Frank Warren derides Hatton vs. Marquez

Warren (center) used to promote Hatton before a dispute (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Frank Warren has spoken about Ricky Hatton and his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, saying that Hatton shouldn't be allowed to box anymore.

The main reason he makes this claim is due to the fact that Hattons weight balloons between fights, although this is far from a recent occurrence. He might be a little heavier than usual after being out of the ring for nearly a year, but Hatton has always packed on the pounds between fights, even back when Warren was his promoter. Warren didn't seem to have a problem with this happening at the time so long as Hatton was on weight for his fights, so its a little difficult to see his side of things now.

"Ricky Hatton claims he was on top in the second round when he fought Manny Pacquiao. In Hatton World he was romping it until he took a three-minute kip on his back. And in that same world he also believes he was winning his fight with Floyd Mayweather until the American got lucky. Now Hatton is in talks with Mayweather victim Juan Manuel Marquez about a fight in June," Warren said in his Sun column.

"In Hatton's world, and that of his lawyer and so-called boxing expert Gareth Williams, it is a good fight for Ricky against an elite fighter. It is a good fight for Williams and Hatton's promotional company - but a terrible one for boxing and the Hitman. It would be nothing more than a money-grabbing exercise by a man with millions in his bank."

"How many pictures have there been recently of him leaving nightclubs and pubs? You have only got to look at him to see it will not be safe for him to fight, and for him to think otherwise is ridiculous and delusional. He must be walking around at 14 stone. If the experts around him cared about his well-being they would stop him from boxing. He needs to be saved from himself, and if he cannot see sense then the respected Boxing Board of Control should stop him."

While Warren might have a few valid points here, you also have to remember that he used to promote Hatton before the two had a dispute over contracts. A lot of what he says is undoubtedly the result of his legal battles with Hatton and his team over the years.

While Marquez is a lot smaller than Hatton, the fight would be a god indicator of where both men are in the bigger picture at the moment. The victor could perhaps make a case for getting a rematch with either Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, both of whom have beaten Hatton and Marquez recently. The loser would inevitably face a lot of calls for his retirement, and if the fight was particularly one sided, then they would likely be warranted.

Interestingly enough, there is also talk of Amir Khan (who Warren promotes) fighting Hatton in the future, which would probably be seen as a passing of the torch for British boxing at the lower weights. Although Khan would have the advantage in a lot of areas of the fight, Hatton does hit hard enough to trouble the fragile chin of the WBA champ. Khan himself was a lot kinder about a Hatton comeback:

"I think he should come back," Khan told The Mirror. "He doesn't want to walk away on the back of a defeat. A lot of people would like to see me fight him and we will have to see where we are. I think he should come back and get over that knockout defeat with maybe one more fight. He is still young. He's not too old. He still has it in him."

Full Frank Warren interview:BoxingScene