Oscar: "Hatton should fight on!"

Ricky Hatton has been told he should fight on by Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton is considering quitting after his devastating two-round KO by Manny Pacquiao ended his dream of becoming the pound-for-pound king. Golden Boy De La Hoya, who is Hatton's US promoter, urged the devastated Hitman not to make any snap decisions and feels he can still carry on. De La Hoya has had more comebacks on the Las Vegas Strip than Frank Sinatra as he battled back from bad defeats to win world titles at six different weights. His most impressive was recovering from being knocked out by Bernard Hopkins, who is now his co-promoter, to stop Ricardo Mayorga in his next fight and claim the WBC light- middleweight title at the age of 33. "It doesn't have to be the end for Ricky," said De La Hoya, who finally quit earlier this year aged 35. "Ricky's young, Ricky still has what it takes. He can still have a bright future. "Look, I have six losses in my career. Just because you lose, it isn't the end for you. It's about how you come back. "When Ricky lost to Floyd Mayweather Junior, people thought it was the end. I'm sure Ricky felt a bit depressed. "But he came back and beat Paul Malignaggi in some style. I was surprised how he beat Paul Malignaggi because I thought Paulie was going to give him trouble, but he cut straight through him. "It's just a matter of how you come back and play it smart." Richard Schaefer, the Golden Boy Promotions chief executive, also claimed the battered Hitman can still have a future in the ring. Hatton has been the biggest box-office fighter over the last couple of years.