Jimmy Joe Flint Shows Campbell Hatton His Level
On Saturday night Jimmy Joe Flint showed Campbell Hatton exactly where his current skill set sits. A second successive defeat to the Doncaster lad has dealt a crushing blow to Hatton’s prospects, leaving him at a career crossroads after only 16 fights.
Many, myself included expected Hatton to win on points. With the fight going the distance, the judges awarded a second unanimous decision win to Flint. Nobody really had any complaints.
Hatton’s performance did little to quieten the calls of ‘Nepo baby’, with many fight fans suggesting he has only been given this profile and these opportunities because of his Dad. It’s hard to disagree, because Hatton’s performances so far have done very little to suggest otherwise.
Eddie Hearn Likely to Drop Hatton
The night went from bad to worse for Campbell Hatton, when I the post-fight press conference Eddie Hearn appeared to suggest that Hatton’s time under the Matchroom banner will be over. Hearn said…
“It’s difficult because he’s very young. If the guy was 29 or 30, you’d say that’s your lot but when you’re enjoying what you do. I think right now Campbell Hatton’s level is Area and English title level – that’s no disgrace, a lot of fighters don’t even reach that level. But obviously, with our stable, and where we are looking to take fighters, we don’t really work with and continuously back – after back-to-back defeats – Area title and English level fighters.
Jimmy Joe Flint Deserves Praise
The attention heaped on Hatton means we’re missing one thing – the praise owed to Jimmy Joe Flint. Despite being the ‘other man’ on both of these fights, he’s dealt with the pressure and come through victorious.
Jimmy Joe Flint is an English level fighter, and he’s proven to be one of the best within the cohort.
It’s not just a case of dealing with the fighter, it’s dealing with the occasion. Jimmy Joe Flint has been a small show fighter for most of his career, so stepping up to deal with the crowd, the cameras, the extra attention because it’s Campbell Hatton in the opposite corner takes some serious character. Well done to him.
Whilst we’re unlikely to see Flint go a huge amount further, credit where it’s due – he’s done his job twice now.
As for Hatton, who knows. He might get one more shot under a reasonable promotional banner, but it’ll be a last one. If he loses again, the criticism will be deafening. There are better boxers around that haven’t had the same level of exposure as Hatton, so he’ll have run his road.
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