The fight would, in no uncertain terms, be absolutely huge; and it could very well happen next year. What fight? A Ricky Hatton-Oscar De La Hoya showdown, that’s what fight, to be staged at the legendary venue that is Wembley Stadium in the heart of London. Two of the most phenomenally popular prize fighters of the last twenty years or so, battling it out in front of thousands upon thousands of screaming fans! What’s not to like? Certainly nothing in the opinion of Golden Boy Promotions’ Richard Schaefer..
Speaking with The Times newspaper recently, the promoter spoke about the chances of the fight he calls his “dream” actually taking place – providing, of course, Hatton and De La Hoya win their upcoming fights.
“I think he [Hatton] is going to see how he feels after this fight [Vs. Paulie Malignaggi],” Schaefer told The Times. “Depending on the result, depending on how he feels, he is going to have, maybe, a couple more fights next year. If everything goes well and Ricky wins against Malignaggi and Oscar wins against Pacquiao, I think a De La Hoya-Hatton fight is a natural. Both of them are, weight-wise, five to six pounds apart. That fight at Wembley Stadium is a dream of mine and a dream of many boxing fans. Sometimes dreams come true.”
One thing is sure, the fight would be a natural in terms of being a colossal money-maker. Regardless of who you think would win, the bout would have absolutely no trouble in becoming a quick sell-out. With Hatton’s proven power at the box office being incredible, and De La Hoya’s continued popularity, the promoters could pretty much charge what they wanted for a ticket.
And it seems the fight has a very good chance of taking place. According to Schaefer, the biggest obstacle to the fight happening is either Oscar or Ricky losing on November 22nd and December 6th, respectively. But both men are picked by most (even more so in De La Hoya’s case) to win their upcoming big fights. Sure, neither Malignaggi nor Pacquiao should ever, under any circumstances, be overlooked, but there will be a lot of shocked fans out there if both “The Hitman” and “The Golden Boy” lose at the end of the year.
We think Hatton Vs. Malignaggi and De La Hoya Vs. Pacquiao are big fights (which they are) – chances are a De La Hoya-Hatton bout would be even bigger!
