Manny Pacquiao's stunning win over a fast-fading Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas last Saturday night was not what Ricky Hatton wanted to see.
Hatton, ringside at the MGM Grand, was hoping for a conclusive win for De La Hoya which would open the way for a projected superfight against the American at a British stadium next summer.
While that could conceivably still happen, it would more than ever carry the aura of a retirement party rather than any sort of contest in which rich legacies and pound for pound status were at stake.
Instead, Hatton may have to face up to the fact that his stadium dream is over. He may pursue Pacquiao, but he will have to get into a queue likely soon to be headed by - wait for it - a returning Floyd Mayweather.
In any case, such a showdown would almost certainly take place in the United States. Pacquiao, no stranger to national hero status, does not, unlike De La Hoya, crave a piece of the frenzy surrounding Hatton at home.
While he waits, Hatton has a number of options far more attractive than a fight against De La Hoya. He could take his pick of the world's top lightweights, not least the exciting former Pacquiao foe Juan Manuel Marquez.
It would be no surprise to see Hatton versus Marquez quickly inked for May next year. Victory would enhance Hatton's credibility in the US - and boost his hopes of one day getting into the ring opposite the extraordinary Pacquiao.
source: sportlife.com
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