Ricky Hatton has shared his verdict on the problems within the heavyweight division.
The former two-weight world champion was quizzed for his thoughts on boxing’s big-money division after talks between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte appeared to hit another stumbling block. ‘AJ’ is targeting a fight in August and Eddie Hearn confirmed that an offer had been made to Whyte but suggested that an agreement was unlikely.
Whyte responded by stating that he was willing to agree to the fight but hit back at the inclusion of a rematch clause and various other contract terms with Whyte pointing to Joshua’s proposed fight with Deontay Wilder in December as a possible explanation. This has forced Hatton to question where the real issue lies among the two heavyweights.
READ: Dillian Whyte digs out Eddie Hearn over Anthony Joshua contract details
"The heavyweight scene is a little bit upsetting, isn't it?" Hatton told talkSPORT. "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?'."
Meanwhile, WBC champion Tyson Fury is still looking for his first opponent since December, having failed to finalise fights with both Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. However, the WBC have confirmed that they have no plans to call a mandatory challenger for Fury’s title, which puzzled multiple-time world champion Hatton.
"I don't know what's happening these days but it's like the governing bodies are making up their own rules for their financial benefit and it's hurting our sport,” Hatton added. "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."
