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Boxing great Floyd Mayweather has savaged Ricky Hatton's talent and hinted that he could delay his retirement to fight him in England.
Hatton is desperate for a fight with Mayweather, who was expected to quit after facing Oscar de la Hoya in May.
"Ricky Hatton ain't nothing but a fat man. I'm going to punch him in his beer belly," the American told BBC Sport.
"He ain't good enough to be my sparring partner. I'm retiring in America, that don't mean I'm retiring in the UK."
The 29-year-old later back-tracked on the possibility of fighting Hatton, but it is clear that Manchester's two-weight world champion remains an irritant to him.
The Michigan native is unbeaten in 37 fights, is a former world champion in four weight divisions and is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
His match with WBC light middleweight king De la Hoya, a former six-weight world champion, is set to be the most lucrative non-heavyweight fight in boxing history.
Hatton regained the IBF light welterweight crown from Colombia's Juan Urango last month, but Mayweather was unimpressed by what he saw.
And he was incensed at Hatton's suggestion that he was the more exciting fighter of the two.
Mayweather said: "I've only seen Ricky Hatton fight one time and that was against Urango and he looked like garbage.
"All he can do is punch and hold, punch and hold and wrestle. It's obvious that his fights are not more exciting than mine.
"And guess what? He said he was going to come to America and do 5,000 seats, but 5,000 people come and watch me train every day.
"Nobody even knows Ricky Hatton. He came over to America and nobody even came to see him fight.
"I could come to England and fill up the same stadium he can fill up. He ain't getting money like me.
"When I retire, I'll get Ricky Hatton to wash my clothes and cut my lawn and buckle my shoes."
Hatton, 28, is unbeaten in 42 fights and is set for a meeting with Mexican veteran Jose Luis Castillo in June.
If he can come through that encounter unscathed and Mayweather defeats De la Hoya, clamour for a fight between the two later in the year would mount.
De la Hoya, meanwhile, has also indicated he would be prepared to fight Hatton in England.
The 34-year-old from Los Angeles said he would come back down to welterweight if Hatton was prepared to move back up.
Hatton is desperate for a fight with Mayweather, who was expected to quit after facing Oscar de la Hoya in May.
"Ricky Hatton ain't nothing but a fat man. I'm going to punch him in his beer belly," the American told BBC Sport.
"He ain't good enough to be my sparring partner. I'm retiring in America, that don't mean I'm retiring in the UK."
The 29-year-old later back-tracked on the possibility of fighting Hatton, but it is clear that Manchester's two-weight world champion remains an irritant to him.
The Michigan native is unbeaten in 37 fights, is a former world champion in four weight divisions and is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
His match with WBC light middleweight king De la Hoya, a former six-weight world champion, is set to be the most lucrative non-heavyweight fight in boxing history.
Hatton regained the IBF light welterweight crown from Colombia's Juan Urango last month, but Mayweather was unimpressed by what he saw.
And he was incensed at Hatton's suggestion that he was the more exciting fighter of the two.
Mayweather said: "I've only seen Ricky Hatton fight one time and that was against Urango and he looked like garbage.
"All he can do is punch and hold, punch and hold and wrestle. It's obvious that his fights are not more exciting than mine.
"And guess what? He said he was going to come to America and do 5,000 seats, but 5,000 people come and watch me train every day.
"Nobody even knows Ricky Hatton. He came over to America and nobody even came to see him fight.
"I could come to England and fill up the same stadium he can fill up. He ain't getting money like me.
"When I retire, I'll get Ricky Hatton to wash my clothes and cut my lawn and buckle my shoes."
Hatton, 28, is unbeaten in 42 fights and is set for a meeting with Mexican veteran Jose Luis Castillo in June.
If he can come through that encounter unscathed and Mayweather defeats De la Hoya, clamour for a fight between the two later in the year would mount.
De la Hoya, meanwhile, has also indicated he would be prepared to fight Hatton in England.
The 34-year-old from Los Angeles said he would come back down to welterweight if Hatton was prepared to move back up.
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