Ricky Hatton has expressed his disappointment with the current state of the heavyweight boxing scene, particularly in relation to the negotiations between Anthony Joshua (AJ) and Dillian Whyte, News About Nigeria reports.
The British former professional boxer described the ongoing talks between the two fighters as “a little bit upsetting” and likened it to a “circus.”
Initially, Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn had intended to arrange a rematch with Dillian Whyte on August 12. The two fighters had previously clashed in 2015, with AJ emerging as the victor. However, Whyte was dissatisfied with the financial terms offered for the rematch, leading Hearn to reveal that the fight was unlikely to take place as Joshua started considering other potential opponents.
In a recent turn of events, Whyte revealed that Joshua was never truly committed to the fight and had not received a contract. Upon hearing this, Hearn sent a contract to “The Bodysnatcher” for review.
However, the fight has once again hit a roadblock, as Whyte discovered that Joshua had included a clause in the contract requiring a rematch, a stipulation commonly seen in Joshua’s fight deals.
Reportedly, Whyte is now demanding a one-off fight, as he would prefer to face Deontay Wilder as his next opponent. These ongoing discussions have left Hatton feeling confused and uncertain about whom to believe and what to make of the situation involving both parties.
“The heavyweight scene is a little bit upsetting, isn’t it?”.
“I’m not pointing any fingers at promoters or TV or even fighters, but it’s a little bit like a circus at the minute, you don’t know who to believe or what to believe.
“I originally saw that Dillian Whyte vs Anthony Joshua was going to be made in August and then Dillian Whyte said he hasn’t even had an offer and then Eddie Hearn said he had made an offer and then they were arguing over how much the offer was and I was thinking to myself ‘what do you believe?’.”
“Negotiating is part of the business. I’ve been there and you want the best deal, but sometimes they’re going to cut the nose off to spite the face.
“You see YouTubers, rappers and Mixed Martial Artists fighting each other and they’re the ones pulling in the crowds while our sport is suffering and it’s because big fights aren’t being made,” he added furiously.
