Hatton and Witter at Wembley?

It is the fight that all British boxing fans want to see, but those that are fed up that Ricky Hatton will be facing Juan Lazcano, a Mexican based in California, in his next bout at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24, should not give up hope of ever seeing them in a ring together. And contrary to other reports, HBO, the cable television giant that recently signed Hatton to a three-bout deal had approved the bout.

Lazcano was originally supposed to have faced Hatton in May 2006, before breaking a finger in training. Hatton ended up facing Luis Collazo, an evening that didn't go exactly to plan, but the two have generally gone in opposite direction since. While Hatton lost last time out to Floyd Mayweather Jr, Lascano lost to Vivian Harris in February last year and has not boxed since - Harris, of course, got knocked into midair by Witter.

However, there is a general acceptance among Team Hatton that if Witter keeps winning (and so does Hatton) that they will have to meet at some point. That meeting probably won't be this year.
They hope to have Paulie Malignaggi, the IBF light-welterweight champion, on the undercard in Manchester with the aim of setting up a bout between the pair in New York in the autumn.

But, despite reports saying that HBO will not accept Witter as an opponent (the HBO deal does not include the Manchester show) that isn't exactly true. HBO handed Hatton two lists of acceptable opponents, one for bouts in the US, one for bout in the UK. Witter is not on the US list, but he is on the UK list. Indeed the idea of Hatton-Witter taking place outside Britain is ridiculous.

So, where would it be? My guess would be at Wembley Stadium next summer. Team Hatton held talks with Wembley for the May bout to take place there, which would have been on the more suitable May 31 day (May 24 is a holiday weekend in the US, which led to problems with HBO taking the bout on a delayed basis). It was only the fact that it was Hatton's long-standing dream to box at Manchester City that  won the day. His next dream could be to box at Wembley Stadium and Witter is really the only opponent that can help to fill it.

Comments

[Ed]

I've been a fan of Hatton since the early days but I don't buy into this nonsense that he won't fight Witter because he doesn't want to give him a pay day.

Hatton's defeat to Mayweather couldn't have been more emphatic and the way he carries on as if he's operating on a different plane to Witter is insulting to fight fans, who know it'd be a great contest which Witter is in with a great chance of winning. It could be that Witter has the style to beat Hatton, and Hatton knows this.

If he doesn't like the guy so much and he's that confident of winning surely he'd like to get him in there and bash him up.

Hatton needs to restablish himself and to do this he needs to take on people who will test him, and back up his claims that he's a fearless fighter, not trot out the same rubbish of not giving him a pay day because he doesn't like him.

He called for his chance against Mayweather and got demolished. Now Witter wants his chance against Hatton and he's not man enough to meet him.