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 Ricky
Hatton Wants to Fight Floyd Mayweather
Following Ricky Hatton's KO
of Jose Luis Castillo Saturday night in
Las Vegas, Hatton called out Floyd Mayweather.
After the fight he did
all he could to taunt the alternately boring and
exciting champion, writes
Ryan Phillips of Rumors and Rants. Hatton said,
"There was more action in the four rounds of this
fight than Floyd has shown in his whole career."
Sadly, he's probably right.
"I don't think
Mayweather would take a fight with Hatton because it
is too big a risk for him. He wouldn't be able to
run away the way he did against De La Hoya, and if
forced to trade with him, "Pretty Boy" could be in
trouble. Plus, Hatton's only trip up to the
147-pound welterweight class was a disappointing win
over Luis Collazo in May 2006. He needs to move up
to 147 to get bigger fights, as the division is
over-stocked with the likes of Shane Mosley, Miguel
Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Kermit Cintron, Paul
Williams and the aforementioned Mayweather.
"Hatton should be able
to write his own ticket (other than a Mayweather
fight) because of his worldwide popularity. He's
probably England's biggest star other than David
Beckham, and as his entourage showed - Manchester
United star Wayne Rooney and legendary Mexican champ
Marco Antonio Barrera were present - he can appeal
to anyone, once they are made aware of him."
Leonard Ellerbe, lead
adviser to Floyd Mayweather Jr, made it clear what
team Mayweather thinks about Hatton, dissing Hatton
for being a "Joke" and "Overrated."
Unfortunately, Mayweather's camp has come to
represent what boxing is today and why the sport
continues to decline.
"Ricky Hatton is a joke," said Leonard Ellerbe, who
was quoted by the media.
Ellerbe then added to his statement, saying:
"He's highly overrated as a fighter. I can
understand why he is trying to align himself with
Floyd, with the best there is, but you have to bring
more to the table than a great following."
Ellerbe explained why he wasn't impressed with
Hatton's fan base, stating:
"To bring that many fans over from Europe is great
for boxing. But this guy isn't a household name
outside of England. No one knows him."
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