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Pedersen, the naturally smaller man, tried taking the fight to the much bigger Hatton and produced aggressive bursts and sharp counters throughout. Hatton, who was obviously feeling the effects of a hip injury during his warm-up, found it difficult to shake off the events of the few days before the fight and appeared to lack concentration, being caught far more than he should have been. However, the heavier hands of the Mancunian began to take their toll on the body of Pedersen, who took a delayed-reaction fall from a left hook to the ribs in the fourth. He rose into a fierce assault and was decked again to the body, only to get back up, see out the round and box his way through the fifth. By the sixth, however, Pedersen was absorbing more and more punishment and although referee Dave Parris stopped the fight with the challenger still swinging, an upset was not going to happen and the stoppage was correct.
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And so we move onto the soap opera that was midweek last week when rumours first started flying of Pinto's refusal to fight. Even now, several days after the weekend's action, punters and (seemingly) promoters alike are presented with a Paul Daniels-esque choice to 'pick an excuse, any excuse'. His wife's pregnancy, sickness, managerial splits and contractual difficulties were all cited as reasons why Pinto was not going to be making the flight, sparking Frank Warren to make accusations of 'unprofessionalism' and prompting a desperate search around the training camps of Europe for a replacement. At time of writing, however, the latest view is that Pinto had been offered a decidedly thin end of the financial wedge and had not even signed a contract, and was therefore unwilling to travel.
If this is the case, it smacks of poor organisation on the part of Hatton's promotional team and gives credence to those who claim Hatton is being protected. That Hatton is willing to fight anyone anywhere is accepted by most boxing fans; that his management team is prepared to let him do so is distinctly questionable. Prior to Saturday, local rival Junior Witter offered his services and since the weekend Australian-based South African Lovemore N'Dou claims to have put himself forward to fill the date. Although there are practical reasons (style, distance) why these opponents would be unlikely late replacements, the selection of a game but limited former super-featherweight for a fight sold on the back of Pinto's reputation as a talented KO artist has provided conspiracy theorists and cynics with plenty of fuel.
Hatton now has to step up his competition, whether in the US or in the UK, and fight someone worthy of his burgeoning reputation. He has yet to face any boxer currently ranked in the top 15 of the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO. With improving boxing, a decent if relatively untested chin, top notch fitness, smart footwork and an unquestionably world class body attack, he appears to have the goods to take on almost anyone in the division, but his handlers do not appear inclined to let their charge prove this.
On this note, sharing top billing, although unquestionably playing second fiddle in the eyes of the M.E.N. crowd, was Sharmba Mitchell, who outclassed Michael Stewart, knocking the Delaware man down three times and sweeping the cards emphatically. Stewart was another game but limited opponent, although Mitchell looked again to be slowing after his less than impressive win over the aforementioned N'Dou last time out. His promoter, Gary Shaw, was trumpeting him as an opponent for Hatton on Frank Warren's Hatton plus Calzaghe card on June 5th. Warren, unsurprisingly, was keeping his cards close to his chest. Hatton is undoubtedly one of the big money men in the division, despite the questions over his opposition to date (and Warren's allegedly 'careful' approach to paying visiting boxers). But despite SportsNetwork being more cagey than London Zoo, Mitchell may well have shown enough signs of ageing for Warren to make the fight.
Elsewhere on the card, Michael Gomez walked through physically overmatched Ben Odamattey whilst David Barnes retained his British welterweight title with a points verdict over Glenn McClarnon.
And so to this weekend, where once again all eyes are to Manchester for the Michael Brodie–Injin Chi rematch on Saturday. The first bout, controversially declared a draw by WBC president Jose Sulaiman following his review of the scorecards, was an absolute corker than many felt Chi to have nicked but all thought deserved a rematch. So they set to it once more, again for the vacant WBC feather belt, in a genuine pick 'em that Chi is the marginal favourite to take. Both are blood-and-guts fighters who give their all, and this is building up to be just as good as the original. Chi by UD is the sensible pick, but then the sensible man doesn't bet against home town boxers. Brodie can win by getting closer to the Korean, not letting him get his punches off, and banging away at the taller man's body.
The undercard for this match features some interesting low-level domestic bouts as well as light middleweight prospect Jamie Moore's challenge for the Commonwealth belt against 11-fight Ugandan Adam Katumwa.
Scott Harrison gets his man with a match made against William Abelyan, the opponent slated for March this year who pulled out to be replaced by Walter Estrada. Harrison-Abelyan will headline at the Braehead Arena in late May.
The regular announcement that 'Prince' Naseem Hamed is back in training and looking for a match has re-emerged with unparalleled vigour this last week. Hamed has apparently been in hard training for several weeks, although what comes of it remains to be seen: retirement has seen him balloon to super middleweight.
Happy Easter
Past British Updates
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