Ricky Hatton
Statistics
Real name	Richard John Hatton
Nickname(s)	The Hitman The Manchester Mexican The Pride of Hyde Ricky Fatton
Rated at	Light Welterweight Welterweight
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Reach	65 in (165 cm)
Nationality	British[2][3]
Born	(1978-10-06) 6 October 1978 (age 33) Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	47
Wins	45
Wins by KO	32
Losses	2
Draws	0
No contests	0

Richard John "Ricky" Hatton MBE (born 6 October 1978, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England), is a retired British professional boxer and a current boxing promoter.

He is a former WBA (Super), IBF & The Ring Light Welterweight Champion and WBA Welterweight Champion. After losing his last fight to Manny Pacquiao, Hatton put his career on a long hiatus, with rumours of a comeback circulating the media since.^[4][5] However, on 7 July 2011, Hatton announced his retirement from boxing.^[6][7][8]

Biography[link]

Born in Stockport, Hatton was raised on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde, Greater Manchester and trained at the Sale West ABC (Racecourse Estate). He was educated at Hattersley High School. His grandfather and his father both played for Rochdale and Ricky had a trial for the youth team. He found a local boxing club in Hyde to train at. His entrance music is the Manchester City club song "Blue Moon", as performed by the band "Supra."^[9] Aged 14, Hatton was taken by his uncles Ged and Paul to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium to watch the second fight between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. He joined the family carpet business on leaving school, but after he cut four of his fingers with a Stanley knife, his father made him a salesman to prevent him from losing his fingers.^[10]

Boxing career[link]

Hatton in training on 1 May 2006.

Hatton's debut fight was on 10 September 1997 against Colin McAuley in Widnes at Kingsway Leisure Centre (he won by a TKO in first round),^[11] while in his second fight Hatton boxed at Madison Square Garden in New York.^[11]

Hatton vs. Tszyu[link]

On 5 June 2005, Hatton defeated The Ring & IBF Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu, then widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world by a technical knockout after the Australian failed to answer the bell for the 12th round. Hatton was a heavy underdog for this fight and the victory announced his entry to the upper echelons of the world boxing scene. Prior to the fight, the majority of boxing critics had given Hatton little or no chance and this victory was regarded as one of the best victories by an English boxer in the last 20 years. On 26 November 2005, Hatton won the WBA Light Welterweight title when he defeated Carlos Maussa in the ninth round of a unification bout.^[12] In December, Hatton was named the 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.^[13]

Hatton relinquished his IBF belt on 29 March 2006 after refusing to fulfil a mandatory defence against number one contender Naoufel Ben Rabah because he intended to move up to the welterweight class.^[14] Hatton signed a three fight contract with Dennis Hobson's fight academy after splitting from long time promoter Frank Warren.^[15] The three fights would take place in the United States.

Moving to Welterweight[link]

Hatton moved up a division to meet American Luis Collazo for the WBA Welterweight Championship crown which took place on 13 May 2006.^[16] Hatton won the WBA crown from Collazo but struggled. Hatton started well, knocking Collazo down in the very first few seconds of the first round,^[17] but it turned out to be one of the toughest fights of his career, with some boxing analysts claiming Collazo won the fight,^[17] although many thought Hatton had done enough early on to secure victory, with the knockdown a pivotal point in the fight.

Back to Light Welterweight[link]

Hatton's first fight back at light welterweight was against the current IBF Light Welterweight Champion Juan Urango for his title and the vacant IBO Light Welterweight title on 20 January 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hatton's promoter, Dennis Hobson, stated that the impetus for moving back down was to set up a fight with José Luis Castillo, a fighter who nearly beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. at lightweight in 2002.^[18]

Wikinews has related news: Ricky Hatton regains IBF Light Welterweight Title

Hatton ended up winning a 12 round unanimous decision against Urango to re-capture the IBF Light Welterweight title. He won all but one round on all three judges' scorecards. Castillo, who was on the undercard, also won (via split decision), setting up their long-awaited fight.

Hatton was forced to relinquish his IBF title again on 10 February to be able to fight Castillo. The fight was held on 23 June 2007, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada.^[19] In round four, Hatton landed a "perfect" left hook to the liver, which put Castillo to the canvas.^[20] Ricky later claimed that 4 of Castillo's ribs were broken with this one punch. Unable to stand up, Castillo was counted out for the first time in his career.

Hatton vs. Mayweather, Jr.[link]

Press Conference in Manchester, 2007

Hatton agreed to terms on 27 July for a 8 December 2007 welterweight fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.^[21] which was considered to be the biggest welterweight fight since the 1999 clash between Oscar De La Hoya and Puerto Rican legend Tito Trinidad. The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was announced as the venue on 17 August 2007. The fight was agreed to less than three months after Mayweather had said he planned to retire following a victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton was able to bring the fight to Mayweather in the early rounds. In the 1st round, Hatton caught Mayweather with a left jab which knocked Mayweather off balance.^[22] His constant pressure appeared to make Mayweather uncomfortable at first. In the third round, Mayweather landed a right that cut Hatton above the right eye.^[23] In round six, referee Joe Cortez took a point away from Hatton after he appeared to hit Mayweather on the back of the head while Mayweather was rested between the ropes.^[24] However, the punch was revealed to have hit the rope rather than Mayweather's head, but Hatton was warned for punching behind the head on numerous occasions before the deduction. Hatton became angry at the referee's decision to deduct a point and turned his back on him. Hatton later claimed he was angered by the referee, which caused him to lose his calm and contributed to his downfall.^[25] Hatton was able to hold his own until round eight, when Mayweather began to adapt to Hatton and started counterattacking. Mayweather knocked Hatton down to the mat in round ten.^[26] Hatton got up, but Mayweather quickly resumed his attack, resulting in Joe Cortez putting a stop to the fight and Hatton's corner threw in the towel. Mayweather commented post-match that "Ricky Hatton is one tough fighter. He is still a champion in my eyes and I'd love to see him fight again ... Ricky Hatton is probably one of toughest competitors I've faced. I hit him with some big ones but he kept coming and I can see why they call him the 'Hitman'."^[27] The fight received large amounts of publicity, with both fighters promoting the fight heavily.

