By Liam Santiago: He has pretty much ruled out fighting Khan. He is very unlikely to ever get the chance to rematch Pacquiao or Mayweather. His punch resistance is on the slide, or has already disappeared. And the pounds are piling on and on for the Hitman. So, what are his choices? Fighting Khan? Fighting Witter? A comeback ‘confidence booster fight’? There are plenty of options out there for the ex light welterweight champion but does he have any confidence left in himself?
The fight that the British public is screaming for is Khan vs. Hatton. Will this ever happen? In my opinion, no it won’t. Why? Money and promoters. Hatton will want to promote the fight and would never agree a deal with Khan’s promoter Frank Warren, who has previously had a major falling out with the Manchester Hitman.
Hatton would want a much bigger share, as would Warren. Unless Khan leaves Warren, unfortunately, this fight is completely off the cards. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about it. If it went ahead I am pretty sure Khan would be victorious. Watching him on Saturday night I was very impressed with his jab and his composure. He didn’t see the red mist and feel the need to trade punches.
However, on the back foot I noticed a few flaws. Nothing major. He just didn’t seem that comfortable dealing with constant pressure. But let’s remember he is only 22 and still learning. Anyway, I’m getting off the track; this article is on Hatton not Khan. I see Khan winning but at some point if it goes the distance Ricky will catch Khan with a decent shot, as Kotelnik did. Will Khan weather these shots? That’s the question that needs answering but unfortunately, I doubt ever will be.
Another major showdown for Hatton is the other British light welterweight, Junior Witter. Again this fight will never happen. It is even less likely than Hatton fighting Klitschko. I hate to be so negative but it’s just the way it is. I know this article will receive many comments stating that I know nothing and that I’m wrong but I’m just being realistic.
I would love to sit here and type an article on the possibility of Hatton/Witter or Hatton/Khan but it won’t happen. If this fight happened Hatton’s long time rival Witter would receive his first big payday of his career and believe me, Hatton would not let that happen.
So Khan’s unlikely for Hatton, Witter is even more unlikely, so who else is there. The winner of Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell (august 1st) is an option. Bradley is an undefeated world champion after 24 bouts with a split decision win over Witter on his record. Campbell is also an extremely talented warrior and I don’t use that word often. Campbell, even at the age of 37, is a dangerous opponent with his granite chin, power, heart and most of all amazing talent. I also see either of these two beating Hatton easily. I just don’t think he can fight at this level anymore.
Please, don’t take it the wrong way; I’m a huge fan of Ricky Hatton and his achievements. What an amazing talent he was in his day. To make Kostya Tszyu retire on his stool takes some doing. Also, he was such an exciting fighter to watch with his incredible body shots and speed. But those days are long gone and unfortunately, they aren’t coming back. I don’t believe Hatton is ‘shot’. Far from it.
He just can’t fight at the top level anymore, or so we think. He should not retire; he has more to give just not at the very top level. If losing to the two best pound for pound fighters in the world means retirement then every boxer in the world, except Pacquiao, should retire. In my opinion, Ricky needs to put his beer down, get in the gym, lose some weight and prepare for battle.
But does Ricky really have the heart to fight on? Any boxer who ‘doesn’t know’ if they want to fight on should not. I would, however, love to see him make a comeback and most certainly think he will.
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