by James Slater: According to Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, Floyd Mayweather Junior is in serious talks about the possibility of giving the man he stopped in ten rounds last December, in Ricky Hatton, a return fight next spring. In the Manchester fighter’s home country at that. London’s Wembley stadium is the likely venue, and “Pretty Boy” is keen to box Hatton there next year..
“It’s very likely Floyd will come over [to London] next spring,” Schaefer stated. “Floyd and his manager, Al Hayman, are very serious about it. He wants to show that he will repeat what happened the first time. That’s his motivation. Floyd realises Hatton is the most beloved fighter in the world, and for him to come over to Wembley is history making.” Schaefer also said.
It’s not clear how the majority of fight fans will feel about this potential rematch, what with Mayweather simply going over old ground. Has Hatton any better chance in any rematch? The Joe Cortez thing aside, where Hatton claims the overly fussy referee’s breaking of the two men in December’s fight hurt his tactics, what point is there for a second bout? “The Hitman” cannot box as effectively up at welterweight as he can down at 140, was comprehensively beaten by Mayweather last time and Billy Graham, Ricky’s trainer, remarked after the fight that he had said all along his boxer should not have gone up to 147. Now we are close to the same thing happening all over again.
It’s unlikely many fans will be excitedly anticipating this talked of return bout between Hatton and Mayweather. Floyd, with all the other possible names he could face at welterweight – the outstanding Miguel Cotto being the most prominent and formidable – isn’t doing his legacy any favours by getting it back on with a fighter he has already dominated. Can Hatton do any better in a rematch? It’s doubtful. Ricky’s huge army of loving fans will turn out to see a return with boxing’s pound-for-pound king once again though. Heck, if they trekked across to Las Vegas in their thousands to see fight one it’s a no-brainer they are going to buy a ticket to gain entry into Wembley Arena for fight two.
“The first [Mayweather-Hatton] fight was great,” Schaefer said. “And while Floyd would have to get past Oscar [De La Hoya] first (in yet an other Mayweather rematch that is hardly a necessity) he knows that Ricky has talked about the referee,” the Golden Boy executive closed with.
It seems, then, that that is the angle a second fight will be hyped on; that Hatton’s chances of winning were compromised by Joe Cortez’s handling of the action back in December. Anybody who buys this talk, and thinks a different ref will give Hatton a serious chance at victory in a rematch, will be also be buying a ticket next spring.