No Foreman-like comeback for Hatton as Senchenko is value for victory

George Foreman and Vitali Klitschko aside, boxers that attempt to bounce back from lengthy absences do not have the greatest track record of success upon their return to the ring.

This is just one of numerous reasons as to why Vyacheslav Senchenko is more than a live underdog at 11/4 to end Ricky Hatton’s comeback before it has truly begun at the Manchester Arena.

Hatton has not stepped into the ring since his two-round defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 2009 and he has not selected a jobber opponent to help shake off any ring rust.

Senchenko’s defeat to Paulie Malignaggi earlier this year was his first in 33 professional fights and cost him the WBA welterweight title.

At the peak of Hatton’s powers, Senchenko would have provided tough competition at welterweight, with the Hitman certainly seeming better suited to cutting the extra weight to fight at light-welterweight.

Hatton is liable to find things even tougher now, given how much his weight ballooned in his retirement period.

Cutting 70lb in weight will almost certainly have left him feeling weak and must have a negative impact on his speed and strength.

Power was never Hatton’s game to start with and it was a constant accumulation of punches that regularly sucked the life out of the opposition.

With speed diminished and stamina unknown, whether he can replicate his previous strategy now has to be doubted.

The fact that the fight is in front of Hatton’s fans may also prove a negative, even given the buzz that will be at the Manchester Arena.

Hatton has only fought once at home since 2005 and he must feel under some pressure to put on a show, which is likely to see him make an aggressive start.

But since being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, Hatton has lost some durability. He was emphatically stopped by Pacquiao, but before that he was troubled more than once by Juan Lazcano.

A desire to come out all guns blazing against Senchenko could leave him open to counter punches and the Ukrainian is capable of ending a bout, claiming six of his last ten victories by KO.

Senchenko adding another KO victory to his resume here could well prove big value here at 5/1, especially if Hatton shows signs of fatigue in the second half of the fight.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date