Ricky Hatton's lawyer has hit back at Junior Witter's latest attempts to secure a domestic light-welterweight super-fight by dismissing the potential showdown as "a waste of time".
Gareth Williams insists WBC champion Witter has no business sharing the same ring as Hatton, who is scheduled to stage a grand homecoming at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24.
Williams also rubbished claims the date could be in jeopardy because of the lack of live television coverage from the United States, saying he expects a live gate of over 50,000 to ensure another lucrative night for his man.
Williams said: "Ricky has got numerous options to pursue. He is being courted by every big promoter in the US and we have options like Manny Pacquiao, Juan Diaz or a rematch against Floyd Mayweather.
"Why is he going to fight Junior Witter when he can fight any of those guys? In our opinion Junior brings nothing to the table. Unless things change dramatically there is no way he is going to fight Ricky Hatton."
Witter's promoter Mick Hennessy sought to move the fight a bit closer this week by announcing he would accept a reversal of the usual purse bid format and accept a 30 per cent share for Witter.
Hennessy added: "As long as there is no greed in the equation, I remain convinced that this is the fight which can easily be made, and which the public want to see."
But Williams retorted: "It's a nonsense. A 70-30 split would still represent Witter's biggest pay-day by about 30 times. He can't sell out the Doncaster Dome. What makes him think he is worth that?"
The Hatton camp are putting the finishing touches to the big homecoming bill and Williams added: "If we only get 20,000 fans through the gate we'll admit we were wrong. But Ricky transcends boxing, so that isn't going to happen."
Juan Lazcano remains the favoured opponent for the assignment but hard-hitting WBO champion Ricardo Torres is also on the list. Williams claimed HBO's reticence to broadcast the fight live was not an issue.
Williams added: "I had a meeting with HBO in New York in early January when they offered a three-fight deal to Ricky. We made it perfectly clear his next fight would be in Britain at a time convenient to the English fans.
"Whilst the US people weren't happy with that, they appreciated that that is what we wanted to do. We could have fought in the US or on a different date, but Ricky feels he owes this to his British fans.
"Suggestions that the fight may be in jeopardy due to the lack of American TV are an absolute nonsense. This is going to be another huge occasion and will underline the fact that Ricky Hatton is simply in a different league."
Cannot see the comments by Ricky's lawyer going down to well!
Personally, I don't hold much hope for the fight happening at all, let alone in the near future. Great shame! Hatton-Witter would have us fans all buzzing.
Some of the criticism Ricky has received has been a little overboard, but without doubt, Hatton is a stubborn so-and-so!
"Whilst the US people weren't happy with that, they appreciated that that is what we wanted to do. We could have fought in the US or on a different date, but Ricky feels he owes this to his British fans.
StepinFetchit wrote:Vicky is a c^nt, Witter should show up at his "home comming" and punch him in his mouth while he's talking sh!t in the mic after the fight.
Ricky Hatton's lawyer has hit back at Junior Witter's latest attempts to secure a domestic light-welterweight super-fight by dismissing the potential showdown as "a waste of time".
Gareth Williams insists WBC champion Witter has no business sharing the same ring as Hatton, who is scheduled to stage a grand homecoming at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24.
Williams also rubbished claims the date could be in jeopardy because of the lack of live television coverage from the United States, saying he expects a live gate of over 50,000 to ensure another lucrative night for his man.
Williams said: "Ricky has got numerous options to pursue. He is being courted by every big promoter in the US and we have options like Manny Pacquiao, Juan Diaz or a rematch against Floyd Mayweather.
"Why is he going to fight Junior Witter when he can fight any of those guys? In our opinion Junior brings nothing to the table. Unless things change dramatically there is no way he is going to fight Ricky Hatton."
Witter's promoter Mick Hennessy sought to move the fight a bit closer this week by announcing he would accept a reversal of the usual purse bid format and accept a 30 per cent share for Witter.
Hennessy added: "As long as there is no greed in the equation, I remain convinced that this is the fight which can easily be made, and which the public want to see."
But Williams retorted: "It's a nonsense. A 70-30 split would still represent Witter's biggest pay-day by about 30 times. He can't sell out the Doncaster Dome. What makes him think he is worth that?"
The Hatton camp are putting the finishing touches to the big homecoming bill and Williams added: "If we only get 20,000 fans through the gate we'll admit we were wrong. But Ricky transcends boxing, so that isn't going to happen."
Juan Lazcano remains the favoured opponent for the assignment but hard-hitting WBO champion Ricardo Torres is also on the list. Williams claimed HBO's reticence to broadcast the fight live was not an issue.
Williams added: "I had a meeting with HBO in New York in early January when they offered a three-fight deal to Ricky. We made it perfectly clear his next fight would be in Britain at a time convenient to the English fans.
"Whilst the US people weren't happy with that, they appreciated that that is what we wanted to do. We could have fought in the US or on a different date, but Ricky feels he owes this to his British fans.