Hatton vs. Lazcano[link]

On 24 May 2008, Hatton beat Mexican Juan Lazcano by unanimous decision with scores of 120-110, 120-108 and 118-110,^[28] in front of his home crowd of 55,000 (a post-World War II record for a boxing match in Britain),^[29] at City of Manchester Stadium to retain The Ring Magazine and IBO Light Welterweight titles.^[30] Hatton did well when he boxed and controlled the range, utilizing his jab and dominating a lot of the early exchanges. In round eight, Hatton absorbed a left hook to the chin that wobbled him. In round ten, Hatton was hurt again by a left hook.^[30][31] Despite that, Hatton outworked Lazcano to win at least ten of the rounds.

Hatton vs. Malignaggi[link]

Ricky Hatton fought Paulie Malignaggi of the United States at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 22 November for Hatton's The Ring Light Welterweight title.^[32] He was trained for the fight by Floyd Mayweather, Sr.^[33] Hatton dominated for all of the fight and defeated Malignaggi by 11th-round TKO when Malignaggi's trainer, Buddy McGirt, threw in the towel 48 seconds into the round.^[34]

Hatton vs. Pacquiao[link]

Hatton fought Manny Pacquiao on 2 May 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was at light welterweight, which was the sixth weight category Pacquiao has fought at and is the weight at which Hatton was previously undefeated.^[35] Pacquiao defeated Hatton in the second round by a KO victory after knocking Hatton down twice in the first round. Following the loss to Pacquiao, Hatton put his career on hiatus. After more than a year out of action, in a June 2010 interview with Gulfnews.com, the British boxer seemed uninterested in coming to the ring again. He stated: "Boxing started off as a habit and it ended up giving me some money and making me a little bit of a better person. But I don't think I will have a fight again. But you can never say never as I have not announced officially that I won't be boxing. At the moment I don't have any fire in the belly for a fight or to get myself to a gym." However, Hatton also added: "But it has been only 13 months and I am only 31, so never count me out."^[36]

Hatton has also voiced suspicion that Manny Pacquiao may be using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Hatton said he should have made the same blood testing demand as Floyd Mayweather, Jr., whose fight against the Filipino fighter fell through in early 2010.^[37]

Hatton vs. Morales talks[link]

It was confirmed on 20 April 2011 that there has been some early stage talks between Hatton and Erik Morales. Although the fight would be subject to Hatton regaining his boxing licence after it was revoked in September 2010.^[38]

Outside the ring[link]

Hatton is a passionate supporter of Manchester City, with strong links to the club via his father and grandfather, who are both former players. Ricky also once had a trial at City for the youth team. His entrance music is the club's song "Blue Moon" as performed by the band "Supra". Good friend Wayne Rooney,^[39] who plays for arch rivals Manchester United, has been with Hatton in his dressing room before a bout and carried one of his belts to the ring. Ricky's best friend is Lee Rawsthorne, who regularly carries Ricky's belt into the ring. Hatton is also good friends with another footballer, Joey Barton,^[40] a former Manchester City player. Ricky also follows the non-league football club Hyde United and often attends home matches.^{[citation needed]} In an appearance on Al Murray's Happy Hour he admitted that if he could hit one celebrity, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo who at the time played for Manchester United.

Regarding his nickname, Ricky said, "I've always been a fan of Tommy Hearns, and everybody associates that that's where I got it from, but everybody's a Tommy Hearns fan. I got the nickname the first day I walked in the gym. I was 10 years old and put a pair of gloves on and started walloping the bag, and my amateur coach said, "Look at him, look how evil he is. He's a little Hitman."^[1]

Ricky Hatton does "Ricky Fatton"

Hatton is sometimes referred to by boxing fans as "Ricky Fatton"^[41] because he's been known to allow himself to weigh as much as 175 to 180 pounds (35 to 40 pounds over his fight weight) when he's not in training for a fight. Ever since Hatton turned professional, he has always opted to eat a full English breakfast before fights - his favourite place in Hyde is The Butty Box in Mottram Road, where he was interviewed by Gaby Logan for Inside Sport; and he is known to drink Guinness on Thursday night when he plays darts for the New Inn. Hatton defends his diet, citing that he plans to retire within the next four major bouts - experts have used his ill-balanced diet, akin to Jake LaMotta's ballooning up between fights, to explain his poor performances in recent fights, and nature to tire towards the end of fights.^[42] Hatton also appeared on ITV1's daytime show Loose Women in August 2007, stating that the reason why he puts on weight between fights is because "I have a lot on my plate at the moment."^[43]

