By James Slater: The Manny Pacquiao/Ricky Hatton/Floyd Mayweather Junior story has taken yet another twist. First Hatton said he wanted very much to face Pacquiao, only to then worry when rumours circulated that Floyd Mayweather Junior would make a return and jump the “Pac-Man” queue. Then, it was reported how promoter Bob Arum had contacted Hatton’s people about a Pacquiao fight for next May, seeming to rule out a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight for the time being..
Today, however, Hatton’s lawyer, Gareth Williams, in an article on BBC Sport, spoke of how Arum has NOT been in touch with regards to a Pacquaio fight at all, but that Floyd Mayweather Junior HAS called, expressing interest in a return fight Hatton. This is interesting news indeed.
“The fight we want to make, our preference, is Manny Pacquiao because that is a great fight,” Williams said. “Ricky has made no secret of the fact he wants to take on the best and Pacquiao is regarded as the best. We’re more than happy to make that fight but it has got to be on acceptable terms.”
Williams went on to say how Arum’s claim that talks between the Pacquaio and Hatton camps are underway, is not actually true.
“He’s [Arum] not talked to us at all,” Williams stated. “We’re happy to fight Pacquiao but it has to be on our terms. We won’t be bullied. We’ve had no contact whatsoever with him. That is the fight we want to make but we’ve got other options, we will do what is best for us. Every light-welterweight in the world wants to fight Hatton. We’ve also had approaches from people at 130-pounds, Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz both want to fight him. He is a massive draw and he can fight where he wants.”
Ray Hatton, Ricky’s father, confirmed Williams’ claim that Mayweather, or at least one of his people, has been in touch about a second fight with “The Hitman.”
“It hasn’t come from us because we just took it as what it was, a third party sounding us out,” Ray Hatton told Sky Sports. “Really at the moment we’re looking at Manny Pacquiao. It’s very nice for Ricky to still be in such a big league.”
Williams finished by speaking about how Hatton gave away his natural weight advantages by taking Mayweather on at welterweight when they met in December of 2007. Next time, if there is a next time, this may not be the case.
“Ricky gave away all the advantages last time to challenge Mayweather,” Williams said. “He makes no secret of the fact he is a 140-pound fighter so for any future negotiations ……… I think we’re in a position now where we don’t have to give away all the bargaining positions.”
The big question is why would Mayweather be interested in a return with Hatton, a man he stopped reasonably comfortably inside ten rounds? Unless “Money” is either, A: attempting to interfere with any future negotiations for a Hatton-Pacquiao clash, or, B: looking at Hatton as a potential “warm-up” opponent for his own challenge of Pacquiao, this news is hard to figure.
Who knows, we may now see Pacquiao-Hatton, Pacquiao-Mayweather and/or even Mayweather-Hatton II in 2009!