So what next for shattered Ricky Hatton? Britain?s best-loved boxer was so cruelly exposed by the ferocious Manny Pacquiao in the explosive second round KO of their much-anticipated IBO light-welterweight title fight that pundits and fans alike have begged him to hang up his gloves.
To a large degree, Hatton has kept his counsel since the embarrassing defeat at the lightning quick hands of the Filipino phenomenon touted as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet.
But as he basked in the Sin City sunshine at a lavish pool party a day after the disastrous bout, more and more details of a rift between Hatton and his trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr emerged.
Some cynics have asked how much of a surprise it was for his ring master to look down at a spark-out Hitman prone on the canvas under the searing lights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena?
That may be a tad harsh. But certainly there has been a split. A divide, some say, driven by the input of Hatton?s young trainer Lee Beard and Mayweather?s nose being put out of joint by his level of influence over Manchester?s favourite son.
Mayweather hinted that there were problems a few days before the fight. Since then he has called for Hatton to quit and if he did climb back in the ring ? perhaps to square up to Amir Khan ? you can pretty much guarantee Mayweather won?t be in his corner.
Hatton Promotions chief executive Gareth Williams concedes that if the Hitman does decide to continue boxing (a clearer indication will come early next week), lessons will be learned.
‘He?s just desperately upset,’ said Williams. ‘Like a lot of people he?s shocked at how the fight turned out. I think he feels if he had his time again he?d do things differently.
Rick?s got a lot of things going on in his life. Part of his life is Ricky Hatton the boxer, which is a massive part, but there?s also the promotional company, we?ve got the gym opening, we?ve got the clothing range and we?ve got the internet TV company.’
Williams backs up the notion that the feuding pair haven?t yet managed to sit down and dissect the devastating manner of the defeat.
‘No, they haven?t (spoken) and that?s very disappointing. It does make you question the motives of people and why they were working [with Ricky]. When I?d left Las Vegas there?d been no contact at all, which is disappointing.
‘Things are leaking out. It?s fair to say there were things in the training camp which weren?t right. Knowing Ricky as I know him, and his dad, that?s the last thing they would want. The last thing they would try to do is point fingers at other people.
‘Rick made a mistake and got caught. I think to a large extent he was let down by people around him,’ he added. ‘But we?re not going to start making excuses or trying to divert blame because that?s not the way we are.’
Was the rift simply down to a clash of egos between Beard and Mayweather? A source revealed: ‘Floyd showed up in round seven on the final day of sparring. On fight night he showed up as Ricky was getting his bandages on! That speaks volumes. Lee doesn?t have an ego. Mayweather?s is the size of Vegas.’
Wherever the truth lies in the bust-ups in the build-up, the question that remains for fight fans the world over is: Will Hatton retire to a life of pie and chips, Guinness and his beloved Manchester City ? or will he forgo a bloated post-match existence and get straight back in the gym for another tilt at a title?
