boxing: Witter camp targets Hatton fight

[AFC1986]

credit: www.bbc.co.uk

Junior Witter's promoter Mick Hennessy is confident he can make a British superfight with Ricky Hatton next year.

Bradford's Witter claimed the vacant WBC light welterweight title with a unanimous decision over America's DeMarcus Corley in London on Friday.

Former two-weight world champion Hatton is set to fight for his old IBF 140lbs belt against Juan Urango in January.

"It could be the biggest fight in British history and it should happen in spring or early summer," said Hennessy.

"It's my understanding that Ricky's gone on record and said that if Junior wins the WBC belt, he'll fight him, and I believe him when he says that.

"The logical place would be somewhere like Manchester City's ground [Hatton is a Man City fan] and Junior can win it and clean up the division.

"It's opened many doors. There's potential for a [Juan] Lazcano fight in the US - [American TV network] HBO are interested in that. And there's also talk of [Jose Luis] Castillo.

"I've spoken to Oscar de la Hoya and he wants to work with us on it and do big things in the States.

"We've got the WBC title, the main title and they've all got to chase us now. It was an incredible performance."

Witter himself said Hatton and Zab Judah, who beat him in his last world title fight in 2000, were top of his hit-list.

"Judah's got a victory over me that I want to avenge and I've got a gripe with Ricky Hatton."

Witter's trainer Dominic Ingle, meanwhile, said that Hatton is made for his charge.

"Ricky Hatton's a pressure fighter but he's easier to hit than Judah or Corley," said Ingle, who works with Witter at his father Brendan's Sheffield gym.

"He can come forward and take shots, but he can't keep doing that. In his last fight [against Luis Collazo] he was getting caught with shots he wouldn't normally get caught with.

"When he fights Junior, Junior will just pick and poke him and outbox him. It would be a fantastic fight.

"Before this fight, they were all saying Ricky Hatton will kill him - it's a load of rubbish. Junior's got too much power and speed."

[Just KC]

I have to agrre Hatton is not the fighter he used to be in the higher weights. he was being hit at will in his last fight, so IMO this guy can hand hatton hisd 1st defeat