you it was anything but an easy night for “The Hitman.”

Hatton got into his groove quickly, catching Collazo with a left hook that dropped him in the opening round, and it seemed at this point, “The Hitman” had found the rise to 140 lbs a seamless one. The Brooklyn native dusted himself down and made it a difficult night for Hatton and his travelling army of fans. 

Read More: Pacquiao Destroys Hatton in Two Rounds

Collazo countered effectively all night as Hatton marched forward, ensuring he was more than in the fight throughout. The American fighter used his fully-fledged welterweight frame to tie up Hatton effectively on the inside. In the final round, Collazo caught the English fighter with a powerful left-right combo that stunned Hatton. The Manchester fighter showed his heart by fighting back until the final bell. Hatton‘s barmy army were relieved as the judge’s scorecards read 115-112 x2 and 114-113, awarding Hatton the unanimous decision victory.

Hear the weekend recap and Ricky Hatton vs. Luis Collazo nostalgia on the “Big Fight Weekend Review Podcast” with Dan Rafael and T.J. Rives by clicking the play button below. play button below.

What Came Next?

After defeating Collazo, “The Hitman” beat Juan Urango before impressively stopping Jose Luis Castillo before the biggest fight of his career against Floyd Mayweather Jr. His fight against “money” happened at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Brit tried his best to be competitive, knocking Mayweather off balance with a powerful left jab in the first round. 

Read More: Five Most Memorable Floyd Mayweather Fights

The American soon got into his groove, punching from various angles, confusing Hatton. He pivoted and shoulder-rolled away from Hatton’s attacks. A left hook in round 10 knocked Hatton down, and despite beating the count, another left hook sent the Brit stumbling backwards and down once more, leading to the ref waving the fight off as the white towel came in.