by James Slater – As was always a possibility, it has been confirmed that the recent talk of an imminent return to the ring by Ricky Hatton was hugely premature at best. Recent newspaper and internet articles lead us to believe that Hatton had made up his mind about fighting on and that a comeback bout was being planned for his hometown of Manchester later this year, possibly against former IBF 130-pound champion Steve Forbes..
“The Hitman’s” lawyer, Gareth Williams saw these news articles and he has today made it clear that his fighter has NOT yet made up his mind about boxing again or not.
People close to Hatton, after having seen Ricky working out in the gym, were convinced this made it definite that a comeback fight was on the cards. However, Williams said Hatton was in the gym simply to prevent his weight from ballooning – as it has done, notoriously so, in the past.
“Ricky has been in the gym a few times and he is keeping in shape” Williams said whilst speaking exclusively with The Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies. “He was often criticised for ballooning in weight between fights but he has been going to the gym purely from a fitness perspective. The fact he has been reported as getting ready for his next fight is nothing more than speculation.”
Of course, Hatton may still decide to fight again, but right now, according to his lawyer, he is concentrating only on running his promotional company.
“At this time all his energies are focused on Hatton Promotions,” Williams said. “People have seen him going to the gym and have put two and two together and come up with this notion that he is in training for a comeback. This is spurious because he has talked to no-one and is in no discussions whatsoever at this time about another fight.
“I travelled with Ricky last weekend and we were laughing at reports that he was making a comeback. They are all nonsense. As and when Ricky decides about his future, he will make a full public announcement.”
So, although it has been almost two months since Hatton was sensationally KO’d in just 2-rounds by Manny Pacquiao, the 30-year-old has yet to make a decision about whether or not he will hang up the gloves. A tough decision to make to be sure, the longer Hatton leaves it, the tougher it may be for him to decide.