Ricky Hatton's dream showdown against Floyd Mayweather has moved closer to becoming reality after his stunning win over Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Mayweather's uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather says his man could be ready to reverse the retirement decision he announced after outpointing Oscar De La Hoya next month.
And Hatton (pictured right) would be high on his list of potential future opponents with few other rivals capable of providing the pay-per-view TV interest required to bankroll a Mayweather return. Roger Mayweather said: "The only way for Ricky to get Floyd in the ring is to drive up to where Floyd is at with a big truck-load of money to persuade him out of retirement. If Ricky and Floyd did fight it would be one of the greatest fights of all time. There has to be enough money, but enough money will get a dead man out of his grave."
Hatton has wasted no opportunity to pour scorn on what he perceives to be Mayweather's negative style, claiming his latest win contained more excitement than Mayweather's whole career.
Hatton took less than four full rounds to dispatch the Mexican - who had previously twice been the distance with Mayweather - with a breathtaking body shot. And despite many shrewd judges giving Hatton little chance against the commonly accepted pound-for-pound world number one, Hatton is rightly bullish about his ability to hand Mayweather his first defeat.
Hatton said: "I think my style is his worst nightmare. I think I've got the style to beat him. He needs me like he needs a hole in the head."
Fuelled by a growing desire to contest super-fights for the remainder of his career, Hatton says he is reconsidering his previous pledge never again to step up to the 147lbs welterweight limit.
On his only previous attempt, he struggled desperately to outpoint Luis Collazo in Boston last and was subsequently warned against repeating the feat by his trainer Billy Graham. However, given the exodus of potential 140lbs rivals like Mayweather and Miguel Cotto to the higher division, Hatton is having second thoughts and now believes his future may lie in putting on the pounds.
Hatton added: "That is where all the big names are. Against Collazo I had seven weeks to move up and I didn't carry the weight comfortably and I lost a bit of mobility. Nigel Benn told me I really needed two or three fights to grow into the weight."
Hatton's advisers meanwhile favour a triumphant homecoming later this year for his next fight.