Hatton appeared on the Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show in March 2007. When the host, Ross, placed some pads on his hands and gave Hatton gloves to hit them with, he knocked a pad clean off Ross's hand with a powerful left hook. Interviewed on ITV1's Parkinson on 13 October 2007, at the beginning of the interview, Hatton handed Michael Parkinson a custom made pair of boxing shorts with 'Mike' and 'Parky' written on them, the shorts had the Barnsley emblem on them and were coloured red and blue, Barnsley Football Club's colours, because Parkinson supports Barnsley. While talking about Floyd Mayweather's arrogance, Hatton said "if there was such a thing as re-incarnation, Floyd would come back as himself."^[44]

Hatton received the MBE for services to sport in the 2007 New Year Honours.^[45]

In 2008, he started hosting his own live chat show called Ricky Speaks,^[46] on Nuts TV. His father, Ray Hatton, said, "We had a conversation with a third party asking whether, if we were approached by the Mayweather team, would a possible rematch be on the cards."^[47] Ray Hatton added: "Really at the moment we're looking at Manny Pacquiao. It's very nice for Ricky to still be in such a big league."^[48]

Although negotiations stalled at some points, Hatton fought the number one pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao on 2 May 2009.^[35][49] Hatton hosted the 9 November edition of WWE Raw, defeating Chavo Guerrero in a match.

On 13 September 2010, Hatton was admitted to a rehabilitation facility, The Priory, in Roehampton, London, UK, for substance abuse to tackle a drink and depression problem. He was caught on camera apparently snorting class A drugs, lines of cocaine in a Manchester hotel room. Doctors said they were more worried about his depression and alcohol abuse than drug use. Hatton sought medical help two weeks prior, after news emerged about a night out where he drank 11 pints of Guinness, Vodka and Sambucca during the night out with Emma Bowe, 29, the Irish national senior women’s boxing champion. It is now uncertain if he will return to the ring in the future, or will retire as he has already hinted.^[50]

Family[link]

Hatton's mother, Carol, still works on the carpet stall on Glossop Market in the Peak District. His father Ray is his manager,^[51] and also manages his brother and fellow boxer Matthew Hatton. Ricky and his girlfriend Jennifer Dooley live in his house, the "Heartbreak Hotel" named after his favourite artist Elvis, in Hyde.^[39]

Hatton has a son, Campbell, conceived after a short reconciliation with ex-girlfriend, Claire. Hatton set up a trust fund to make sure his son was always provided for, and sees him every day.^[52]

On 12 September 2010, the Sunday tabloid News of the World published a front-page story alleging Hatton has been a regular cocaine user with accompanying pictures showing the boxer apparently using the drug.^[53] Hatton is said to be "devastated" following the story.^[54]

Charity[link]

Hatton is a supporter of The Village News, Haughton Green's local children's newspaper made by children in aid of charity. Hatton supported them at a charity auction by appearing and signing boxing gloves, with the evening raising £1,600. Ricky was also recently a special guest-speaker for The Toby Henderson Trust at a sportsmans' dinner at the Gosforth Marriott Hotel. Thanks to Ricky's help via donations and a highly successful auction, a lot of money was raised for the Centre for First Inistuitives in Crosby Liverpool.

Fans[link]

Hatton has attracted many fans who are very vocal in their support during fights. The main chant is a modified version of the popular Christmas song "Winter Wonderland", with the lyrics changed to promote Hatton.^[55]

There's only one Ricky Hatton,
One Ricky Hatton,
Walking along,
Singing this song,
Walking in a Hatton wonderland.

Hatton fans also like to taunt the opponent by singing "Who are ya?", a popular English football chant. Along with Floyd Mayweather, Hatton is referenced by New York rapper GZA on the track "Paper Plates" of his 2008 album, Pro Tools.^[56]

Professional boxing record[link]

