“I’d Love To Fight Cotto” - Ricky Hatton

As lnternational Boxing Federation light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs) prepares for his upcoming showdown with Floyd Mayweather on December 8th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hatton took time out for a chat session at ESPN. During the session, Hatton, 29, when asked whether he’d like to fight Miguel Cotto, said ” I’d love to fight Miguel Cotto.” There it was point blank, something that the writers like me had been waiting for, a bombshell blast.

For most of us, we’d either not considered that Hatton could beat Mayweather, or we naturally assumed that he fight Oscar De La Hoya next, whom has been saying in the media that he’s interested in fighting Hatton. Naturally, a fight with De La Hoya would easily make mean more money for Hatton than one against Cotto, a new star in the boxing world for most fans. Cotto’s promoter, Bob Arum, has also mentioned Hatton as a future opponent, possibly in 2008, but the fight would hinge on a number of important factors, namely that Hatton would have to first beat Mayweather for it to happen.

That’s a tall order for Hatton, whom many fans and sports writers don’t give much of a chance at beating the 30 year-old Mayweather. The fight is taking place in Vegas, not England where Hatton is accustomed to getting his way, and it will be very difficult to match up with the taller, faster, better skilled Mayweather. Of course, anything can happen in the ring and Hatton may surprise a few people by pulling off the upset. However, if he looks anything like he did against Luis Collazo, a decent welterweight who came within an eyelash of beating Hatton in May 2006.

After that bout, it seemed to have lowered Hatton’s value in a lot of people’s eyes, for they’d seen that Hatton didn’t have the size to dominate in the welterweight division as he’d done as a light welterweight.