Huge Wages await Hatton

By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

Ricky Hatton is preparing for a lucrative future of 10million dollar purses and pay-per-view super-fights after he clinically disposed of Mexican former lightweight world champion Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas.

By common consensus, the manner of his victory has lifted Hatton among that elite group of contemporary fighters who can virtually eschew the plethora of alphabet titles and sell out arenas on reputation alone.

Fortunately for Hatton, many of his fellow members of the pantheon also hover around the light-welterweight and welterweight limits, giving him no end of options as he prepares for the contests which will define his era.

Home Box Office vice-president Kery Davis said: "I think what his victory on Saturday did is set up a number of really big fights for Ricky Hatton.

"There is certainly Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather, the winner of the upcoming fight between Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams, and even a guy like Shane Mosley.

"There are a lot of fights in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions that are exciting matches, and Ricky had to beat Castillo impressively in order to get there. He did that in pretty strong fashion."

Chief among Hatton's hopeful conquests is Floyd Mayweather, the widely regarded pound-for-pound world number one who is said to be ready to reverse his recent retirement decision in order to take on Hatton.

Mayweather, who announced his intention to quit after beating Oscar De La Hoya last month, said he is furious at Hatton's constant barbs over his supposedly negative fighting style.

Such a fight would be a major event back in Las Vegas, and would attract significantly more supporters than even the 10,000 who travelled halfway across the world to raucously cheer on Hatton last Saturday.

But with massive pay-per-view and purse revenues to take into account, the Mayweather fight would require a lengthy promotional build-up, possibly ruling it out as Hatton's next big-time contest.

Instead, itching for a homecoming which he believes could fill a stadium in either Manchester or London, Hatton can turn his attention to the likes of unbeaten WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Cotto confirmed his own place among the elite when he beat Zab Judah in a thrilling fight at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, and is one of the few, along with Mayweather and De La Hoya, who could justify stadium billing.

The Puerto Rican impressed Home Box Office executives by pulling in 225,000 pay-per-view buys for his fight with Judah, and his all-action, hard-punching style makes him a natural for a tear-up with Hatton.

De La Hoya phoned Hatton in his dressing room to congratulate him on his win over Castillo, but it seems more likely any interest the 'Golden Boy' has in the Manchester fighter is purely promotional.

Having fought as high as middleweight during his glittering career, De La Hoya's weight is always likely to rule a Hatton match out, especially given Hatton's inability to shine at 147lbs against Luis Collazo last year.

Another interesting option, and an eminently makeable fight, is the new IBF light-welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, a Madison Square Garden favourite who recently took the crown from Lovemore N'Dou.

The brash and popular Malignaggi is a slippery stylist who also proved in his defeat to Miguel Cotto that he possesses a great heart. He has made no secret of his desire to take on Hatton.

Hatton's advisors have already made preliminary contact with Malignaggi, and have the extra incentive of hoping to fulfil one of Hatton's lifelong dreams of topping a bill at the widely regarded home of boxing.

There are plenty of other attractive second-level fights for Hatton should he be made to wait for the really big bucks. Either Margarito or Williams would pose a test.In Britain, many fans would love to see him matched against his long-time domestic rival Junior Witter, who significantly enhanced his own status by claiming the WBC version of the 140lbs title.

However, Hatton has always seethed over the way the Bradford man has repeatedly shown him scant respect throughout his career, and is said to be unwilling to grant Witter the biggest payday of his career.

Whichever way forward Hatton elects to pursue in the coming weeks, he is not short of attractive options. His emphatic victory over Castillo should prove to be worth its weight in gold.

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