Hatton vs. Khan? “It Would Be a Great Fight, But We Are Going to Leave it With the Promoters” – Amir

By Chris Maylett: At least two things stand in the way of a potential meeting between Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan. Firstly Khan must over come WBA Champion Andreas Kotelnik on 18th July and Ricky Hatton must over come his demons and decide if he wants to finish his great career with a loss?

After being knocked out in his last fight against Manny Pacquiao. Either way the fight isn’t a forgone conclusion, but it is a possibility. There is talk that Hatton may return at welterweight instead of light welterweight, at least for his next fight, and rumors are that a possible comeback opponent would be the American Steve Forbes.

The fight would almost certainly be in Britain at the Manchester MEN. Hatton’s promotional company have signed a contract with Sky Sports to broadcast his shows from September, and its more than likely that the fight would be on his own promotion. Assistant trainer Lee Beard is expected to replace Floyd Mayweather Sr. as head trainer, should Ricky decide to carry on.

Khan put on a public training session this week at Manchester’s Triangle Shopping Centre. He looked in great shape and focused, has he rattled off the combinations on the pads with trainer Freddie Roach. When asked if a fight with Hatton is in his thoughts, Khan smiled as he told us what a fight with Hatton would mean to him and the British Public.

“It’d be a brilliant fight for the British fans to see,” said Khan. “Our styles would make a brilliant fight I’m a mover, I’m a boxer whereas Ricky is a pressure fighter. No matter what, if we do the fight it’s going to be a tear-up, it’s going to be brilliant. but we are going to leave it with the promoters” he said. “Fights like that that you leave to them because it is such a massive fight.”

“Neither of us are pushing it but I know the British public would want to see that fight. It would be two different styles and that’s what makes a fight.”

“There would be a big demand. I am sure we could get massive coverage and a massive following because we have totally different fan bases, it would be huge.”

It would be without doubt a Huge event, and Wembley Stadium as been mentioned as a possible venue. Hatton if he decides to carry on, would almost certainly have a warm up fight, and you wonder if Ricky would risk it, but he likes a challenge and maybe a fight with Khan and the interest it’d generate would be enough to get the seasoned Hatton up for the fight.

When Khan was asked if a fight against Hatton would pose a risk for him, he responded positively. “It would be no risk at all because I am one of those fighters who is getting better and better all the time.”

“Defensively we’ve changed a lot of things in terms of guarding and not jumping in to shots. I used to jump in to shots and run into shots which would make them twice as hard. but Freddie has made me calm down a bit. Freddie is a great coach,” he said “one of the best coaches I’ve worked with.”

“Manny came to Freddie’s gym and now he’s the best pound for pound fighter in the world. I am sure he can do that for me. “Manny made a few mistakes in his early career. I’m sure with Freddie. in a few years, I will be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. “Winning and losing is something you have to accept in boxing. losing to Prescott didn’t get to me. “I am a fighter who can come back from a defeat better than I was before that and that’s happened. “Manny got defeated a long, long time ago and that gives me confidence. if he can do it, I can do it as well.” (Freddie Roach with Manny Pacquiao right)

Khan looks raring to go and doesn’t look like the three week delay of the fight as effected his preparations to much, although it can be more of a mental thing, fighters try to peak at the correct time, preferably on the night of the fight, but anyone involved with boxing will tell you that fight postponements are as much a part of the sport as the gloves and ring. Fighters don’t like to admit it, but postponements often have an effect on them, sometimes a profound one, on their performance in the ring and ultimately the result.

“It does puts you off when its delayed,” said khan. “But you have to live with it, change a few plans, but I’m going to make him pay for it in the ring. I will let my fists do the talking.

“This is a massive fight for me. after losing my first fight, I fought Barrera and that built up my confidence, it gave me an opportunity for a world title fight so I’m going to grab it with both hands, I wont make any mistakes, and do what I have to do. “We’ve done everything right, we are going to win. we’ve trained so hard that nothing can go wrong.”

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