Fighter beaten up was hot (8)
I believe the answer is:
southpaw
'fighter' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?
'beaten up was hot' is the wordplay.
'beaten' indicates anagramming the letters (letters beaten up or destroyed).
'up'+'was'+'hot'='upwashot'
'upwashot' is an anagram of 'SOUTHPAW'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for southpaw that I've seen before include "Right leader" , "one leading from the right" , "A left-handed boxer who leads with the right" , "Boxer who leads with right fist" , "Unorthodox leader" .)