Matthew Hurley: Weekend reports found Ricky Hatton possibly making his ring return against WBA light welterweight champion Gavin Rees in May at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Now, according to Hatton’s father, that fight has gone by the wayside and Ricky will look elsewhere for his comeback opponent..
“The prospect of a fight with Rees was put to us but the terms were not right and it won’t be taking place,” Hatton senior told BBC Sport. “We have a long list of would be opponents and a long list of venues. Ricky has said his next fight will be in Britain as a thank you to his fans who have been traveling across the Atlantic (to watch him fight).”
Rees, hoping to cash in on Hatton’s popularity, was disappointed.
“I’d love to get it on with Ricky,” he told the South Wales Argus. “The WBA title is a very prestigious world title so why wouldn’t Ricky fancy going for it? I want the big fights and it would be a right tear-up, but if anyone thinks Ricky versus me would be a mismatch then they’re having a laugh. I do believe I would beat him.”
Waiting in the wings remains WBC light welterweight champion Junior Witter who has done everything he can to goad Hatton into a showdown but thus far has been all but ignored. Also hoping to secure a fight with the ‘Hitman’ is Brooklyn based IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi who recently defended his title against Herman Ngoudjo, winning a close unanimous decision.
In other news, heavyweight Joe Mesi 36-0 with 29 KOs, now ranked 16th by the WBC continues his comeback from a medical suspension and is looking to secure a fight with some of the bigger name fighters in the heavyweight division. Mesi, who suffered brain-bleeds after his 2004 fight with Vassiliy Jirov and was suspended for over two years, had his suspension lifted but several commissions, including New York, still refuse to license him.
Mesi has wracked up seven wins since then and is hopeful that his progress will eventually lead to a title shot. However his past medical history, which New York sites as the reason for not licensing him, may preclude him from ever participating against the elite of the division. The fighter is trying to get help from New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to get a license in the state but so far he remains out in the cold.
“These fights not only make sense to me, but to my opponents, to have them in Western New York because it’s going to be double or triple paydays,” Mesi told the Buffalo News. “What’s the sense of fighting them in Mississippi when (we) could do so well in Western New York? It’s hurting me trying to get opponents. In the meantime, we still have to plug along.”
Mesi’s promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, has mentioned Donnell Holmes, Brian Minto and Terry Smith as possible future opponents for his fighter.
“We want to really make things happen,” he says. “Joe adds a lot to the pie here. We’re going to be a little choosy and sophisticated in getting where we want to get. Where we want to get is the heavyweight championship of the world. That’s where we want to get with Joe. Joe Mesi is a commodity. There are so many people who want to see him fight.”
With all the red tape to rip away in regards to getting licensed to fight in major venues, time continues to tick for the thirty-four year old fighter.