45 Wins (32 knockouts, 12 decisions, 1 disqualification), 2 Losses (2 knockouts, 0 decisions), 0 Draws[57]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	45–2	Manny Pacquiao	KO	2 (12), 2:59	2009-05-02	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost The Ring & IBO Light Welterweight titles.
Win	45–1	Paulie Malignaggi	TKO	11 (12), 0:48	2008-11-22	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring & IBO Light Welterweight titles.
Win	44–1	Juan Lazcano	UD	12	2008-05-24	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester	Retained The Ring & IBO Light Welterweight titles.
Loss	43–1	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	TKO	10 (12), 1:35	2007-12-08	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	For WBC & The Ring Welterweight title.
Win	43–0	José Luis Castillo	KO	4 (12), 2:16	2007-06-23	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring and IBO & won vacant WBC International Light Welterweight titles.
Win	42–0	Juan Urango	UD	12	2007-01-20	Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring & won IBF and vacant IBO Light Welterweight titles.
Win	41–0	Luis Collazo	UD	12	2006-05-13	TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts	Won WBA Welterweight title.
Win	40–0	Carlos Maussa	KO	9 (12), 1:10	2005-11-26	Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire	Retained The Ring & IBF & and won WBA Light Welterweight titles.
Win	39–0	Kostya Tszyu	RTD	11 (12), 3:00	2005-06-04	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Won The Ring & IBF Light Welterweight titles.
Win	38–0	Ray Oliveira	KO	10 (12), 1:38	2004-12-11	ExCel Arena, Dockland, London	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	37–0	Michael Stewart	TKO	5 (12), 2:57	2004-10-01	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title. IBF Light Welterweight Title Eliminator.
Win	36–0	Carlos Vilchés	UD	12	2004-06-12	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	35–0	Dennis Pedersen	TKO	6 (12), 2:32	2004-04-03	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	34–0	Ben Tackie	UD	12	2003-12-13	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	33–0	Aldo Nazareno Rios	RTD	9 (12), 3:00	2003-09-27	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	32–0	Vince Phillips	UD	12	2003-04-05	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	31–0	Joe Hutchinson	KO	4 (12), 1:16	2002-12-14	Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	30–0	Stephen Smith	DQ	2 (12), 0:28	2002-09-28	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	29–0	Eamonn Magee	UD	12	2002-06-01	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	28–0	Mikhail Krivolapov	TKO	9 (12), 2:31	2002-02-09	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	27–0	Justin Rowsell	TKO	2 (12), 0:36	2001-12-15	Wembley Conference Centre, Wembley, London	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	26–0	Freddie Pendleton	KO	2 (12), ?	2001-10-27	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	25–0	John Bailey	TKO	5 (12), 0:36	2001-09-15	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	24–0	Jason Rowland	KO	4 (12), 2:08	2001-07-07	Manchester Velodrome, Manchester	Retained WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	23–0	Tony Pep	TKO	4 (12), 2:30	2001-03-26	Wembley Conference Centre, Wembley, London	Won vacant WBU Light Welterweight title.
Win	22–0	Jon Thaxton	UD	12	2000-10-21	Wembley Conference Centre, Wembley, London	Won vacant BBBofC British Light Welterweight title.
Win	21–0	Giuseppe Lauri	TKO	5 (12), 1:57	2000-09-23	York Hall, Bethnal Green, London	Retained WBO & won WBA Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	20–0	Gilbert Quiros	KO	2 (12), 1:48	2000-06-10	Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan	Retained WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	19–0	Ambioris Figuero	TKO	4 (12), 0:49	2000-05-16	Spectrum Arena, Warrington, Cheshire	Retained WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	18–0	Pedro Alonso Teran	TKO	4 (12), 2:55	2000-03-25	Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, Merseyside	Retained WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	17–0	Leoncio Garces	TKO	3 (8), 1:37	2000-01-29	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
Win	16–0	Mark Winters	TKO	4 (12), 0:51	1999-12-11	Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside	Retained WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	15–0	Bernard Paul	RTD	4 (12), 3:00	1999-10-09	Bowler's Arena, Manchester	Retained WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	14–0	Mark Ramsey	UD	6	1999-07-17	The Dome Leisure Centre, Doncaster, Yorkshire
Win	13–0	Dillon Carew	TKO	5 (12), 2:00	1999-05-29	North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax, Yorkshire	Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight title.
Win	12–0	Brian Coleman	KO	2 (10), ?	1999-04-03	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London
Win	11–0	Tommy Peacock	TKO	2 (10), 2:21	1999-02-27	Sports Centre, Oldham	Won vacant BBBofC Central Area Light Welterweight title.
Win	10–0	Paul Denton	TKO	6 (8), 0:19	1998-12-19	Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside
Win	9–0	Kevin Carter	TKO	1 (6), ?	1998-10-31	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	8–0	Pascal Montulet	KO	2 (6), ?	1998-09-19	Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia
Win	7–0	Anthony Campbell	UD	6	1998-07-18	Ponds Forge, Sheffield, Yorkshire
Win	6–0	Mark Ramsey	UD	6	1998-05-30	Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, Avon
Win	5–0	Karl Taylor	TKO	1 (6), ?	1998-04-18	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
Win	4–0	Paul Salmon	TKO	1 (4), ?	1998-03-27	Ice Rink, Telford, Shropshire
Win	3–0	David Thompson	KO	1 (4), 2:29	1998-01-17	Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, Avon
Win	2–0	Robbie Alvarez	UD	4	1997-12-19	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	1–0	Colin McAuley	TKO	1 (4), ?	1997-09-11	Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes, Cheshire	Hatton's professional debut.

Titles in boxing[link]

Amateur career[link]

National:

• ABA National Junior Champion (Class C) Light Welterweight 1994
• ABA National Junior Champion (Class A) Light Welterweight 1995, 1996
• ABA National Junior Champion (Class B) Light Welterweight 1997
• ABA National Champion Light Welterweight 1997

Professional career[link]

Major World Titles:

• IBF Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBA Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBA Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
• (2) IBF Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

Minor World Titles:

• WBU Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• IBO Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:

• The Ring Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• BBBofC Central Area Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBA Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• BBBofC British Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
• WBC International Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

Awards[link]

• The Ring 2005 'Fighter Of The Year' Award

See also[link]

• List of current world boxing champions
• Ring Magazine pound for pound

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ricky Hatton

• Official website
• Professional boxing record for Ricky Hatton from BoxRec
• HBO Ricky Hatton profile

