By Sean McDaniel: Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. has some words of advice to Ricky Hatton, telling him “This is a young man’s game,” according to news from the Daily Express. “He [Hatton] will have to train a lot harder to get back into the shape he was and he has got to ask himself a lot of questions.” Hatton, 31, hasn’t fought since May when he was cruelly taken out in the 2nd round by Manny Pacquiao and knocked cold in the process.

Since then, Hatton has gained a massive amount of weight and looks bloated. He’s hinted from time to time about making a comeback in the Summer against possibly Juan Manuel Marquez, but as of yet still hasn’t started trimming off the weight that he’s put on his small 5’6” frame.

Mayweather, who stopped Hatton in the 10th round in December 2007, says “Ricky is a great fighter and a great warrior. He has done so much for boxing and he took his defeat by me like a man. He is talking about coming back and, of course, he has every right to do that. What I would say, though, is that it gets harder when you get into your 30s to get into shape.”

Indeed, it probably gets even harder when you put on the kind of weight that Hatton has put in since last fighting. Hatton looks to be at least forty pounds overweight. The weight is one thing, but he’s going to have to change his lifestyle otherwise there’s no point in him taking the weight off at all. It could be a minor miracle for Hatton to beat a fighter like Marquez after putting on as much weight as Hatton has. And the knockout that he suffered in his last fight was severe enough where he was out cold for several minutes. With a bad knockout like that, it makes it more likely that Hatton will be stopped again, especially if he takes on a talented fighter like Marquez.

Pacquiao had all he could handle in two fights against Marquez, and if Hatton makes the mistake of going into a fight against him after a bad knockout loss, he could end up getting knocked cold once again.

“He [Hatton] has to think long and hard before he steps back to boxing,” Mayweather says. “Every fighter has a right to earn a living and he is entitled to do whatever he wants. I can’t tell him what to do. What I would say, though, is that boxing is tough and rough and you have to be in it 100 per cent, otherwise you have to get out. All fighters need a break to get their batteries going again and he is no different. Maybe the rest will do him the world of good.”

Mayweather is being kind to Hatton. A lot of fighters and sports writers believe that Hatton should hang up his gloves and get out before he gets seriously hurt in the ring. Unlike other fighters, Hatton hasn’t taken care of himself in between fights, living it up and eating and drinking whatever he pleases. That’s not the life of a professional athlete. That’s more like a fan.