There’s no questioning the star appeal that former champion Ricky Hatton had during his time atop boxing’s perch.
As affable and engaging a character as you will find in the sport, Hatton was and is beloved in his native United Kingdom and also found a way to connect to American audiences later in his career.
A junior welterweight champion in late 2006, Hatton would end up fighting five of his last six fights in Las Vegas, Nevada to great fanfare, as thousands of his rabid followers would make the trek overseas just to see their hero ply his trade.
<--- Bonus images: Behind the scenes during Ricky Hatton's memorable career, including candid shots from his duels with Pacquiao and Mayweather
Asked to recall some of those cherished memories, you can sense how touched Hatton was.
“It was incredible,” said Hatton, who is in Las Vegas for this week’s 49th annual WBC Convention at the Mandalay Bay. “When someone like Oscar De La Hoya says to you ‘We’ve never seen an atmosphere like this, not even at my fights’, it was unbelievable. I’m not saying I’m the greatest British world champion but no one has ever come close to having a following like me. That was the proudest time of my career I think.”
Hatton’s final fight was a second-round knockout loss at the hands of Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, a defeat that was so hard to cope with that he has never set foot back inside of the ring as an active professional since.
Hatton announced his retirement from boxing in July but still is connected to the sport on many fronts.
“I miss it every day but I promote now and I train fighters back in England,” said Hatton. “I’ve had four fighters of mine fight for world titles. Ryan Rhodes, who fought Saul Alvarez. Martin Murray, who fought to a draw with Felix Sturm last week that I thought he won. I just got the European Promoter of the Year last year by the EBU, so I’ve come a long way in just two years as a promoter.”
Asked about winning his first world title, as he pounded out an 11th round TKO over highly-respected Russian-born, Australian champion Kostya Tszyu in the summer of 2005, Hatton admits that it was likely his greatest feat but also pointed to his June 2007 butchering of rugged Mexican Jose Luis Castillo.
“That would probably be my best win of my career,” Hatton continued. “He was number two pound-for-pound at the time. So I beat Kostya Tszyu, who was number two pound-for-pound and I beat Castillo; when I beat him I think he just crept in at number ten. So I beat some good fighters but I didn’t quite get to that number one spot. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Golden Boy Promotions’ had the honor of promoting Hatton’s December 2007 tenth-round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky had such a good experience working with them that he would later sign an exclusive contract with De La Hoya’s company. In fact, Hatton’s fight with Pacquiao is the last major event that saw Golden Boy working alongside Top Rank, as the two companies have since been locked in an on-again, off-again feud with one another.
Exclusive images from the WBC Convention: Hopkins, De La Hoya, Martinez at star-studded gala / Behind the scenes with Hatton, the Mayweathers, Tyson and others / Jones Jr., Cotto, Alvarez, Duran, Leonard at opening ceremonies
Hatton gave his take on the Top Rank-Golden Boy cold war and how it impacts the sport.
“It’s good. It’s healthy for boxing isn’t it?,” Hatton asked sarcastically. “Competitors, but hopefully they can get themselves together and work together in order to make the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Two of the modern day greats.”
If Hatton does in fact stay retired, Mayweather and Pacquiao will go down as the only two men to hand him defeats in his forty-seven bouts. The public still romances the thought of Mayweather and Pacquiao one day fighting and while Hatton personally seems to have disdain towards Floyd, he also sees him having the edge in such a fight.
“I think Mayweather would win a comfortable fight to be honest with you,” said Hatton. “I hope I’m wrong, because he’s not on my Christmas card list anyways. I think Manny’s a nice guy, a family person, but I have to say Floyd Mayweather is a different class. And just so difficult to actually hit. The master of defense.
“Maybe we don’t see eye to eye on certain things because we’re two totally different people. But he’s an all-time great without a doubt.”
[Reader's note: For more images of Ricky Hatton please visist Behind the scenes with Ricky Hatton ]
IMAGES FROM THE BOXING WORLD
Images from the 49th annual WBC Convention in Las Vegas - Opening ceremonies with Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto, Roberto Duran, George Foreman, Saul Alvarez, Sugar Ray Leonard, and others / Bonus pics of Mike Tyson, Ricky Hatton, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and the Mayweathers
The Pacquiao-Marquez Weigh-in - A look at the intense weigh in between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, including shots of Holyfield, Barrerra, Chavez Jr., several fans shots and more
A look inisde the final Pacquiao-Marquez III presser - Candid shots of the two fighters' teams, a cameo appearance by Amir Khan, the Tecate Girls, and more
Behind the scenes at Pacquiao's Vegas Grand Arrival -Go behind the scenes at Manny Pacquiao arrives to Las Vegas amidst a sea of fans for his clash with Juan Manuel Marquez
Naoki Fukuda's 'Grand Arrival' - An inside look in Las Vegas as some of boxing's biggest stars, such as Mayweather, Pacquiao, Cotto, Khan, and others, arrive to the city amdist a seas of fans
A closer look at Pacquiao's camp for Marquez - A look inside Manny Pacquiao's camp at the Wild Card as he prepares for Juan Manuel Marquez, including sparring sessions, intense mitt-work, and more
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com. Please follow him at www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
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