LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Ricky Hatton vowed to become the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world on Thursday after announcing a May 2 clash with Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
“I’ve challenged the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world once and came second. Now I’ve got another chance and I’m not going to let you down,” the former WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion told the BBC.
The Manchester boxer is the world’s top-ranked light-welterweight following his return to that weight after losing to American Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a WBC welterweight title fight in December 2007. Mayweather, widely regarded as the leading pound-for-pound boxer at the time, retired for the second time in June 2008.
Hatton returned to the ring to stop American Paulo Malignaggi in Las Vegas in November to retain his IBO light-welterweight belt.
Former four-weight world champion Pacquiao outclassed 10 times world champion Oscar de la Hoya in Las Vegas in December to confirm his reputation as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Hatton said it would be an honor to fight Pacquiao and predicted the fight would be a classic.
“It’s going to be a cracking fight, if I wasn’t fighting Pacquiao I’d be a fan of his, and Ricky Hatton fights are never dull,” he said.
The fight had been in doubt due to legal arguments over the share of the purse but Hatton’s father and manager Ray told Sky sports news that the deal was sorted late last week with a 50-50 split agreed.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by John Menaffey)
