In a move that I would have expected, there is talk of former light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KOs) going up against undefeated World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Gavin Rees (27-0, 13 KOs), arguably the worst of the four champions in the division. If they wanted to rebuild Hatton’s shot confidence, a bout against the 27 year-old Rees would be just what the doctor ordered, as he has few skills and is more like a club fighter than a real champion, from what I’ve seen of him.
Ricky Hatton
Hatton To Fight on May 24th?
In the latest boxing news, former junior welterweight Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KOs) will reportedly be making his ring return on May 24th, according to the British Daily Express online news site. Apparently, Hatton, 29, is choosing between three opponents – Demetrius Hopkins, Ricardo Torres and Kendal Holt – with the bout to take place in Manchester, where Hatton could potentially be fighting in front of 100,000 fans inside of a stadium. Naturally, Hatton’s most dangerous opponent, Junior Witter, the World Boxing Council junior welterweight champion, isn’t among the opponents on Hatton’s short list of potential bouts. That’s not particularly surprising, as many people feel that Witter is a better fighter, that Hatton has been ducking already for years.
Ricky Hatton: Where Does He Go From Here?
Despite losing by a humiliating 10th round TKO to undefeated World Boxing Council welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KOs) still has had tremendous amount of options for potential future opponents, many of which are actively seeking bouts with Hatton in hopes of getting a career-high payday against the British light welterweight. However, so far, Hatton, 29, has given little indication as to who he intends on getting back into the ring against.
Could Hatton Beat Pacquiao?
Normally I would frame the question the other way around, asking whether the super lightweight Ricky Hatton, the naturally bigger fighter, could beat Manny Pacquiao, a super featherweight, but in watching how poorly Hatton did against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their December 8th bout, I have my doubts about how well Hatton would do against a fighter as fast as Pacquiao.
Roach: “If we win that (fight against Diaz), we want Ricky Hatton”
According to the latest boxing news, the trainer for Super featherweight Manny Pacquiao (45-3-2, 35 KOs), Freddie Roach recently said to boxingtalk website “If we win that fight against Diaz, we want Ricky Hatton. Ricky had a great performance against Mayweather. There are certain guys at 140 lb that I will let Manny fight, and Ricky Hatton is one of them.” Perhaps Pacquiao and Roach noticed how limited Hatton looked against Mayweather, and figured that if Floyd could make Hatton look so marginal, than a fighter as lightning fast and as powerful as Pacquiao could box circles around the slow-footed Hatton.
Witter: “Hatton Has Avoided Fighting Me For Years And He’s Still Avoiding Me”
In the latest boxing news, World Boxing Council junior welterweight champion Junior Witter (36-1-2, 21 KOs) came out with another bomb shell interview, this time to The Sunday Times, in which Witter accused former junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton of avoiding him for years, and is still avoiding him. “Hatton hates me and he can’t stand the fact that I’ll beat him, if we ever get it on in the ring. That’s why he and his handlers have never allowed the fight to take place, said Witter.”
Rees Wants Shot At Hatton: “I Believe I’d Beat Him”
In the latest boxing news, World Boxing Association junior welterweight champion Gavin Rees (27-0, 13 KOs) wants to take on fellow Brit Ricky Hatton, who recently was destroyed by Floyd Mayweather Jr in a humiliating 10th round TKO at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rees, 27, is an almost mirror image of Hatton, fighting in the same high pressure manner, along with the same tendency for fouling his opponents. Rees, who is trained by Joe Calzaghe’ father, Enzo, had this to say to the Sun online internet site:
“I keep crying like a woman” – Ricky Hatton
According to the latest boxing news, formerly unbeaten Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KOs) has been having a difficult time getting over his recent 10th round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather on December 8th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hatton, 29, said in a recent interview “I feel like a women at the minute, I can’t stop crying,’ claimed the 29-year-old. All that’s missing is a pair of tits.” It seems that Hatton has taken the loss a bit hard, even though most indications were that he had only a slim chance at winning the fight.
Hatton himself should have realized when he signed for the fight that he was essentially signing away his unbeaten record, for he had done poorly when he went up against a similar clever boxer, Luis Collazo, in May 2006, a bout in which Hatton appeared to lose. Maybe Hatton figured it was only a fluke that he was out-boxed by Collazo, but he should have had his eyes wide open about his own limitations, for if he struggled with a fighter like Collazo, it would seem to indicate that he’s not in the class of an even better fighter like Mayweather.
Hatton Mayweather Generates 850,000 PPV Buys
By now it must be obvious that the Ricky Hatton – Floyd Mayweather bout was an incredibly popular bout with the boxing public, but even more shocking are the final PPV numbers, which came out to over 850,000 buys in the United States, including $47 million in TV revenue, according to ESPN. Not bad for a fight that was a mismatch the minute the contract was signed for the bout. However, as good as the numbers were, they paled in comparison to the numbers for the Oscar De La Hoya bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which generated 2.4 million PPV buys and $134 million.
That bout had a tremendous advantage over Hatton-Mayweather, simply because of De La Hoya’s huge following among both Latin and Caucasian fans. In contrast, Hatton, a British fighter, is still largely unknown to many American fans, many of whom were hearing him of him for the first time in his bout with Mayweather. Regrettably, due to Hatton’s poor performance against Mayweather, it’s not likely he picked up many fans among the Americans, unless you count fans that felt sympathy for him.
“I Don’t Think he (Hatton) Should Fight Again” – Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to a report from Dan Rafael of ESPN, undefeated World Boxing Council welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs) recommends that Ricky Hatton not fight again, stating “I hope Ricky Hatton is able get to through this one. This is tough on him and his family. I know he’s been through a lot of wars. I don’t think he should fight again. A fight of this magnitude can really tear you down mentally and physically. The wars, like his fight with Kostya Tszyu and me, eventually catch up to you like they did with Fernando Vargas and Erik Morales.”