Throughout his boxing career, the performances and achievements of Matthew Hatton were often overlooked as brother Ricky became one of the biggest names in the sport after earning mega fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao. However, on this day in 2011, the younger of the Hatton siblings finally got the opportunity to take the spotlight after he was given the chance to fight for the world light-middleweight title.
After mainly operating at welterweight, where he picked up the European title, competing in the 154lbs division wasn't something that Hatton was accustomed to. But making the step up to face Saul Alvarez, the man tipped to eventually take over from Mayweather as the biggest money-maker in the sport, for the WBC belt vacated by Pacquiao was impossible to turn down.
Despite Alvarez being just 20, he had already amassed a 36-fight unbeaten record and would enter the contest as the bigger man, something that Hatton was aware of when he penned the deal. However, a day ahead of the match, Alvarez weighed in at almost 2lbs over the designated catch-weight limit of 150lbs. Hatton had the option of withdrawing from the fight, but this was an opportunity that the Mancunian couldn't turn down and a solution was found, while Alvarez was fined 30% of his purse.
The duo had amassed 83 fights between them but this was the first time that either man was competing for a recognised world title. Hatton had previously been on the end of a contentious points decision when fighting for the IBO strap, but this was the first time that he was attempting to win a major belt, and after featuring on a number of undercards in the United States, he was in the headline bout in California on a card that also included another hot prospect in Adrien Broner.
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When the bell finally rang, it was one-way traffic from start to finish as Alvarez showcased the style and physicality that he hoped would continue to make him an emerging name in the sport. For 12 rounds, Hatton was forced to absorb a succession of head and power shots, but to his credit, the British representative took Alvarez's best shots, albeit without ever offering a response.
In the seventh, Alvarez was docked a point for an illegal punch, but it was a blow that was always going to prove irrelevant by the end of the night. In the later rounds, it was all about whether Alvarez could improve his impressive knockout ratio or whether Hatton could preserve his record of only ever being stopped once as a professional in 47 fights.
Alvarez ploughed forward at will, unaffected by anything that was coming back by the lighter-hitting Hatton, but he couldn't get the 29-year-old out before the final bell. All three judges scored the bout 119-108 in favour of Alvarez as he became the youngest ever light-middleweight champion, but Hatton was able to take plenty of pride from a fight where he was always considered to be the outsider.
After his experience at light-middleweight, Hatton returned to the 147lbs division where he picked up the IBF international title, but he soon lost that to an emerging Kell Brook on points in Sheffield. Hatton would eventually retire after losing to Chris van Heerden in a encounter for the IBO title in March 2013, but despite several losses at world level and failing to capture a global crown, Hatton goes down in recent British boxing history as one of the nation's most durable and competitive fighters.