Ricky Steamboat
Ring name(s)	Dick Blood[1] The Dragon[2] Richard Blood[1] Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat[1][2] Sam Steamboat, Jr.[1][2]
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Billed weight	235 lb (107 kg)[1]
Born	(1953-02-28) February 28, 1953 (age 59)[1][2] West Point, New York
Resides	Mooresville, North Carolina[1]
Billed from	Honolulu, Hawaii[1] Charlotte, North Carolina
Trained by	Verne Gagne[1] Iron Sheik[1]
Debut	February 15, 1976[1][3]
Retired	September 1994

Richard Henry Blood (born February 28, 1953),^[1][2] better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career.^{[citation needed]} He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

In the NWA and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion,^[4][5] a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion,^[4][6] a four-time World Television Champion,^[4][7][8] a twelve-time World Tag Team Champion (eight-time under the WCW banner,^[4][9][10] one-time (though unofficial) under the NWA banner,^[11] and three-time under the Mid-Atlantic banner^[4][12]), and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion.^[4][13] In the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Champion^[4][14] and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Before Professional Wrestling[link]

While little is known about Steamboat's personal life, it is a known fact that he went to high school in New York. He was a two time New York State Wrestling qualifier.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early years (1976–1977)[link]

Blood debuted in 1976 as a babyface in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He took the name Sam Steamboat, Jr. from older Hawaiian wrestler Sam Steamboat^[1] and he also wrestled for a time under his real given name before settling on the name Ricky Steamboat (or, alternatively, Rick Steamboat), by which he would be known for the remainder of his career. He went from the AWA to Championship Wrestling from Florida and from there to Georgia Championship Wrestling.^[1]

National Wresting Alliance / Jim Crockett Promotions (1977–1985)[link]

In 1977, Blood, now renaming himself to Ricky Steamboat, entered the National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) (which ran under the concurrent brand names "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and "Wide World Wrestling"--later "World Wide Wrestling"--as well as airing syndicated TV programs under those respective names), where he would remain for the next eight years of his career. Steamboat, who had been brought in by JCP booker George Scott on the recommendation of Wahoo McDaniel, was initially billed as a babyface protege of Wahoo, and barely spoke above whispers in interviews. Matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural fit. Steamboat stepped up to the plate during an interview on the syndicated Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling when Flair, the then-Mid-Atlantic television champion, began goading the youngster. Steamboat knocked Flair out with a backhand chop to set up a match between the two. Steamboat's star making performance came when he pinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship at WRAL studios in Raleigh, North Carolina.^[7]

Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat captured the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship three times^[6] and the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times (once with Paul Jones and five times with Jay Youngblood).^[9] He also held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship singles crown twice^[13] and wore the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship straps four times (three times with Paul Jones, once with Jay Youngblood).^[12] He also won the NWA World Television Championship title a second time (which by that point had changed to the NWA World Television title).^[7]

Fans in the Mid-Atlantic territory to this day talk about classic Steamboat moments: the day Flair dragged his face around the television studio, causing facial scarring, and Steamboat retaliating the following week by ripping Flair's expensive suit to shreds; when longtime tag team partner Paul Jones turned heel on Steamboat at the end of a two-ring battle royal; Steamboat and Youngblood painting yellow streaks down the backs of Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke in order to embarrass them into defending the World Tag Team titles against the two; Steamboat and Youngblood's top drawing feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle; Steamboat and Youngblood being turned on by their friends Jack and Jerry Brisco; Steamboat in a shocking (and surprisingly emotional) feud against former mentor Wahoo McDaniel; and his last great series in the territory, feuding with Tully Blanchard over the NWA TV title. After having creative differences with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat left the NWA.

World Wrestling Federation (1985–1988)[link]

Birth of "The Dragon" (1985–1986)[link]

Ricky as "The Dragon"

In 1985, Steamboat was offered a contract by Vince McMahon and he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Shortly after his debut, Steamboat was given the gimmick of a babyface nicknamed "The Dragon"; Steamboat's jacket-and-trunks attire was replaced by a keikogi and long tights. His father was Hawaiian, and Steamboat's mother is Japanese American, hence his Asian features which were crucial for his "Dragon" gimmick. Steamboat kept the nickname and gimmick for the remainder of his career.

He made his pay-per-view debut at the inaugural WrestleMania where he defeated Matt Borne.^[15] On the September 14, 1985 edition of Championship Wrestling, Steamboat defeated Mr. Fuji but after his victory, he was attacked by Don "The Magnificent" Muraco pitting Steamboat in a feud against fellow Hawaiians Muraco and Fuji.^[16] On the November 2 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he defeated Fuji in a Kung Fu Challenge.^[17] On the January 4, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, his intense feud with Muraco ended after he and Junkyard Dog beat Muraco and Fuji in a tag team match.^[18]

After a victory over Hercules at WrestleMania 2,^[19] Steamboat began his next feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Their feud began when Roberts attacked him before their match on the May 3 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, which did not occur due to Roberts assaulting Steamboat.^[20][21] They battled each other in a Snake Pit match at The Big Event, which Steamboat won.^[22] Their feud finally ended on the October 4 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, when Steamboat defeated Roberts in their Snake Pit rematch.^[23] Following the match, Roberts continued to attack Steamboat and was about to place his snake Damien on him, but Steamboat took his komodo dragon out of his bag and scared Roberts from the ring.^[24]

Intercontinental Champion and departure (1987–1988)[link]

On the November 22, 1986 edition of Superstars, Steamboat got a shot at the Intercontinental Championship against Randy Savage. Steamboat lost the match by count-out but after the match, Savage continued to assault him and injured Steamboat's larynx with the ring bell, beginning an angle between the two.^[25] On the January 3, 1987 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Steamboat returned from his injury and prevented Savage from attacking George Steele like he had done to Steamboat two months prior.^[26] At WrestleMania III, Steamboat was booked to defeat Savage for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.^[27][28][29] The highly influential match was considered an instant classic by both fans and critics and was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer.

