The first day of the rest of Ricky Hatton?s career will start this evening when he sits down to discuss his future with his father, Ray, and Gareth Williams, his solicitor. The first thing he will be pleased to discover is that the first defeat of his career ? against Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas last month ? has done little to dent his marketability in the United States.
Williams spent much of the past week in the US talking to HBO, the American cable television network, and was in Atlantic City on Saturday when Paulie Malignaggi, who has been suggested as a future Hatton opponent, was fortunate to retain the IBF light-welterweight title ? that Hatton used to hold ? against Hermann Ngoudjo.
?There were still people singing There?s only one Ricky Hatton,? Williams said. ?People are still very keen on Ricky. I met with HBO and they want to work with Ricky again and there was also interest from Showtime [HBO?s rival network, which screened many of Hatton?s earlier bouts].?
The biggest name on Hatton?s horizon seems to be Manny Pacquiao, the exciting Filipino who is regarded by many as the world?s No 2 pound-for-pound boxer behind Mayweather. ?Pacquiao was one of the names mentioned, but there have been no talks with Bob Arum [Pacquiao?s promoter],? Williams said.
While Pacquiao, a former world champion at flyweight, super-bantam-weight and featherweight, is committed to a return bout with Juan Manuel M?rquez in March, a bout for Hatton against a lesser name in England in late spring is still a strong possibility as is a bout somewhere down the line with Junior Witter, the WBC light-welterweight champion and Hatton?s biggest rival.
Malignaggi was handed a gift by the judges after he seemed to be outworked by Ngoudjo, from Cameroon. The New Yorker, who is a neat boxer but has not stopped an opponent in nearly five years, was badly hurt in the seventh round and never established any superiority. Some ringside observers were demanding an inquiry after Malignaggi was made a unanimous points winner, with one judge, Al Bennett, inexplicably having the American six rounds ahead.
The way he scraped to victory, Malignaggi will be wanting a big payday against Hatton ? Madison Square Garden has been mentioned as a possible venue ? sooner rather than later. ?I want to fight big fights. If Hatton is that big fight, I hope I can get Hatton,? he said. ?There are a lot of good fights at junior-welterweight, but Hatton?s the big name.?
