By Scott Gilfoid: Former International Boxing Federation light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO’s) has reportedly renewed his boxing license for some reason. Hatton, 31, hasn’t seen action since being flattened a year ago in the 2nd round by Manny Pacquiao in May 2009. Hatton has a million opportunities for big money fights since that day. In an article at the Dailystar.co.uk, Hatton said “I haven’t announced my retirement. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was retired for nearly two years not long ago and he made a successful comeback. It is only 14 months for me. I have renewed my boxing license again with the British Boxing Board of Control in case I decide to box on. I have an open mind really, but promoting is keeping me busy.”

It’s not a good sign that Hatton will be coming back any time soon, if at all, when he’s not able to make up his mind. It takes a lot of desire and determination to train and compete in the sport of boxing, and Hatton sounds iffy about coming back. Unless he changes his mind and gets that “hunger” for the sport back, he’ll likely stay out of the ring. Hatton says it’s only been 14 months, and that’s true. However, before he realizes it, another 14 months will pass by and it will be likely far too late for Hatton to comeback and succeed. Hatton mentioned Mayweather as an example of fighter that took two years off and came back successfully. However, Hatton isn’t Mayweather. Floyd was able to do it because of his extraordinary hand speed and boxing skills.

Hatton doesn’t have those things to fall back on. He’s the kind of fighter that has succeeded in the past by mugging fighters on the inside. For Hatton to do that, he needs to be in tremendous physical shape, otherwise he’s going to get pounded again like he was by both Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather also didn’t let himself go the same way that Hatton did with excessive drinking and eating. Hatton has ballooned up in weight since his loss to Pacquiao, and it’s going to be really hard on his body when/if he ever decides to try and burn that sludge off. Mayweather had more discipline and didn’t eat and drink himself out of shape during his two years off from boxing. Because of that, it was easy for Mayweather to train and get in shape to succeed in his comeback.

Hatton says “I’d like to bow out like [Kostya] Tszyu did in an absolute war of a fight, a wonderful fight with great sportsmanship.”

Hatton’s fight with an old 36-year-old, weight drained and rusty Tszyu in 2005 was far from a sportsmanship-like event, from what I saw of the fight. The referee for the event, which took place in Hatton’s home city of Manchester, England, pretty much let Hatton get away with a lot of wrestling and holding on the inside. Besides the wrestling and holding from Hatton, he did a lot of fouling as well. It was not an ideal way for Tszyu to end his career. Hatton might see it as a fond memory, since he won the fight, but I kind of doubt that Tszyu thought of it as a “wonderful fight.” When Hatton wasn’t all over Tszyu, smothering him with wrestling, Tszyu was clobbering Hatton when his hands were free. Any time there was space between the two fighters, Tszyu was getting the better of Hatton. It was only when Hatton was wrestling and smothering on the inside that he was doing well.

In looking back at that fight, I thought Hatton should have been penalized countless times and disqualified for the holding, wrestling and fouls. Had the fight taken place in the United States where holding and wrestling aren’t usually permitted, I think Tszyu would have won that fight. As it is, the fight was very close at the time of the stoppage. This was Hatton in his prime and Tszyu at the end of his career.