Former junior welterweight champion and popular British boxer Ricky “Hitman” Hatton is likely to retire from the sport for good.
Hatton has been under fire from fans as having morphed into a bloated “Ricky Fatton” after ballooning in weight.
( aka, Ricky “Eat-Man” Hatton? )
The former two-time world champion attended the Floyd Mayweather vs Shane Mosley fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas earlier this month, along with fellow countryman Joe Calzaghe, wearing casual shorts and slippers.
The weight gain prompted an industry insider from his own promotional company (Golden Boy Promotions) to joke that they have since changed the lyrics to the Hatton song to: “There’s only one-and-a-half Ricky Hatton . . .”
“The Hitman” last fought on May 1, 2009 against boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and suffered a devastating 2nd round knockout loss.
Hatton admits he currently has no desire to fight again – and concedes he may never regain the urge to return to the ring, according to the UK’s Sportling Life.
Said Hatton:
At the minute I’m just enjoying what I’m doing, really.
Boxing is the hardest game in the world and if you don’t have that desire then the last place you want to be is in the boxing ring.
It was hard for me to get beaten by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and I’d hate to get beaten by someone I would have whupped a few years ago because my heart wasn’t in it.
At the minute, I don’t have the desire to do it. But I’m enjoying what I’m doing at the moment, I get my buzz making champions.
Once you’ve been a champion, the next best thing is trying to make champions of someone else.
Until the hunger comes back, I’m going to stay where I am.
I’m just going to wait and see, have a bit of time off, and if the fire comes back you might see me back.
If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. That’s all I can say on the matter. Should Ricky Hatton retire? Yes No, fight Juan Manuel Marquez No, fight British champ Amir Khan No, fight Timothy Bradley No, fight someone else
