By Matthew Hurley

It’s been nearly 25 years since a world title bout was held at the old Boston Garden.  In June of 1981 Marvelous Marvin Hagler knocked out Vito Antuofermo in the fifth round to successfully defend his middleweight crown. 

That same year the Boston Celtics would raise another championship banner to the rafters, ushering in the Larry Bird era.  Since then the Celtics went on to win two more titles in 1984 and 1986, the Boston Bruins would rest their hopes upon the broad shoulders of Ray Bourque and come up empty, the Patriots would get demolished twice in the Super Bowl before Bill Belicheck and Bob Kraft turned it all around and won three titles and the Red Sox would finally capture World Series glory in 2004.  But sadly, amidst all of that, the Boston Garden, nearly as beloved a landmark for sports fans in “Beantown” as Fenway Park, would meet the crushing blows of the wrecking ball and be replaced by what is now called The TD Banknorth Garden. 

The TD Banknorth Garden is a big, cavernous arena with all the frills and none of the heart that the old Garden had.  It even has air conditioning, a convenience attendees of the Boston Garden during post season play would sneer at.  On top of that, if you pay enough money (and no matter where you sit you’ll pay through the nose) you can have a chef prepare you a crepe or an omelet while you enjoy an event.  Somehow I don’t think Tony Demarco who fought Carmen Basilio back in 1955 at the old Garden would approve.  But I digress.

All of that high falutin nonsense will be forgotten, at least for a day, when Ricky Hatton, the fistic sensation from Manchester, England and the undisputed junior welterweight titlist, takes on Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight championship of the world.  The TD Banknorth Garden will never be the blue collar workingman’s auditorium that the Boston Garden was, but on Saturday, May 13th it will be filled with enough true fight fans, many of them Guinness swilling laborers of Irish descent, that it will feel like 1981 all over again.

Ricky Hatton broke through and became a star in 2005 when he knocked out Kostya Tszyu in the 11th round on June 4th in Manchester, England.  Despite a ferocious style that often overwhelmed opponents Hatton was the underdog in that fight.  Tszyu had fought his way to the top and was in the midst of a Hall of Fame career, but Hatton would not be denied.  Fighting in close and smothering the champion he finally broke Tszyu’s spirit, forcing him to retire on his stool. 

He followed that triumph with a victory over awkward Carlos Maussa in the 9th round to unify the title.  It lead to fighter of the year honors from The Ring Magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America and ESPN.com, along with the accolades of boxing fans around the world. 

Most of that fan appreciation was due in large part for the way he fights – aggressively, winging punches for three minutes of every round and, quite often, bleeding profusely from his battle scarred face.  He gives the fans their money’s worth, something that Boston area fight fans always appreciated about their two local legends Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler. 

It’s that swarming, take-no-prisoners style that will bring out the fans on Saturday and turn the sedate TD Banknorth Garden into a raucous beer soaked arena that should remind Hatton of his fanatical fans back home in England.

“I can’t wait to fight in Boston,” he said recently.  “It’s such a great town, with great pubs and great people.  I know it’s going to be a super charged night and I’m looking forward to a spectacular fight.”

His choice of opponent should guarantee that.  Luis Collazo is no pushover brought in to make Hatton look good.  In fact, he’s a very dangerous fighter who always shows up in supreme condition and is extremely busy in the ring.  There is a bit of uncertainty as to whether or not Hatton’s tender facial skin, which can shred like paper, will hold up under Collazo’s relentless attack.  Which makes this bout even more intriguing, and is why HBO has decided to put it on live on their World Championship Boxing series.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind these past few years,” Hatton says with an ingratiating laugh.  “And now to be fighting in Boston and on HBO, I’m just thrilled.  It couldn’t get any better.”

The only thing that could, possibly, make this night even more exciting for local fans would be if former champions like Marvin Hagler, Micky Ward and Tony Demarco show up and take a bow.  There’s no definitive word yet but fans are hopeful.  Regardless, the fact that championship boxing is making a return to Boston is a welcome relief for a city that has always embraced the sweet science. 

The club scene in and around Boston is still thriving and with Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut putting on near monthly shows, the Massachusetts area is something of a Mecca for the fight game.

But it’s a championship bout in Boston that people have been thirsting for.  The Boston Garden might be gone but the memories of all the thrills that happened in that broken down building haunt the area to this day.  It’s one reason why many fans have never truly come to accept the TD Banknorth Garden as anything but a pallid replacement.

Yet when Ricky Hatton makes his entrance into the ring Saturday night the cheers of the crowd will wash away all of that and help create some fistic nostalgia all its own.