Boxing Career
Hatton had a short amateur career, in which he won seven British titles and represented his country at the 1996 World Junior Boxing Championships. His elimination in the semi-finals caused controversy. Four of the five judges awarded the contest to Hatton, but under the scoring rules Hatton was defeated as the fifth judge gave the match to Hatton's opponent by 16 points. The judge was later found to have accepted a bribe, and disillusioned with the amateur governing bodies, Hatton turned professional, aged 18.
Hatton was based at Billy "The Preacher" Graham's gym in Moss Side, where fellow boxers included Carl Thompson and Michael Gomez. Hatton's debut fight was on 10 September 1997 against Colin McAuley in Widnes at Kingsway Leisure Centre. Hatton won by a TKO in first round, while in his second fight he boxed at Madison Square Garden in New York. Soon he was fighting on the undercard of contests involving major British boxers, such as the two World Boxing Organization (WBO) cruiserweight title fights between Thompson and Chris Eubank in 1998. In 1999 the British Boxing Writers' Club named Hatton their Young Boxer of the Year. His first international title came in May 1999, when he defeated Dillon Carew for the WBO inter-continental light-welterweight title.
Hatton's next four fights after gaining the WBO inter-continental belt were all won within four rounds. He then gained the World Boxing Association (WBA) inter-continental title following a unification bout against Giuseppe Lauri. The following month he fought Jon Thaxton for the British title. Despite sustaining a cut over his left eye in the first round, Hatton continued for the full 12 rounds and won on points, the first time in his career that he had been taken beyond six rounds. As the cut was his fourth above the same eye, Hatton had plastic surgery on his eyebrow that November, with a view to a world title shot in the spring. Hatton claimed the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) light-welterweight title in March 2001, having sent opponent Tony Pep to the canvas three times in the process.
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