De La Hoya-Hatton Could Be On Next Summer, But Who Will Mayweather Snr Train? – “Whoever Pays The Most.”

by James Slater – Just when Ricky Hatton felt he had a new trainer who would (and perhaps already has) make him a much better fighter as the two men worked together for the remaining super fights he has left, does Floyd Mayweather Senior drop a bombshell. It’s no secret Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya are in talks to meet next summer, perhaps as early as May and in Cardiff according to the latest word on the street, but Mayweather Senior has gone on record as saying he is unsure which of the two men he would train for the Mega fight..

Hatton, after looking the best he has in a long while against Paulie Malignaggi, in his debut under Mayweather, obviously hopes the trainer will want to work with him full time now. But, according to a news article on Mirror Sport, Senior says money will be his prime motivation when deciding which fighter to coach. Mayweather has worked with De La Hoya before, of course, and it may well be that “The Golden Boy” will be in a position to be able to hire his services again next year.

“I will train whoever pays me the most money,” Mayweather said about the proposed Hatton-De La Hoya fight. “I don’t know if it’s the right fight for Ricky and I think Manny Pacquiao would be better. But it would be a winnable fight for Ricky if I trained him. Ricky is a better fighter than Oscar, but there is the issue of who is the bigger man in the ring.”

Hatton a better fighter than De La Hoya? That’s debatable at best, even today, with Oscar approaching the age of 36. Still, is Mayweather Senior correct when he says Ricky could beat De La Hoya if he trained him for the fight? As much as Hatton’s many fans would love to see their hero beat such a legend, this writer thinks that result is unlikely; such is the sheer size advantage held by the older man. But that’s another story, and besides, we must wait and see how Oscar gets on with “Pac-Man” first.

Hatton spoke about Mayweather training him, and naturally believes Senior will continue to do so, for a fight against De La Hoya and whoever else. Ricky reportedly paid Mayweather around $800,000 for the Malignaggi fight, but he reportedly wants more for a De La Hoya bout.

“Floyd chose me for this fight [Vs. Malignaggi],” Hatton said. “If the De La Hoya fight comes off, he will choose me again because we have enjoyed being with each other. He’s going to have to make the decision if we fight each other. I’m sure Oscar is going to want him as well. He told me he thinks I can beat Oscar.”

Only IF Mayweather is training him, does Senior think Hatton can beat De La Hoya. It’s by no means certain that he will be, though.