By Mark Vester

After the huge success of his December pay-per-view with Floyd Mayweather Jr., the once-beaten Ricky Hatton has agreed to continue working with Golden Boy Promotions, who promoted the Las Vegas event.

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, told Sportinglife that during a recent trip to England, he met with Ricky, father Ray Hatton and their attorney. A handshake deal was made for Golden Boy to continue working with Hatton for a few more fights. The four men discussed plans for Hatton's return on May 24 in Manchester.

"I was in Manchester a week or so ago meeting with Ray (Hatton's father) and Ricky's attorney Gareth Williams. We've made a handshake deal that we'll continue to work together for the next number of fights," Schaefer said. "I know that Ricky wants a homecoming fight next for his fans in Manchester, and so we're currently having discussions related to that. Assuming that goes well and he feels good, then there could be a much more significant fight and opponent later in the year, possibly from New York."

Schaefer told the paper that in the future, he wouldn't rule out the possibility of helping Hatton get a rematch with Mayweather.

"I know Ricky would be interested in a rematch with Floyd. Let's see what the next few fights bring and let's see what's going on with Mayweather. Potentially there could be a rematch," Schaefer said. "The last time it was on Floyd's home turf in Las Vegas. Maybe if there's a rematch it should be on more neutral soil, maybe in London. It would be the perfect fight for Wembley Stadium."

Golden Boy is looking to make a bigger name for themselves in the UK market. They plan to expand their UK presence by working with the Hattons and with UK-based promotional company Hennessy Sports.

"We are committed on eventually establishing Golden Boy as a truly global promotional entity and that would include a presence in England. We don't know exactly when and where and how and with who," Schaefer said. "We had some good discussions with the Hattons on that subject. The UK is an amazing market for boxing, has great talent and a great amateur program.

"The fan support is unmatched. The Brits, the Mexicans and the Filipinos - the passion they show for the sport is amazing. We definitely want to expand into Europe and England will be our first stop."

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com