By Shaun Campbell: Recently there have been more and more suggestions that Ricky Hatton will be retiring, then people claiming he will fight Marquez, and even in recent weeks Erik Morales. Now the only man that will make the decision about whether Ricky Hatton will fight again is Ricky Hatton. Not his dad, not his brother, and most definitely not Golden Boy Promotions. Universal credit must be given to Oscar De La Hoya who has become an excellent promoter.

Having said that, it worries me slightly that Oscar is trying to tempt a fighter into another battle which he does not need. De La Hoya left the sport one fight to late, and now it seems he wants to draw Hatton into another battle. For me that looks to be either that Oscar has a lot of confidence in Ricky, or he sees it as another pay day.

I hope that Golden Boy can not tempt Britain’s beloved Hitman into another fight, as he simply does not need it. His legacy is secure. However, should he fight on against someone like Marquez (who is due to fight Juan Diaz) and lose, it will damage his reputation. Hatton vs Marquez was a fight that should have happened about 2 years ago. But not now. It seems Hatton is set to decline the offer to fight Morales, but to me it seems slightly hypocritical that De La Hoya is trying to make a fighter fight on past his best, when he himself knew better.

Ricky Hatton should take some time and decide what he wants to do. The pressure from critics and promotional companies is not needed. Let the man either fight on, or retire in his own time.