Hatton closer to dream showdown with Mayweather

RICKY HATTON edged closer to a dream showdown with Floyd Mayweather yesterday when his promoter, Frank Warren, confirmed that television commitments were no obstacle to the fight being made.

Warren will sit down with Hatton this week to discuss an opponent for the first defence of his IBF light-welterweight title in the autumn.

And while a clash with new WBC champion Mayweather is further down the road, Warren is confident a deal could be struck.

Mayweather looked devastating on Saturday night in Atlantic City when he forced champion Arturo Gatti to retire at the end of round six.

And Warren confirmed there is no stumbling block over TV issues with Hatton fighting purely on a fight-by-fight basis with Showtime and Mayweather striking the same deal with Home Box Office.

“We don’t have any contractual commitments to any television networks and I will sit down with Ricky and his dad soon to discuss where we go from here,” he said.

Hatton was ringside in America to watch Mayweather overwhelm Gatti, who came in for some criticism from Warren for the manner of his performance.

Warren added: “I thought Mayweather looked really sharp and threw great punches but I thought Gatti looked terrible. “He was just basically walking forward and I don’t think he got over that first round when he stopped and looked at the referee for some infringement or other.

“Mayweather hit Gatti with some cracking shots but he couldn’t finish him and he didn’t look like a big puncher for me.”