RICKY HATTON insists a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jnr is the only fight that would tempt him to make the step up to welterweight again.
The Manchester-based boxer, whose greatest night came when he beat light-welterweight great Kostya Tszyu to become IBF world champion in Manchester three years ago, admits he found it tough on the two occasions he crossed divisions.
He was taken a
ll the way before out pointing Luis Collazo over 12 close rounds in Boston in May 2006, and then suffered his first defeat when Mayweather stopped him in ten rounds in Las Vegas in December.
"Maybe the first fight should have been a bit of a wake-up call and told me that I'm not quite a welterweight really," said Hatton. "But it's always been about the challenge for me.
"It was never about unbeaten records and padded out records. Even though the first one at welterweight was a little bit of a struggle, I had no fear moving up again," he said.
"Needless to say, that'll be the last fight at welterweight, with a bit of luck."
But, almost immediately, Hatton admitted he would move up once more if he got the chance to avenge his only setback in 44 fights.
"It would only be for Mayweather," insisted Hatton, whose desire is fuelled by the frustration of thinking he could have done better, annoyance at the way referee Joe Cortez handled the fight and the belief everything turned against him after the British fans jeered the American anthem.
"There's lots I could have done different but I just felt the referee didn't have one of his greatest nights and, as much as Floyd won the fight, I lost it as well."
The full article contains 294 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
