Hatton vs. Khan at 140? Close Source Says Never
By Mark Vester
There appears to be a lot of speculation in the UK that Amir Khan, based on his shocking move to junior welterweight, is trying to position himself in the direction of a mega-fight with superstar countryman Ricky Hatton. In the past Khan has spoken about the possibility of fighting Hatton one day in the future, and appeared confident that his style would present "The Hitman" with too many problems to overcome.
Hatton has also discussed the fight in the past and told reporters that Amir would never get to him in time. He plans to retire in the near future, while Khan is still very young and building up his name.
Some things never change.
A source close to Hatton spoke with The Sun about the brewing speculation that Khan is making moves to land a fight with Hatton. The source rehashed Hatton's exact thoughts, stating that Amir would never get to Ricky in time. Another issue is the promotional rights. Khan is promoted by Frank Warren, who had a bad falling out with Hatton a few years ago. Hatton is now promoting himself, at least in the UK, under his Punch Promotions banner.
“At the moment, Ricky intends to be retired long before Amir Khan reaches his level. For a start there’s age and experience as, at 22, Khan is still trying to become a world champion while Ricky, at 30, has been operating at the highest level for years. Ricky has a gameplan for his retirement and he is sticking to it, before he becomes a promoter in his own right. Those plans definitely do not include a bout with Khan.
“There are all sorts of issues that would make the fight impossible as far as he is concerned, not least who would promote the contest. Ricky is fighting under his own banner of the promotional company he has formed called Punch. Why would he want anyone else to promote one of his fights?”
Hatton faces Manny Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas. Khan challenges Andrea Kotelnik for the WBA 140-pound title on June 27 in the UK.
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