Matthew Hatton is a lucky boy and he knows it. When Ricky's bigger "little brother" joins the exciting young Mexican prospect Saúl "Canelo" Alvarez in a Calfornian ring on Saturday night to contest the WBC's vacant light-middleweight title, neither fighter should be allowed to run away with the notion that he is about to become the best 11-stone fighter in the world.
For a start they are contracted to weigh in under 150lbs, four pounds below the designated limit; second, neither is even a genuine light-middle, although Alvarez is considered the bigger man. This is boxing pragmatism at its most cynical.
With the best will in the world the quickly arranged bout is a farce on a par with Manny Pacquiao pretending his upcoming fight with shop-worn Shane Mosley is the biggest test available for him, when the rejuvenated Juan Manuel Márquez is begging for a third fight. Pacquiao, in fact, gave up the WBC's 11-stone belt to fight Mosley.
Whoever wins in Anaheim, meanwhile (youth, form and all commercial imperatives suggest it will be the unbeaten 20-year-old Alvarez rather than the 29-year-old Mancunian) will struggle to convince Sheffield's reborn Ryan Rhodes, for one, that he even should be anywhere the title.
Rhodes has made impressive progress up the WBC's own rankings and is a genuine light-middle but Hatton and Alvarez, natural welterweights, are a convenient promotional fit only because of their connections.
Ricky Hatton has a business arrangement with Alvarez's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, and Matthew will be taking considerably less from the pot than would just about any other challenger – such as Rhodes.
The following Saturday in Las Vegas, Miguel Cotto, who has come back strongly from a battering by Pacquiao in November 2009, defends his WBA version of the 11-stone championship against the seasoned Ricardo Mayorga – not a perfect pairing, but better than Hatton-Alvarez.
That said, Hatton has some chance against Alvarez who, for all the hype, is leaden-footed and has the serious flaw of letting his jab drop to his waistband after throwing it. If Hatton spots that opening quickly enough, loads up with a countering right and stays away from the Mexican's bombs he could surprise us all – and Alvarez.
So it would be folly to dismiss Matthew as "the other Hatton" or to view his prospects through the prism of his early-career form. He has improved a lot since domestic defeats by David Kirk, who had lost 43 times when they fought in 2002, the Liverpool novice David Keir six months later, a serial "opponent" Alan Bosworth on disqualification in 2006 and a live Craig Watson for the Commonwealth welterweight title three years ago.
He has also won the European welterweight title, a decent achievement. But that is where he has got to on merit. If he wins this one, it will be the shock of the year so far. Good luck to him – although just by getting the fight he has probably used up all the good fortune coming his way for a while.
