A money-spinning Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather showdown looks to be one step closer after the latter confirmed he would end his retirement to silence a boxer he describes as ‘the most over-rated in the last 25 years’.
Hatton amped up his reputation in America several notches by knocking out the highly-respected Jose Luis Castillo to leave promoters - and fighters - circling in the bid to become part of Hatton's next bout.
The Stockport-born 'Hitman' has made no secret of his desire to break America and he has made it known that he covets a bout with Mayweather, long regarded by many fight fans as the best pound-for-pound boxer of his generation.
And Mayweather insists that the 28-year-old's talking has had the desired effect.
‘Ricky Hatton is the most over-rated fighter of the last 25 years.
‘He beat an old (Kostya) Tszyu and he beat an old Castillo who was shot. I beat Castillo twice and the first time I did it with one hand because the other was so messed up.
‘That was five years ago when Castillo was in his prime. I was retired but I'll sign to fight Hatton right now.’
Mayweather, 30, was dismissive of Hatton's ability and insisted he would go all out to cause his prospective opponent pain.
He said: ‘I've tried to let the things he said about me slide by but now he's 'dissing' me on national TV and I want to shut him up.
‘I've never wanted to hurt an opponent like I do Hatton. For me, boxing is a science but it will be a pleasure to prove to the world what a great phoney the guy is.
‘Ricky Hatton cannot fight. He cannot box. He throws one punch at a time and then holds. There is no skill to what he does in the ring. He has got zero skills.’
