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Ricky Hatton wants Manny Pacquiao so bad, but if you ask some members of Team Pacquiao they want Floyd Mayweather Jr. better.
“Floyd is the wise fight. Why? Because even if we lose to Mayweather, the Hatton fight will still be there,” said a very reliable insider who requested anonimity.
“But if we fight Hatton first, and we lose, do you think the Mayweather fight will still be there? No. That sets up a Hatton-Mayweather rematch,” he added.
Pacquiao, exactly a week after he destroyed Oscar dela Hoya in eight rounds at the MGM Grand, said they’re still weighing all options.
His promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, is flying in next week for the boxer’s birthday bash in Gen. Santos City, and they should discuss the matter.
A report came out the other day saying that Arum has penciled a date for Pacquiao’s next fight and it’s either the 2nd or the 9th of May.
The who-and-where remains to be answered, and there’s a choice between Mayweather and Hatton, Las Vegas and England.
Pacquiao said he wants to retire next year, and these two fights, whichever comes first, could be the last for the pound-for-pound king.
“After these two fights he can retire as the greatest boxer of his era,” said Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who’s also flying in for the party.
The other day, he practically begged to Mayweather to come out of retirement.
“Floyd, come out of retirement, please. We’ll knock you out, too,” Roach told Steve Kim of maxboxing.com.
Hatton wants to fight Pacquiao in his home turf — the Wembley Stadium and before a hundred thousand screaming British fans.
Pacquiao said he’d go there if needed, but reports coming out of UK yesterday said if the fight happens it would be in Las Vegas.
Arum is reportedly “reluctant to let the Filipino superstar fight in Hatton’s backyard unless the Pacman gets the bulk of the cash.”
“I’m not surprised Floyd is considering a return — but I’d be disappointed if he got in ahead of me. I’ve put the hard work in and I’d like to get the chance to take on Manny,” Hatton told East Side Boxing.
“If I win that fight, then I could strike a deal for a rematch with Mayweather,” said Hatton, as anticipated by the Team Pacquiao insider a few days ahead of Hatton’s statement.
That’s why Roach thinks it should be Mayweather.
“The biggest fight out there is Floyd. He’s the former pound-for-pound best fighter and we are now, he’s undefeated, he struggled against Oscar and won a decision and we knocked Oscar out.
“I think that’s the fight everybody wants to see. Floyd is the much better fight. If we can get Floyd I want Floyd now because Manny’s in his prime right now,” Roach added.
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