HATTON IN LINE IF MARGARITO FALLS THROUGH

Wednesday 19th April 2006
www.SkySports.com UK London



Bob Arum claims that Ricky Hatton wants a showdown with Floyd Mayweather later this year.

The Top Rank supremo says the Hitman's American promoter, Artie Pelullo, has been on to him about an Autumn match-up with the four-weight world champion.

Mayweather is being lined up for a superfight with WBO welterweight king Antonio Margarito in August, but if that doesn't happen, Arum insists Hatton - who boxes Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight title in May - has put himself next in line.

"Artie Pelullo, Hatton's promoter, told me today that he had talked to the Hatton people and if Hatton is successful against Collazo and Floyd doesn't fight Margarito they would want to fight sometime in the early Fall," he said.

Hatton will also be an interested observer when a decision is reached on Mayweather's last fight, a controversial victory over Zab Judah.

Mayweather's trainer and uncle, Roger, jumped into the ring to protest at a low blow and a melee ensued before the fight was allowed to continue and the Pretty Boy took a comfortable points decision.

Judah's promoter Don King believes the trainer's intervention should have led to disqualification and called for an immediate rematch.

The IBF have agreed in principal, although Arum insists "nobody is taking them seriously".

"Floyd's potential fight with Margarito would be switched to August 12, it would get pushed back to have its own month rather than sharing July with the (Shane) Mosley-(Fernando) Vargas rematch

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Good, either one of these would be great fights for PBF and I'd be surprised if anybody complained about him if he took one of these

Personally, I'm not interested in an ODLH fight, its better than if he fought a no hoper but it doesn't interest me that much

I didn't even know a Shane-Vargas rematch was being planned