IT could be a coincidence, but former British boxing champion Ricky Hatton and undefeated American fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr., two boxers inexorably linked with Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquaio, made the headlines just days apart, not for their boxing exploits but for shameful conduct outside the ring.
Hatton, who Pacquiao flattened inside two rounds in May, 2009, was caught in video sniffing cocaine inside a hotel in Manchester, England.
The video, photos and the accompanying story came out in full spread at the British tabloid News of the World and were quickly picked up by several boxing sites worldwide.
The story quoted a friend of Hatton, Emma Bowe, who was with the British boxer to watch a Mixed Martial Arts event.
Bowe told the newspaper that she saw Hatton line up ?industrial qualities? of cocaine at a table and sniff them one by one. She added Hatton came from a drinking binge at the hotel?s bar a few minutes before he decided to go back into his room to relax.
?He laid out three huge lines,? said Bowe. ?Really industrial quantities. I watched him all the time. He went to the dressing table and cut them up with a credit card, really fat lines of coke.?
Bowe, according to the tabloid, related that ?in addition to snorting, Hatton also indulged in several shots of Sambuca, 11 pints of Guinness, four shots of vodka and two glasses of wine.?
The 29-year-old Bowe, who is the current Irish national senior women?s boxing champion, said she decided to tell her story to help Hatton get back on his feet.
?I?m doing this for Ricky?s own good. I hope he gets help and advice before cocaine destroys him.?
Hatton?s family also vowed to be help him cope with his drug shame. A source close to the family spoke to the tabloid and said: ?This has come as a shock to the family. It is a loving family. We will stand by Ricky.?
Hatton was a two-time world champion and had a huge following in his hometown in Manchester and the whole of England. He made his way into the American public?s consciousness when he held seven of his last eight fights in the United States, including some memorable fights in Las Vegas.
But Hatton hasn?t fought since losing to Pacquiao, fueling rumors that he was ready to hang up his gloves.
?If he carries on he?ll kill himself,? Bowe said. ?I?m really, really worried for him.?
Meanwhile, Mayweather Jr., who a week ago aired racist and homophobic remarks against Pacquiao via an Upstream video which found its way into Youtube, was arrested by Las Vegas police for charges stemming from domestic violence involving his former wife, Josie Harris.
Mayweather stayed for an hour inside a jail before he was released after posting a bail of $3,000.
Reports say that the 33-year-old native of Michigan even smiled for his police mug shot.
