Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer says he is confident Ricky Hatton will meet Manny Pacquiao - in Las Vegas.
Golden Boy CEO confident deal can be done
Ricky Hatton is closing in on a showdown with Manny Pacquiao, although a mid-summer clash at Wembley is looking increasingly unlikely.
Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer says talks with both parties are going well - despite Floyd Mayweather Jr's attempts to hijack the deal.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum says he is hopeful of a deal being made, while Hatton appears happy to take on the Filipino following his stunning win over Oscar De La Hoya earlier this month.
And Schaefer is confident the fight will be finalised sooner rather than later - with May 2, 2009, being touted as the date.
"I'm encouraged by the way it's going, and I'm talking to the Hattons (on Friday) again," he said.
"You really have two of the most popular fighters of their generation fighting each other, and that's the kind of fight we want to make."
Following
Hatton is known to want a rematch Mayweather Jr, the only man to beat him in 46 professional contests.
But with the Pretty Boy retiring after their fight 12 months ago, he is likely to want a tune-up bout before going in with either the Hitman, or Pacquiao.
That would pave the way for the pair to face-off in what could be an unofficial eliminator next summer.
Hatton has promised to stage one more megafight in Britain before hanging up his gloves, but Schaefer wants to see any match with Pacquiao take place in Las Vegas.
"This is a fight with tremendous global appeal, and both of them have built up a very strong following here," he said.
"With Manny's following in Asia and Ricky's support in Europe, you could say Las Vegas is the centre of everything."
And the Hatton team appear to have accepted that a fight with Pacquiao has to happen Stateside to satisfy America's pay-per-view audience.
"It is going to come down to lots of external factors," said Hatton's lawyer Gareth Williams.
"One of the major factors is American television. We're going to have to sit down and talk to them about where they want the fight to be.
"In an ideal world, we would want the fight to be in the UK. But if financially it doesn't make sense, then it won't be."
But Arum was more to the point: "I can assure you it will not be at Wembley."
