by James Slater: According to a recent article on Setanta sport’s web site, Ricky Hatton is in talks with Gaelic Games officials about the possibility of a return fight with Floyd Mayweather taking place in Dublin, Ireland at Croke Park Arena – capacity 82,000. Apparently, Croke Park is a serious rival to Wembley when it comes to a possible venue for the proposed rematch..
Speaking with Setanta, “The Hitman” said he would like to have the fight in Ireland.
“I keep breaking records,” Hatton said. “I am not overlooking Juan Lazcano, but if 55,000 see me fight him, imagine what will happen against a bigger name. I would love to set the all-time record for an outdoor crowd. We have looked at Croke Park. That is an arena that could do it. It is something we have our eye on. The Gaelic football pitch there is a lot bigger than a football pitch. You can’t think it could get any better but it does. It never ceases to amaze me as I have never seen myself as a superstar, but my fights have become more than a boxing match.”
Hatton certainly is the most popular boxer in the U.K by far, as the sell out crowd of 55,000 that have paid to see him box what is really not much more than a tune-up against Juan Lazcano tomorrow night proves. And yes, a Hatton-Mayweather II would almost definitely do absolutely huge numbers should it take place in Britain next year. In the past, Mayweather has stated how much he’d like to fight Hatton in his home country, and “Pretty Boy” even declared how impressed he was by Ricky’s incredible fan base.
Still, this is looking a long way ahead at the moment. There will be no Mayweather rematch for Hatton if he fails against either Lazcano or Paulie Malignaggi – who is almost certainly going to be “The Hitman’s” next opponent should they both do as expected and win tomorrow. “The Magic Man” could very well spoil any dreams Hatton has of getting a chance at revenge over the only man to have beaten him. But the sheer occasion of a Hatton-Mayweather II taking place in the U.K would be one of the greatest boxing events ever to take place in Britain.
As a result, one cannot blame Hatton for looking ahead to such a fight.