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Hatton has welterweight title in sights
By Ron Lewis
RICKY HATTON is to attempt to become a two-weight world champion when he challenges Carlos Baldomir for the world welterweight title in the United States on May 13. The bout will take place at Foxwoods Casino Resort, in Connecticut, and is expected to be announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Hatton, who returned from a family holiday in Egypt at the weekend, had been expected to face either Naoufel Ben Rabah, a Tunisian-born Australian who is mandatory contender to his IBF light-welterweight title, or Acelino Freitas, the former WBO super-featherweight and lightweight champion from Brazil. Neither of those opponents would have been expected to have caused Hatton much difficulty, but stepping up in weight to challenge Baldomir provides a mouth-watering prospect.
Originally from Santa Fe, Argentina, but now living in Los Angeles, Baldomir was largely unheard of before he caused a huge upset by defeating Zab Judah in New York last month. Judah had come into the bout as WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight champion and had been expected to win easily, ahead of an April bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
However, the WBA and IBF have so far refused to recognise Baldomir, claiming he failed to pay them sanctioning fees for the bout. “My purse was only $100,000 (about £56,500),” Baldomir said after his win. “If I paid each of them the required 3 per cent, I would have come away with nothing.” It is likely to take a court case to decide which titles will be on the line in May.
While Mayweather, the WBC light-welterweight champion, has decided to go ahead with his bout against Judah in April, Baldomir, who had been expected to face Arturo Gatti, until the Canadian suffered a hand injury in a win over Thomas Damgaard last week, will now face Hatton.
It will mean that Hatton will have challenged for world titles in three successive bouts. He took the IBF light-welterweight title from Kostya Tszyu, the Australian, in Manchester last June and then added the WBA version of the title in November with a knockout of Carlos Maussa, of Colombia.
Should Hatton win the bout, he would become Britain’s fourth world welterweight champion. Ted “Kid” Lewis was champion during the First World War, John H. Stracey was champion in the Seventies and Lloyd Honeyghan in the Eighties. Hatton would relish joining that list of greats.
By Ron Lewis
RICKY HATTON is to attempt to become a two-weight world champion when he challenges Carlos Baldomir for the world welterweight title in the United States on May 13. The bout will take place at Foxwoods Casino Resort, in Connecticut, and is expected to be announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Hatton, who returned from a family holiday in Egypt at the weekend, had been expected to face either Naoufel Ben Rabah, a Tunisian-born Australian who is mandatory contender to his IBF light-welterweight title, or Acelino Freitas, the former WBO super-featherweight and lightweight champion from Brazil. Neither of those opponents would have been expected to have caused Hatton much difficulty, but stepping up in weight to challenge Baldomir provides a mouth-watering prospect.
Originally from Santa Fe, Argentina, but now living in Los Angeles, Baldomir was largely unheard of before he caused a huge upset by defeating Zab Judah in New York last month. Judah had come into the bout as WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight champion and had been expected to win easily, ahead of an April bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
However, the WBA and IBF have so far refused to recognise Baldomir, claiming he failed to pay them sanctioning fees for the bout. “My purse was only $100,000 (about £56,500),” Baldomir said after his win. “If I paid each of them the required 3 per cent, I would have come away with nothing.” It is likely to take a court case to decide which titles will be on the line in May.
While Mayweather, the WBC light-welterweight champion, has decided to go ahead with his bout against Judah in April, Baldomir, who had been expected to face Arturo Gatti, until the Canadian suffered a hand injury in a win over Thomas Damgaard last week, will now face Hatton.
It will mean that Hatton will have challenged for world titles in three successive bouts. He took the IBF light-welterweight title from Kostya Tszyu, the Australian, in Manchester last June and then added the WBA version of the title in November with a knockout of Carlos Maussa, of Colombia.
Should Hatton win the bout, he would become Britain’s fourth world welterweight champion. Ted “Kid” Lewis was champion during the First World War, John H. Stracey was champion in the Seventies and Lloyd Honeyghan in the Eighties. Hatton would relish joining that list of greats.
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