Ricky Hatton has questioned whether Floyd Mayweather has run out of money, or is just greedy, as he continues to earn millions from exhibition fights.
The former world champions fought in 2007 after a heated build-up, with Mayweather landing a knockout in the tenth round to hand the Brit his first professional win. Fifteen years later, they are both long retired from the sport as professionals, but are competing in exhibition bouts as entertainment spectacles, with no winner declared.
On November 12, Hatton will face Marco Antonio Barrera at the AO Arena in Manchester after dropping over 40lb to get back in fighting shape and sparring with his son Campbell in an intensive training camp. The following night in Dubai, Mayweather takes on YouTube star Deji in his third exhibition of the year, and his fifth since retiring at 50-0 in 2017.
And the Brit believes that getting in the ring with Deji, who is 1-3 in all forms of combat having lost his first three ring outings before landing a knockout win this summer, is "making a mockery" of the sport. Barrera is a multiple-weight world champion, and would have been a similar level to Hatton during the pair's primes.
“I don’t get it," Hatton told World Boxing News. "Surely, he’s made enough money. Is he skint, or is it greed? “I think his latest YouTuber [Deji] has won one and lost three, something like that. I mean, come on. Who wants to watch that? It’s making a mockery of boxing.
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“He fought Conor McGregor, and I got that. I understood why people bought into it. But for me, it would have to be something like that for me to consider doing it. But not someone [like Deji] who’s won one and lost three.”
Hatton isn't opposed to rematching Mayweather, or his other rival Manny Pacquiao who is also returning to exhibition action in December, if an offer were to arise. He and the American had a legendary press tour leading into their December 2007 match-up, and would likely be able to recreate some of their verbal barbs before competing in an exhibition with no winner crowned.
“If the opportunity arose to box in an exhibition, then I would have to look at it," Hatton said, before joking that he would need to see who was the referee after having issues with the official in their professional bout. "A lot would depend on the offer but definitely not if Joe Cortez was refereeing it."
