Tweet
With the kind of money that Ricky Hatton has the potential to earn in the next few years, it's doubtful that Frank Warren would drop the lawsuit he had pending against Hatton - and one he favored himself to be successful in - unless there was a good incentive to do so.
Hatton is just one of those fighters that cannot seem to get a break in the media. He's loved in England and has a solid following that is continuing to build in America, but the criticism that follows him is constant and harsh.
American fans especially just don't seem to realize that Hatton fights the way he does - in a basic, slugging style - out of preference. I think it is a personal choice made by Hatton because he doesn't want to be known as a cautious foreigner that measures every move until he's found to have done just enough to win decisions. Hatton wants to provide exciting knockouts; he wants to be the fighter that fans want to see; the fighter he himself wants to see when he sits down to watch a fight.
Though every fight Hatton has been involved in since leaving Hatton has been a championship fight, and has seen him become a two-weight world champion, the criticism is only growing. Of course, the obligatory needle between Warren and Fight Academy - now promoting Hatton with Banner Promotions - exists and Warren will be looking for the intimations of dissatisfaction from Hatton. Regardless of what his current promoters do for Hatton, Warren will always tend to say that he could have done it sooner or for more money, or have the terms exactly as Hatton wanted them, instead of only partially.
It's a game that may take a little or a long time. Hatton was loyal for a long time to Warren and stuck with him through masses of criticism coming at them both from all angles for not delivering the definitive fights for Hatton when he seemed so ready. But the ground has changed under Hatton's feet now. He is no longer the up and comer; now he is at the top of the food chain and the margin for error may be dramatically shorter for Fight Academy/Banner, than it was for Warren during his tenure.
If Hatton's terms are not being met, and the increased pressure on him drives him to make rash decisions, it's difficult to imagine him going back to the promoter that he said he would rather not make money for and would rather retire than make rich, but stranger things have happened. And Warren knows a good opportunity when he sees one, not to mention the right time to step in and make an offer.
That's what being a promoter is all about.
Hatton is just one of those fighters that cannot seem to get a break in the media. He's loved in England and has a solid following that is continuing to build in America, but the criticism that follows him is constant and harsh.
American fans especially just don't seem to realize that Hatton fights the way he does - in a basic, slugging style - out of preference. I think it is a personal choice made by Hatton because he doesn't want to be known as a cautious foreigner that measures every move until he's found to have done just enough to win decisions. Hatton wants to provide exciting knockouts; he wants to be the fighter that fans want to see; the fighter he himself wants to see when he sits down to watch a fight.
Though every fight Hatton has been involved in since leaving Hatton has been a championship fight, and has seen him become a two-weight world champion, the criticism is only growing. Of course, the obligatory needle between Warren and Fight Academy - now promoting Hatton with Banner Promotions - exists and Warren will be looking for the intimations of dissatisfaction from Hatton. Regardless of what his current promoters do for Hatton, Warren will always tend to say that he could have done it sooner or for more money, or have the terms exactly as Hatton wanted them, instead of only partially.
It's a game that may take a little or a long time. Hatton was loyal for a long time to Warren and stuck with him through masses of criticism coming at them both from all angles for not delivering the definitive fights for Hatton when he seemed so ready. But the ground has changed under Hatton's feet now. He is no longer the up and comer; now he is at the top of the food chain and the margin for error may be dramatically shorter for Fight Academy/Banner, than it was for Warren during his tenure.
If Hatton's terms are not being met, and the increased pressure on him drives him to make rash decisions, it's difficult to imagine him going back to the promoter that he said he would rather not make money for and would rather retire than make rich, but stranger things have happened. And Warren knows a good opportunity when he sees one, not to mention the right time to step in and make an offer.
That's what being a promoter is all about.