"Suggestions that the fight may be in jeopardy due to the lack of American TV are an absolute nonsense. This is going to be another huge occasion and will underline the fact that Ricky Hatton is simply in a different league."
Cannot see the comments by Ricky's lawyer going down to well!
Personally, I don't hold much hope for the fight happening at all, let alone in the near future. Great shame! Hatton-Witter would have us fans all buzzing.
Some of the criticism Ricky has received has been a little overboard, but without doubt, Hatton is a stubborn so-and-so!
Williams comments make me chuckle, Dear oh dear oh dear.
If Hatton wants to be champ again at 140, he has to beat Witter.
Autobarn wrote:As a boxing fan, Ricky is not endearing himself to me. One bit.
Hatton won't care, he only cares about the boozed drunkards who folllow him!
Shameful of Hatton and it will make a difference to whatever he wants to do after Boxingt.
People are smart enought to realise he is not the humble man of the people, he is a greedy opportunist fighting smaller older men - HE WILL GO ON ABOUT KT FOREVER!
Autobarn wrote:As a boxing fan, Ricky is not endearing himself to me. One bit.
Nor me. What kind of ego gone mad thinks that fighting in his home country is "giving something back"? This isnt Belgium or Portugal for Christs sake. It's England, and it's purely the soundest money making move for them now.
Let's get something 100% clear:
Hatton(s) no longer care about titles or fighting for honour, just dollar. They have seen the DLH way and want to be the new DLH.
Only difference is, they want to do it "poor-mans".
Everything Hatton does from hence forward is milking, pure and simple.
Why would Junior need to bring anything to the table when Hatton's made pretty much nine-figures in US dollars already? And if Hatton boxes for legacy and not for money, then surely he knows that Junior brings the WBC world title (the WBC world-fornicating-title, doesn't that mean anything anymore?) and 10,000 British boxing fans for stadium viewers and 100,000 British boxing followers for TV viewers. If he's only interested in America then why doesn't he just fornicate off and emigrate there.
well I reckon Witter would win and I'd even go to watch it, no trouble and as I'd be supporting Witter to win I guess that makes me a Witter "fan"...although I have never attended one of his fights at the prestigious dome.
So it really begs the question........how many more Witter fans are there out there (who the Hatton mob like to say don't even exist)....Quite a few potentially.
NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:well I reckon Witter would win and I'd even go to watch it, no trouble and as I'd be supporting Witter to win I guess that makes me a Witter "fan"...although I have never attended one of his fights at the prestigious dome.
So it really begs the question........how many more Witter fans are there out there (who the Hatton mob like to say don't even exist)....Quite a few potentially.
rhino222 wrote:if hatton fights torres then hatton is in serious trouble !!!!!
Don't think Torres is much of a bigger danger than Urango/Tackie/Phillips
He CERTAINLY is. But Hatton chooses the path of least risk for most reward. Torres can BANG. He wont represent much more money than fighting any of the other champs at 140. The reality is Torres knocks his block off and very quickly at that.
His victory of Tackie although very late in coming was a decent name to his ledger. The Phillips and Urango bouts were a complete waste of time. Tackie since being drubbed by Kostya in a 1 sided clinic has been proven to be nothing more thana journeyman with a great chin and Urango is still a nobody whilst Phillips ismore ancient than an Egyptian mummy.
Autobarn wrote:He's mugging the British fans worst than his John Ruiz style grappling spoils his fights.
Exactly, I find Hatton fights a bore. His best performance was against a 35 yo inactive and injury prone Kostya Tszyu, who was almost even on the cards until he retired due to being knackered.
Apart from that Hatton's performances have been below average in my book.
I think he appeals more to football fans rather than true boxing fans.
Autobarn wrote:He's mugging the British fans worst than his John Ruiz style grappling spoils his fights.
Exactly, I find Hatton fights a bore. His best performance was against a 35 yo inactive and injury prone Kostya Tszyu, who was almost even on the cards until he retired due to being knackered.
Apart from that Hatton's performances have been below average in my book.
I think he appeals more to football fans rather than true boxing fans.
This is exactly it. Hatton claims to have the 'best fans in the world', but the majority are not boxing fans. Out of the thousands of fans he has attracted I am sure some will now follow the sport closely but for the masses they won't.
Ricky and Billy have convinced the mainstream press and themselves that Hatton was 'Mr Excitement', I can't think of one exciting performance post Tszyu, maybe Collazo.
Prior to the Mayweather fight, he was telling anyone who would listen that by beating Floyd he would be the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, and the mainstream would have probably agreed.
True fans obviously know Tarver didn't gain that accolade by beating jones, and Taylor didn't by beating Hopkins.
Autobarn wrote:He's mugging the British fans worst than his John Ruiz style grappling spoils his fights.
Exactly, I find Hatton fights a bore. His best performance was against a 35 yo inactive and injury prone Kostya Tszyu, who was almost even on the cards until he retired due to being knackered.
Apart from that Hatton's performances have been below average in my book.
I think he appeals more to football fans rather than true boxing fans.
Yeh, read this and weep $hitmanhatton1........C^NT.
