By Mark Vester
Ricky Hatton has indicated very clearly that retirement is near. Hatton wants to focus on his promotional company. He wants to use all of his energy on promoting big events and one day getting bigger than the big two of the UK, Frank Warren and Frank Maloney.
“I think I can become the biggest promoter in Britain. I'm sure Frank Warren and Frank Maloney sat down and thought they wanted to be the best. They were just like me as a fighter. I wanted to be a world champion and never in my wildest dreams did I expect to achieve what I have done," Hatton told Daily Mail.
“In years gone by, promoters have been seen as the enemy of the boxers and it's a shame that it is that way. I want to be a friend to the fighters. I think a promoter should be a lot more than someone who signs the cheques. It's about phoning up and asking how training's going, and going to the changing room and speaking to them, going the extra mile. I've been there and know how they feel."
As far as a comeback to the ring, Hatton says the desire to return is not there at the moment. He doesn't have the motivation to train, diet and admits the knockout loss to Pacquiao made him lose his drive.
“To do this game you have to have fire in your belly and the hunger to want to get up in the morning,” said Hatton. ”I’ve done it that many times over a 13-year career, the dieting, the training, the sparring and, with the defeat by Pacquiao being like it was, I just felt that for the time being I've had enough."
“You've got to really want to do it and I don't really have that at the minute. It's starting to be hard work. Once I've had a break from it, whether it's six months, nine months or 12 months, I might start getting twitchy and think I'll give it another go.
“But if I'm going to come back I've got to want to do it, not because everyone expects me to. It might never come. I might never wake up and feel like doing it again. I love this game more than anything in the world and, in a while I might start getting twitchy.”
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