Now that Ricky Hatton has been flattened by Floyd Mayweather Jr., the prospect of a mega bout between the once-great Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton appears to be all but finished. The bout was always considered a long shot from the very beginning due to the odds against Hatton defeating Mayweather, but the one-sided nature of the fight, and the final finish – Hatton being brutally stopped in the 10th round – makes it nearly impossible to interest the boxing public.
It seems as if most boxing fans, even casual ones without much knowledge, would have a prerequisite that the fighter in the ring with De La Hoya should have a mystique of invincibility, even if it’s one build up on less than impressive fighters. Now, however, that’s been removed from the equation with Hatton’s humiliating loss to Mayweather. The fight was never remotely close from the very beginning, which will make it difficult to justify a bout with De La Hoya. It could still happen, but only if it receives a different kind of billing, something on the lines of “former champions go at it,” or something to that effect.
Not something that will impress most boxing fans, but if the fight is marketed properly by focusing on each fighters impressive wins in the past, it’s a possible that the unknowing public might by into the fight. After all, most fans only have a child’s knowledge of boxing, hence their appeal for the Hatton vs. Mayweather right, which was a mismatch from the very beginning.
Only someone with zero boxing knowledge could have thought that Hatton would have any chance in the fight, since his style of fighting is almost primitive compared to Mayweather’s. Other than De La Hoya, Hatton could move back down to light welterweight and take on someone like Junior Witter, Pauli Malignaggi or Ricardo Torres, although none of those fights would have much appeal to fans outside of the UK, nor are they fights that Hatton would have an easy time winning.
In fact, I think Hatton would likely lose to all three of the fighters. He’d have the best chance of beating Torres, a knockout artist with little boxing skills, but both Malignaggi and Witter would box circles around Hatton and beat him by decision.