Several weeks after winning the Intercontinental Championship, Steamboat asked WWF owner Vince McMahon for some time off to be with his wife Bonnie, who was expecting the birth of their first son, Richard, Jr. This did not sit well with WWF management as he had been molded to become a long-term Intercontinental Champion. The decision was made by WWF management to punish Steamboat by stripping him of the title. After a successful title defense against Hercules on the May 2 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he dropped the belt to The Honky Tonk Man on the June 13 edition of Superstars;^[30] his son was born a month later. Steamboat came back in time for the Survivor Series in November 1987.^[31] WWF Management was still bitter over his impromptu sabbatical from his first WWF run, however, and he was not pushed or given any meaningful feuds (Steamboat himself has implied in interviews that he was being punished for 'one-upping' the Hogan-Andre main event at WrestleMania III). After defeating Rick Rude by disqualification at 1988 Royal Rumble,^[32] Steamboat was entered into the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV in March 1988. On WWF television prior to the match Steamboat appeared in a vignette where he stated that he hoped Randy Savage would win his first round match, thus setting up a rematch of last year's Wrestlemania match and "one more classic confrontation". However Steamboat would lose to his first round opponent Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.^[33] Although television segments were shot immediately after WrestleMania IV that made it appear that The Dragon would be facing Valentine in a series of matches, Steamboat announced his retirement shortly thereafter.

Return to the NWA / World Championship Wrestling (1989)[link]

Steamboat made his comeback to wrestling in January 1989 and returned to the NWA (specifically, NWA affiliate World Championship Wrestling) on the January 21, 1989 edition of World Championship Wrestling (it would later become the name of the promotion) as a surprise tag team partner of "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert against NWA World Champion, Ric Flair and Barry Windham in a tag team match that saw Steamboat pin Flair.^[34] This earned him a shot at the title at Chi-Town Rumble where Steamboat was booked to defeat Flair in the main event for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.^[5][35] He was also the last NWA World Champion to defend the belt in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in a match against Tiger Mask II.^[2] After Steamboat retained the NWA title against Flair in a controversial ending on the April 2 edition of Clash of the Champions,^[36] Flair and Steamboat would then face each other in their final rematch at the first-ever WrestleWar in May,^[36] where Steamboat dropped the title back to Flair.^[37] All three of Steamboat's matches with Flair were given 5-star ratings from Wrestling Observer Newsletter publisher Dave Meltzer.

After losing the title and with Flair now a babyface after being attacked by Terry Funk, Steamboat would remain the number one contender to the NWA World Title, a fact that irked fellow babyface U.S. Champion Lex Luger. This dispute culminated in Luger attacking Steamboat on the June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions, thus turning heel. Luger stood over the fallen Steamboat and arrogantly said, "There's your number one contender!"^[38] Steamboat then demanded a no disqualification match against Luger at The Great American Bash for the title, but just before the bell Luger demanded the clause be dropped or there would not be a match.^[39] Steamboat lost the match by disqualification after hitting Luger with a chair.^[39] However, due to a contract dispute, this would be Steamboat's last match of note in WCW in 1989.^[1]

New Japan Pro Wrestling and return to WWF (1990–1991)[link]

After losing the NWA title, Ricky again ventured into semi-retirement in late 1989. In 1990, he toured with New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he faced high-profile stars like Hiroshi Hase and The Great Muta.

In 1991, Steamboat, now billed simply as The Dragon, began making a return to the WWF; he was soon promoted with a series of vignettes on various editions of Superstars which saw The Dragon breathing fire. Despite his previous success in the WWF as a one-time Intercontinental Champion, Steamboat was treated as a brand-new wrestler.

Steamboat made his WWF in-ring redebut on the March 30 edition of Superstars, defeating the Brooklyn Brawler with his signature diving crossbody. On subsequent episodes of Superstars and Wrestling Challenge, Steamboat would go on to win numerous squash matches. He would also be victorious on televised Madison Square Garden events, defeating the likes of Haku, Demolition Smash, Paul Roma, Col. Mustafa, Pat Tanaka, and the The Warlord.

Steamboat's only pay per view appearance during his second WWF tenure was at SummerSlam. Teaming with Kerry Von Erich and Davey Boy Smith against the Warlord, Hercules, and Paul Roma, Steamboat got the victory for his team by pinning Roma.

The Dragon was undefeated on television during his 1991 run and lost only one match, a house show bout against Skinner. The day after his dark match loss, Steamboat gave his notice to WWF management and then quit the company shortly thereafter. He had been booked for the Survivor Series, teaming with Jim Neidhart (who would be replaced by Sgt. Slaughter due to injury), Jim Duggan, and Kerry Von Erich against Col. Mustafa, Skinner, The Berzerker, and Big Bully Busick (who would be replaced by Hercules after Busick left the WWF), but left before the event and was replaced by Tito Santana. It is rumored that Steamboat was booked to be squashed by The Undertaker on Superstars to build Undertaker for his impending WWF Championship match against Hulk Hogan and that Steamboat chose to quit the WWF rather than lose to Undertaker. Undertaker instead squashed Kerry Von Erich on Wrestling Challenge weeks prior to Survivor Series.

