Hatton prepares for his biggest challenge yet

Published on Saturday 23 February 2008 18:36

WHEN Ricky Hatton lost so gallantly to Floyd Mayweather in their superfight last December, one of the main criticisms of the Mancunian was that he was too one-dimensional in his approach to tackle the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Yet Hatton still retains the capability of surprising people, especially outside the ring, and he certainly did that in Glasgow, where he was scheduled to speak at a charity dinner in the Hilton Grosvenor last night – and yes, he is a funny and entertaining speaker.

But it was his earlier declaration about his future which will cause a considerable stir. It had been reported that Hatton was thinking of becoming a promoter, but for the first time the Hitman outlined to the press the considerable extent of his ambitions.

"We will start off locally (in Manchester) and then it will spread across the UK," said Hatton. "I get on fantastic with HBO in the USA and with promoters and matchmakers across America, so I want to have fighters over there. It seems as though I am getting ahead of myself here, and I suppose I am, but that is my long-term ambition."

The wellspring of that ambition is his own past experience with promoters. For example, he and Britain's biggest promoter, Frank Warren, acrimoniously went their separate ways in 2004 after seven years and Hatton now manages himself. "I have experienced the nasty side of boxing away from the gym, but that is something I can bring to the table when other people put their careers in my hands," said Hatton. "Having to go to court with promoters has been the saddest part of my career, but it's going to stand me in good stead because I have seen that side of the business.

"I've had dealings with promoters where I have not earned the money I should have done, and I've been owed money by promoters and have gone to court – never thought I'd find myself in a courtroom – and when we've gone to court we've always come up trumps.

"I want to be the exception rather than the rule. Promoters are sometimes seen as the enemy by the fighters, but because I have been there and done it, I can be more of a friend to fighters."

To start his new career, Hatton will need the approval of the British Boxing Board of Control, which licenses promoters. If he gains the necessary permission, he will become one of the few people ever to have gained the full array of licences. "I have applied to the Board for my promoter's licence, and I already have my second's and trainer's licence, and my manager's licence," he said.

Licence permitting, Hatton will start by promoting his own fights, as Oscar de la Hoya has done so successfully under his Golden Boy banner in the USA. Hatton's comeback fight on May 24, either at Wembley or the City of Manchester Stadium, could be his first promotion, and Hatton's long-term aim is to be Britain's Golden Boy, not least because he admires de la Hoya's honesty and openness.

"I have a few more goals to achieve before I pack up fighting," said Hatton. "I will start by doing both, start off in a small way and then when I retire it will be my full-time job.

"I am looking to the way Oscar de la Hoya conducts himself with professionalism. None of the Golden Boy fighters have had any complaints.

"I am not going to say at the start that I am going to be the new Oscar de la Hoya, but I am very ambitious. I have to put on a few shows first and show that I can do it. The proof will be in the pudding."

Hatton may also link in the future with Barry Hughes, Scotland's newest promoter under the Braveheart banner. "Barry's young and ambitious and like me he can be a friend to fighters because he's been one," he said.

Those who have observed the British boxing scene with the necessary degree of scepticism over the decades will welcome Hatton's declaration of intent. A new promoting force with links to the US could be just what is needed to take the sport to a new level. But equally, they will say that the hardest fight of Hatton's career will be to enter the ranks of promoters and be a success without compromising his undoubted honesty. It will be as tough for him outside the ring as Mayweather was inside it.