Tsyzu Prepared for Hostile Reception
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June 01, 2005

Tsyzu Prepared for Hostile Reception
At 35, Kostya Tszyu is still one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. So why are so many people giving Ricky Hatton a chance of beating Tszyu this Saturday night? Sure, Hatton is 38-0 with 28 KOs. Plus, Hatton is only 26 and has already defeated veterans Vince Phillips and Ray Oliveira. But what really gives Hatton a chance against Tszyu is the fight's location -- Manchester, England. Hatton has fought all but four of his professional fights in England and will have a rapid crowd of 22,000 cheering him on. Tszyu is getting $5.4 million for fighting on Hatton's home turf but with the large payday come significant risks. Tszyu may need to win by knockout to avoid the risk of a "hometown" decision going against him. Plus, with the fight slated to start at 2 a.m. England time to accomodate Showtime's live broadcast in the U.S., the crowd will likely react poorly to seeing their hero defeated. Just ask Marvin Hagler how the British crowd responded to him stopping Alan Minter on cuts back in 1980. Hint: Think drunken riot.

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