Hatton Is Open To a Fight With Mayweather

By Jason Kim: Ricky Hatton is reportedly interested in a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. if Floyd is serious about making a comeback in the near future. Hatton, 30, still has unfinished business, not to mention hurt feelings, from his painful 10th round stoppage loss to Mayweather in 2007, and naturally wants to try and seek revenge for the bout in the future. However, if Mayweather Jr. is serious about staging a comeback fight against Hatton, he’s going to have to wait in line for him, as Hatton appears to be all but set for a fight against pound-for-pound boxing star Manny Pacquiao in May 2009.

If Mayweather is still interested in facing Hatton by then, he’s open to try and make the fight happen. It remains to be seen whether Mayweather is actually serious about ending his retirement or if this is just the usual rumors that circulate about Mayweather making a comeback.

Since defeating Oscar De La Hoya on December 6th, Pacquiao’s name has been mentioned a lot in combination with Mayweather, with many boxing fans assuming that the news of Pacquiao destroying De La Hoya would spur Mayweather out of his retirement in order to take advantage of an opponent that he would match up with.

Who could blame Mayweather for wanting to fight Pacquiao? It would be a fight that would earn Mayweather millions of dollars without the serious risks involved with fighting bigger, more powerful welterweights like Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito, both of whom have been said by some people as the real reason that Mayweather retired in the first place.

The speculation is that rather than taking on tall punching machines like Williams and Margarito, each of who typically throw over 100 punches per round and have good power, Mayweather opted to bow out without having to risk his neck, reputation and unbeaten record against the likes of them.

However, in facing the smaller Pacquiao, or the equally small Hatton, who Mayweather proved that he could easily beat already, it would be a much more likable situation for Mayweather should he contemplate making a comeback to boxing.

Aside from Hatton and Pacquiao, Mayweather’s options have suddenly become much more narrower with the defeat of De La Hoya. That was a fight that Mayweather could have had if he hadn’t suddenly retired. Now, even if Mayweather was interested in fighting De La Hoya again, the fan interest wouldn’t be there for the fight due to De La Hoya’s embarrassing 8th round stoppage loss to Pacquiao.

That was big money that Mayweather walked away from, cash that he won’t get facing fighters other than Hatton and Pacquiao. Of course, boxing as it is now, is more circus like at times, and you never know what kind of crazy match-ups that could unfold. However, rather than seeing silly match-ups between fighters three divisions removed from each other like Pacquiao and De La Hoya was recently, it would be much more appealing to see a fight between Hatton, Pacquiao or Mayweather, because at least they’re roughly the same size.

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