Ring legend Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton says Aussie banger Lucas Browne hits harder than heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and reckons the Aussie banger could lay out Dillian Whyte with one punch.
Hatton promotes Browne and will be at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, March 24 when the 38 year old settles his differences with Dillian Whyte in their grudge match.
Hatton believes the winner should go on to meet the winner of the Anthony Joshua-Joseph Parker unification that goes ahead in Cardiff on Saturday, Mach 31 and says Browne has a puncher’s chance against anyone in the division.
“Joshua gets his knockouts with his speed and boxing ability, but for sheer power, Lucas is the bigger puncher,” said Hatton.
“I’m not saying Lucas has lots of boxing ability, but for raw, pound-for-pound power, he’s up there with the best of them.
“He only has to hit Dillian Whyte cleanly once and the fight will be over.
“But he can’t go out there relying on that one big punch. If Lucas does that, Whyte could outwork him.
“Lucas sees this fight as his chance to re-establish himself as a big name and set up a fight against the winner of Joshua and Parker.
“People are saying that Joshua and Wilder is the biggest fight out there, but what about Lucas and Joshua?
“That’s the fight we will be pushing for after Whyte.
“Lucas is also a colourful power puncher.”
Browne has 22 KOs on his 25-0 record and it’s the right hand that Whyte has to look out for.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be1SxCDHD32/?taken-by=lucasbigdaddybrowne
Browne has a dollar sign tattooed on his right knuckle and calls his right hand his “million dollar punch.”
Hatton describes the Aussie as “a former world champion,” but his reign as WBA champion was brief.
He won the belt in March, 2016 with a dramatic, come-from-behind win over Ruslan Chagaev, shrugging off a knockdown and a cut to win in 10 rounds.
Browne was way behind on all three cards after nine rounds.
He was stripped of the belt after failing a post-fight drugs test. Browne felt he was the victim of sabotage and it was later ruled by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) that it was “unlikely” Browne had taken the drug deliberately.
He subsequently failed another test, but Hatton defends his fighter.
“I really don’t feel Lucas is guilty of any wrong doing,” said Hatton, whose stable also includes super-middleweights Darryll Williams and Mark Heffron.
“The first test result didn’t seem right to us and I put the second failed test down to foolishness, a bit of naivety, that’s all.
“There are so many different nutrients and drinks these days and you have to make sure you know what you are putting in your mouth.
“You have to check everything and make sure you are doing things right. Lucas didn’t do that.
“Because of that, he’s been inactive and hasn’t been able to push on with his career the way we wanted him to.”
Hatton also predicts a big year for another of his heavyweights, Nathan Gorman, a fighter he trains at his gym in Hyde.
BT Sport viewers saw Gorman capture the vacant WBC International Silver belt in Newcastle in November with a fifth-round stoppage of unbeaten Mohamed Soltby.
The 21 year old is expected to defend the belt against colourful Dubliner Sean ‘Big Sexy’ Turner sometime next month.
Sources say terms have been agreed and the fight will go ahead on a Frank Warren promotion in March.
Turner, who claimed a career-best win over Arnold Gjergjaj (30-1) in Switzerland in December, has repeatedly called for a fight with Gorman.
“Nathan is improving all the time,” said Hatton, “and it’s a matter of time before people are talking about him the same way they talk about other heavyweights in this country.
“People forget he hasn’t been a pro for very long and didn’t have a long amateur career.
“I get a bit excited when I talk about Nathan, but he has so much potential that I see in the gym every day.”