Return to WCW (1991–1994)[link]

World Tag Team Champion (1991–1992)[link]

On the November 19 edition of Clash of the Champions, Steamboat returned to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the surprise tag team partner of Dustin Rhodes, substituting for an injured Barry Windham. Steamboat and Rhodes defeated the Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko) to win the World Tag Team Championship, Steamboat's first World Tag Team Title under the WCW banner.^[10][40] They lost the titles to Arn Anderson and his new partner Bobby Eaton at a live event in January 1992.^[41] Steamboat began feuding with the Dangerous Alliance at this point, facing them in a critically acclaimed WarGames match at WrestleWar, which received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. He unsuccessfully challenged Dangerous Alliance member and United States Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude for the title at SuperBrawl II.^[42] Their rivalry culminated in a non-title Iron Man Challenge at Beach Blast, which Steamboat won.^[43]

World Television Champion (1992–1993)[link]

On the September 2, 1992 edition of Clash of the Champions, Steamboat defeated "Stunning" Steve Austin to win his first Television Championship under the WCW banner.^[8][44] He lost the title to Scott Steiner at a television taping on September 29.^[45] He however, won both his first NWA World Tag Team Championship (unrecognized by NWA) and his second WCW World Tag Team Title with Shane Douglas (NWA and WCW titles were unified) on the November 18 edition of Clash of the Champions by defeating Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes.^[10][46] On the March 27, 1993 edition of Power Hour, they lost the NWA and WCW titles to the Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin).^[47] On the August 18 edition of Clash of the Champions, he defeated Paul Orndorff to win his second and final WCW World Television Championship.^[8][48] A month later, at Fall Brawl, Steamboat's TV title reign was ended when he lost to Lord Steven Regal.^[49] At Starrcade, the two fought in a rematch for the title which resulted in a time-limit draw.^[50]

United States Champion, retirement and departure (1994)[link]

Heading into 1994, Steamboat engaged in one last feud over the World Heavyweight Championship with longtime rival Ric Flair, which culminated in a match at Spring Stampede where the title was briefly held up due to both men's shoulders being pinned at the same time.^[51] On the April 23 edition of Saturday Night, Flair defeated Steamboat to reclaim possession of the title.^[52] Their final singles match was on Main Event in July which ended on a disqualification when Steve Austin interfered. Steamboat and Flair's last encounter was in a tag team match on the July 31 edition of Main Event where Steamboat teamed with Sting against Ric Flair and Steve Austin.^[53]

He then feuded with US Champion "Stunning" Steve Austin and earned a US title shot at Bash at the Beach but lost.^[54] On the August 28 edition of Clash of the Champions, he got a rematch against Austin where Steamboat hurt his back,^[55] but managed to pin Austin for the United States Heavyweight Championship.^[55][56] However, he had to give up the belt due to the injury at Fall Brawl; he was replaced by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.^[55][57] In September 1994, Steamboat was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff via Federal Express package (while injured), thus ending a nearly two decade relationship with the Crockett/Turner wrestling organization.

Retirement (1994–2005)[link]

After an eight year retirement, Steamboat played an important role in the genesis of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was the referee of the first Gauntlet for the Gold for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.^[58] He was also the referee for the four-way double-elimination match to crown the first holder of the TNA X Division Championship.^[1] He has also made appearances for Ring of Honor where he refereed the first defense of the ROH Pure Wrestling Championship.^[59] In 2004, he engaged in a series of confrontations with CM Punk over Punk's arrogance in matches Steamboat refereed and then became CM Punk's inspiration to become the better person Steamboat knew he could be.^[60] The latter part of 2004 saw Steamboat feud with Mick Foley over which style of wrestling was superior, pure wrestling or hardcore wrestling.^[61] The two of them had many confrontations and managed teams to face one another, but never had a match against each other.^[62] Steamboat's last ROH appearance was at Final Battle 2004 where he and Foley finally made peace.^[63]

Return to WWE (2005–present)[link]

In early 2005, Steamboat returned to World Wrestling Entertainment as a road agent and was introduced as a WWE Legend on the "Homecoming" edition of Raw in October 2005.^[64] In early 2006, Ricky Steamboat told WWE management that he would like to come out of retirement at WrestleMania 22 and work a match with Ric Flair, but the idea was nixed.^[1] Ricky Steamboat has been the special referee in main event matches between John Cena, Triple H, and/or Edge at WWE house shows.^[1] In 2006 at the Raw SummerSlam Tour in Sydney, Australia, he was a referee for a match between Cena and Edge for the WWE Championship.^[1] He also refereed another title match in July 2007 between John Cena and Randy Orton in Anaheim, California.^[1] On April 1, 2007, he made an appearance at WrestleMania 23 while various other legends were having a small dance party in the background.^[65] He also briefly appeared at the Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view, being recognized as a former Intercontinental Champion.^[66] He made another appearance on WWE television during Ric Flair's farewell on the March 31, 2008 edition of Raw.^[67]

Hall of Fame and return to the ring[link]

Steamboat with fellow WWE Hall of Famers Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka before their match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXV.

