Lots of fighters talk about making changes to their preparation after suffering their first defeat but, generally, that involves moving a few miles down the road to a new trainer or employing a new dietician or strength and conditioning guru.
Campbell Hatton decided to start from scratch.
In March, Central Area junior welterweight champion, Jimmy Joe Flint, outfought and outlasted Hatton, 14-1 (5 KOs), over 10 hard rounds. The loss caused the 23-year-old Hatton to reassess his entire set-up.
Having trained with his uncle, Matthew, throughout his career, Hatton considered his options and then took the plunge. He decided to leave his comfort zone in Manchester and move 200 miles south to train at Ben Davison’s Performance Centre.
Having been the sole high-profile fighter at his uncle’s gym, he suddenly found himself living and working alongside some of the country’s biggest names and brightest talents and getting to grips with the ultra-analytical setup up in Essex.
Next weekend, Hatton and Flint will meet again at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena. People will be waiting to see what differences the changes have made to Hatton’s fighting style, but the move has changed him as a person.
“My whole life’s changed. I’m away from my friends and my family and my daughter and I’m turning into a bit of a cockney now, really,” Hatton told BoxingScene before refusing to reveal his favorite bit of rhyming slang: “I’m not allowed to say it on here, but no, I’m loving it.
“You look at the people that are in the gym, and you can’t not improve. The list of champions, up and coming fighters, it’s endless. You look at what Ben and Barry [Smith] have done, and you’ve got Lee Wiley in there and it’s the best of the best, so every day I’m like a sponge.
“I think it is a gym where it does take a bit of time but, even though I haven’t been boxing, it’s been a long time. I’ve been going down there about six or seven months now so I’m well and truly settled in and that’s why we feel ready to go straight in for the rematch as well.
“I’ve taken to it really well and I’ve been improving really quickly.”
The first fight with Flynn was a good, old fashioned Area title fight. Up and down the country, weekend after weekend, fighters engage in similarly honest fights for the regional belts. The overwhelming majority are only witnessed by the few hundred who buy tickets to watch, but they play a vital and underappreciated role in British boxing.
They usually present a young boxer with their first opportunity to get a tangible reward for their efforts. They might give a veteran the chance to leave the sport with something they can tell their grandchildren about or provide a struggling fighter with the chance to make themselves a viable contender for a major domestic title.
Either way, very few win an Area title belt easily and they reveal a lot about a fighter’s character and ability.
Hatton proved his character in the first fight but when he sat down to watch the replay, he was driven to distraction by the way he neglected his boxing ability. He was level-headed enough to decide that the performance showed how much room he has to grow rather than showing his ceiling.
“It was a frustrating watch, really, because I’ve come away from it and there’s that much that I could have done differently,” he said. “It makes you want to smash your telly up. There was loads, absolutely loads, I could have and should have done differently but, again, it’s learning.
“Fundamentals and fighting to instruction,” he said when asked what he needs to concentrate on most in the rematch. “I’ve always had a bit of a habit of when I got in there, just ended up doing what feels right at the time instead of going in with a plan and setting things up. In that gym, we do a lot of video analysis and we know everything that we plan on doing.
“It was my first title fight and it’s easy to get carried away with it all. When you’re in a fight like that, it’s easy to just fight with your heart and not your head but we’re going in there now with specific things we think are going to work. Not just that, we’ve looked to improve in all areas as a fighter – not just preparing for this fight – just for my career in general. It was a close fight last time, and I think this time, with the improvements I’ve made, I can get the job done in style.”
Almost every fighter has to deal with nerves and apprehension as a fight gets closer but the overwhelming majority will tell you that they aren’t scared of being hurt, they are scared of losing. The fear of being setback professionally and embarrassed in front of their friends and family worries them far more than the thought of pain or discomfort.
When that first loss almost inevitably happens, the aftermath is rarely as bad as they imagined. Yes, the following week may be difficult but in the cold light of day, there are normally reasons for the defeat. Hatton believes he has dealt with his in the right way and is ready to show just how much he has learned.
“It was a weird one because, if anything, I’ve come away with more respect than with most of my wins,” he said. “When the dust settled, I think if I’d have watched it back and I’d lost because I just weren’t good enough then it’d be a lot harder to swallow. When you watch it and you can see just slight changes that could make a big difference, when you can see so much to go at, it gives you a lot of confidence.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79
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