Dad - Ricky shouldn't have fought

Deteriorating relationship: Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Sr

Also see

• Hatton-Pacquiao report
• Hatton-Pacquiao pics
• Jim Watt's verdict
• Moore-Dzuman
• Jeffries-Meissner
• Munroe-Nettey
• Williams-McDermott

Ricky Hatton's father has said that his son's preparations for his fight with Manny Pacquiao were so chaotic he should have withdrawn from the contest.

Hatton was knocked out by the Filipino in round two their Las Vegas contest, with rumours of unrest within the Mancunian's training camp leading up to the fight.

They centred around a deteriorating relationship with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr whom, it was reported, consistently arrived late for training and failed to turn up on the night of the fight itself until Hatton was having his hands bandaged.

Now Ray Hatton has told Setanta Sports he believes that, with hindsight, his son should not have climbed into the ring with Pacquiao at all.

"It could have been a lot, lot better - massively better. I'm very disappointed with some of the things that I heard," he said.

"I'm also very disappointed in some of the things I personally saw. I had reservations early on. It wasn't ideal by any means.

"I'm not making excuses about the performance because I wouldn't do that but I think the fans know Ricky Hatton and they know what we're all about.

"In hindsight, if the truth be known, he probably would have been as well making this the first fight he had pulled out of."

Fan loyalty

Hatton Sr insisted the only reason his son fought was out of loyalty to his fans, of whom an estimated 10,000 travelled to Nevada.

"Ricky's had 47 fights and when has anybody had their money back because the fight's been called off?" he added.

"That shows what Ricky's all about. He's never pulled out of a fight, never disappointed the fans.

"But, when you've got people travelling thousands of miles, you've got to think of them. It doesn't take anything away from Manny.

"He's a great, great fighter but, for me, personally, that wasn't my son in that ring."