In March, Jimmy Joe Flint and Campbell Hatton went to war for the central area junior-welterweight title. After 10 rounds Flint retained his belt by boxing and fighting his way to a deserved 10-round decision. After recording 14 straight wins, Hatton suffered defeat for the first time.
Since at Ben Davison’s Performance Centre in Essex, the 23-year-old Mancunian leapt straight into a make-or-break rematch with Flint. Confident of repeating his victory, the Yorkshireman was more than happy to oblige.
Their fight was elevated into the position of chief support after the late cancellation of the British and Commonwealth super-featherweight title fight between Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jnr. Gomez Jnr was taken ill with a kidney infection in the dressing room at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena beforehand.
Where Hatton, 14-2 (5 KOs), tried pressing forwards from the opening bell, Flint, 15-2-2 (3 KOs), calmly grabbed and held the challenger to slow his early momentum and then picked a series of flush right hands when Hatton was presenting a worryingly static target.
Both fighters emerged from a first clash of heads unscathed, but early in the second round their heads came together again and Hatton was left with a bad cut over his left eye. Flint continued to box nicely and to pick his moments, whereas Hatton swung in wide shots – although he did land one nice uppercut as the second round drew to a close.
Despite suggestions about the technical improvements that working with the team at Davison’s gym would make to Hatton’s style, he quickly resorted to the whole-hearted, all-or-nothing style he employed first time around. He landed the occasional hook and overhand right, and he bulled Flint around at times, but Flint picked the cleaner, more accurate shots.
It wasn’t pretty, but Hatton’s effort got him a foothold in the fight during the middle rounds. Flint stopped using his jab, and Hatton found it easier to get into range. Whenever Flint remembered to jab, box and move he had success, and he looked the superior boxer, but too often he neglected his advantages and found himself getting dragged into scruffy exchanges that suited Hatton.
Flint re-established an element of control in the sixth and seventh rounds. He found an extra few inches of space and made Hatton pay for his lack of head movement with accurate straight shots and short, snappy combinations; Hatton’s punches remained wider and more predictable.
Despite a swelling over his left eye, Flint, 27, was boxing nicely. He looked to have built a decent lead as the final round got underway and he took advantage of Hatton’s inability to box his way inside. A big right hand hurt Hatton inside the last 30 seconds of the fight, but he dug in and battled away until the final bell.
The scorecards were again necessary, and all three judges once again favoured Flint. He was awarded scores of 97-94, 96-94 and 96-95, and therefore retains his central area junior-welterweight title.
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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