Ricky Hatton did the unthinkable this week — he passed on a fight with Oscar De La Hoya, in essence saying “no thank you” to an eight-figure paycheck to fight the financial king of boxing.

Hatton was rumored to be a possible opponent for De La Hoya in September, but Hatton quickly put an end to those rumors by saying that he was not going to be Oscar’s next opponent. Hatton has a fight lined up with fellow 140-pounder Paulie Malignaggi later in the year and seems to have accepted the fact that he is not capable of moving up in weight and being an elite fighter.

This leaves De La Hoya with no date to the dance still, and now he says he will fight just one more time, rather than the two he was planning. That leads me to question just who will land the coveted final fight.

For as much boxing sense as it makes, I just can’t see Oscar going out with a fight against Winky Wright. I can’t see him ending his career against Sergio Mora. I can’t see him getting in the ring with Shane Mosley ever again, and there’s no way that Felix Trinidad is coming down far enough in weight to make that fight happen.

That leaves a short list of possible final opponents. The most obvious is the winner of the Miguel Cotto/Antonio Margarito fight. It also leaves the possible super pay-per-view with Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and the possible super-mega pay-per-view with Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao, who would have to move up another two to three weight classes.

If Cotto beats Margarito, I think Oscar finds a way to make a fight with him happen. If Margarito wins, I have a hunch that he will fight Chavez Junior to end his career. But that’s just a hunch.

As for Pacquiao, he’s also a rumored opponent in the very near future for Hatton. If Pacquiao gets by David Diaz in his next fight, the next move could be to move up to 140 and fight Hatton. No matter what Freddie Roach says, this is the right move for Pacquiao. He stands a chance to be competitive against Hatton. Pacquiao stands a chance to get hurt against De La Hoya.

However things work out, one thing is clear: Boxing has already moved on from the Floyd Mayweather era, and better fights will be made once he and De La Hoya are out of the game. It’s never good to see great fighters stop fighting, but it is great to see fights that would otherwise not get made, get made.

Share this story...

Discussion

No comments for “Hatton Passes on Oscar – Pacquiao an Option for Both”

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.