Warren: “Khan-Hatton Could Be a Classic Further Down the Road”
April 11th, 2009
By Nate Anderson: In an article from Amir Khan’s promoter Frank Warren in The Sun, Warren left open the option for a potential future bout for Khan against light welterweight Ricky Hatton. Yesterday, a close friend of Hatton’s had said that Ricky would never fight Khan because of a short time table he has left in the sport. However, judging from what Warren is saying he’s thinking that it’s still possibility at some point in the future.
I highly doubt that Hatton will actually stick to his three fight timeline that he has for the remaining fights of his career. Win or lose against Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the drive to compete will be too strong for him to get out of the sport with exhausting ever avenue there is before finally retiring.
At 31, possibly, 32, Hatton would be far too young to retire, and with Khan taking over as Britain’s biggest boxing star, Hatton probably won’t be able to resist the huge payday that he’d get to step in the ring and try to knock Khan’s block off. Hatton is the type of fighter that needs boxing, because without it he’ll likely balloon to over 250 pounds, end up with diabetes or coronary artery disease and end up blind, on kidney dialysis and dying an early death from stroke or a heart attack. This is why Hatton needs to stay in boxing for as long as possible to help protect him from himself and his tendencies to over indulge in food and drink.
More importantly, Hatton could be helping out Khan – a personal friend of his – who without Hatton giving him a shot, will be a fighter without a big named opponent in order to bring the huge payday that will set Khan up for life. It’s the least that Hatton can do for an old chum. Without Hatton, Khan will have to risk getting put into a permanent coma by fighting someone like Edwin Valero, Juan Manuel Marquez or Victor Ortiz. At least if Hatton beats him, he’ll be kind to Khan by knocking him out with a devastating body shot rather than going for his fragile chin and putting him down hard.
Khan has taken some heat for moving up to the light welterweight division, but as Warren tells it, he’s doing it because WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez has bouts already scheduled and wouldn’t be available for Khan to fight, so it’s best to keep Khan busy with fights that give him something with substance.
Of course, people will argue that Khan could have stayed at lightweight and fought Valero, Ali Funeka or Michael Katsidis, but those bouts probably would be dangerous for Khan’s health, and thus less meaningful as a fight against the soft-hitting Kotelnik.
However, none of those fights compare to a potential fight with Hatton. Now, that’s the jackpot that Khan needs to go after. I recommend that Khan take it easy for awhile, beat some top light welterweight like Kotelnik, make more of a name for himself and then in a year or two, try to get Hatton in the ring for a huge mega fight.
Tags: 8 Responses to “Warren: “Khan-Hatton Could Be a Classic Further Down the Road””
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This is a joke, hatton would absolutely destroy khan. Its about the facts. which are, khan had/has a lot of potential (quick hands, youth, good technical ability) but he has been left wanting by his lack of chin and his over inflated ego (remember how quiet he/his camp was after prescott?). It seems the one thing boxers cant do is fix a lack of heart or weak chin regardless of how many sparring sessions and training they do with roach, pacman et’all. Hatton has heart in spades and i doubt he will waste his time on this fight unless it is a spectacular purse (which i doubt it will be as i dont think khans stock will ever be that high).
And just another wee point, who exactly is Marquez scheduled to be fighting?
WBO and WBA have no story or Marquez scheduled bouts on there site????
Khans on borrowed time. Soon as someone lands a tiny punch on his zero chin hes sleeping. Sad but true a man with so much talent can be let down by having a chin made out of bone china.
this text is a joke hatton and khan fell out fact over the training of manny! hatton beat him in 6 i dnt mean to be rude but Khan didnt show real class in beating barrera cause of that cut , i amirish welterweight champ under 21′s and am goin goin pro in the summer khan moved up 4 an easy belt because the lightweights that are top would all beat even daiz that marquez beat would hammer khan thats why he has moved up not the weight !
personally, i would love to see hatton fight is next three scheduled fights, then fight khan and then bradley.
by the time he has fought his next three fights, both khan and bradley (him especially being american) will have increased their stock dramatically, so it would be great to see hatton win his next three then clean up the light-welter division.
I really hope Hatton does not stay in boxing more than 3 more fights.
Hes took so much punishment over the years by using his face to block punches, never mind his yo-yo dieting in between fights.
Hatton has a much younger shelf life than your average world class boxer.
He does not need the money, hes a very rich man. He should have these 3 more fights then retire.
BUT
If he beats Pacman and Marquez then loses to Mayweather again… Hatton should have 1 more “goodbye” fight. So he ends his career with a win.
Maybe that goodbye fight could be against Amir Khan. Unless Hatton lets Khan win there is no chance Amir stands a chance. Hatton will chase Khan like Michael Gomez did and Hatton wont stop coming, he has more power and skill and speed than Gomez.
Khan would be in danger
Even when Hatton is past it he would still probly knock him out his aggressivness wil never leave him and at 1 piont of the fight he would catch KHAN and Khan Would GET KNOCKED THE F**K OUT
khan will fight hatton wat when hatton is well past his best like khan fights every 1 khan all ways fight old people over the hill or people with a low ko %