He appeared on the February 23 edition of Monday Night Raw, after being named one of the members of the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame class. However, Steamboat was attacked by Chris Jericho, who began to feud with the Hall of Famers.^[68]

On the March 16 episode of Raw, he united with fellow Hall of Famers, now-babyface, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka attacked Jericho.^[69] In his first match in nearly 15 years, Steamboat returned to the ring alongside Piper and Snuka to take on Jericho at WrestleMania XXV on April 5, 2009. While both Snuka and Piper were swiftly eliminated, Steamboat held his own against Jericho, performing his legendary diving crossbody and even a plancha, although Jericho would eventually go onto win the match.

On the April 6 episode of Raw, Steamboat competed in a 10-man tag team match with John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and CM Punk defeating Edge, Big Show, Matt Hardy, Kane, and his WrestleMania XXV opponent, Chris Jericho. Steamboat's in-ring performance was so exceptional that the crowd began chanting "You've still got it!". Following the match, Cena, Hardy, Mysterio, and Punk left the ring and allowed Steamboat to take one final bow to the crowd.

Steamboat on WWE RAW on June 28, 2010 before being attacked by Nexus.

On the April 20 episode of Raw, Steamboat made a surprise appearance to thank Jericho. Jericho said Steamboat came only because he could not leave the spotlight, then challenged Steamboat to a match at Backlash, which Steamboat accepted. At Backlash, Steamboat lost after submitting to the Walls of Jericho.

On August 15, 2009, Steamboat wrestled for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico where he teamed with his son Ricky Steamboat, Jr. to defeat Hiram Tua and Orlando Colón (nephew of Carlos Colón and cousin of Carlito and Eddie Colón).

On June 28, 2010, he returned to WWE Raw to promote his new DVD only to be attacked and injured by the Nexus. On WWE's website the following day, it was announced that in storyline, Steamboat suffered injuries from the attack. However, on July 1 WWE's website announced that the prior night, Steamboat felt legitimate pain in his neck and shoulders and as a result, was now legitimately hospitalized. This caused WWE to take down any storyline information related to that attack.^[70]

On October 19, it was announced that Ricky Steamboat was going to be featured in the WWE 12 video game.^[71]

Personal life[link]

Steamboat is of mixed ancestry, having been born to an English father and a Japanese mother.^[72]

Steamboat has a son Richard Jr. (born July 7, 1987) by his first wife Bonnie, who is also a professional wrestler.

Steamboat also has a brother, Vic Steamboat, who is a retired professional wrestler.

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Diving crossbody^[1][73]
  • Superplex^[2]

• Signature moves
  • Arm drag^[1]
  • Dropkick^[74]
  • Electric chair drop^[74]
  • Front powerslam^[74]
  • Kneeling facebuster^[74]
  • Multiple chop variations
    • Cross^[74]
    • Diving overhead^[1][74]
    • Kesagiri^[74]
    • Knife-edged^[1]
    • Mongolian^[74]
  • Scoop slam^[1]
  • Seated armbar^[74]
  • Skin the cat^[74]
  • Small package^[74]
  • Spinning heel kick^[1]
  • Spinning spinebuster^[74]

• Entrance themes
  • "Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project (WWF) 1985-1988
  • "Dragon Fire" by Jim Johnston (WWF) - 1991
  • "Dragon" by Jim Johnston (WWE) 2007–Present
  • "The Dragon" by K.Mcnulty, J. Papa, and M. Seitz (WCW)
  • "Dragon Attack" by Queen
  • "One" by Creed (Used during live WWE Raw tours in Sydney, Australia in 2006 and Puerto Rico in 2007)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Steamboat at the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony

• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)^1[6]

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[13]
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Paul Jones (3) and Jay Youngblood (1)^[12]
  • WCW World Television Championship (4 times)^[7]
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[6]
  • WCW United States Championship (4 times)^[6]
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^2[5]
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with Jay Youngblood (5), Paul Jones (1), Dustin Rhodes (1), and Shane Douglas (1)^[9]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Match of the Year (1987) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage at WrestleMania III
  • PWI Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair at WrestleWar
  • PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2009)
  • PWI Rookie of the Year (1977)
  • PWI Stanley Weston Award (1995)
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year (1978) with Paul Jones
  • PWI ranked him #7 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1991.
  • PWI ranked him #13 of the Top 500 Singles Wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[75]
  • PWI ranked him #19 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Jay Youngblood in 2003.^[76]

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2002^[3]

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)^[14]
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Five Star Match (1989) vs. Ric Flair: Chi-Town Rumble
  • Five Star Match (1989) vs. Ric Flair: 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match, Clash Of The Champions VI
  • Five Star Match (1989) vs. Ric Flair: WrestleWar
  • Tag Team of the Year (1983) with Jay Youngblood
  • Match of the Year (1987) vs. Randy Savage at WrestleMania III
  • Match of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions VI
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

¹During this time, the title was almost exclusively defended in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. However, on occasion, the title was defended in other promotions through arrangements made with Mid-Atlantic.
²Steamboat wins the title after Ted Turner purchases Mid-Atlantic Championship wrestling from Jim Crockett and renames it World Championship Wrestling.

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ricky Steamboat

• Official website of Steamboat family
• WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Ricky Steamboat
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile of Ricky Steamboat
• Ricky Blood at the Internet Movie Database