 Hatton celebrates his win over WBA welterweight champion Collazo |
Ricky Hatton has admitted that he could move back down a weight division despite claiming the WBA welterweight title in Boston last weekend. Hatton out-pointed Luis Collazo in his first fight since moving up from light welterweight but found the going tough against an under-rated opponent.
Hatton said: "I'm a natural light welterweight and nothing has changed.
"If a big fight is offered at light welterweight, I'll come back down - but I showed that I can do it at welter."
The weight at which Hatton chooses to fight in future may well be decided by the quality of opponent on offer.
The 27-year-old said: "I'm not saying I won't fight Collazo again but, to be honest, I fought Collazo and I beat him.
"If the opinion is that there are better fighters at welterweight, then I'll stay there and if the better fighters are at light welterweight, then I'll move back down.
"I'd much rather fight the winner of Gatti-Baldomir or Mayweather, or go back down to light welter and fight Cotto or Corrales and Castillo."
Hatton won the IBF and WBA belts at light welterweight before giving them up to take on Collazo. American Corrales puts his WBC crown on the line against Mexico's Castillo in Las Vegas on 3 June.
They have already met twice in two stunning bouts.
Corrales won the first, coming back from two knockdowns in the 10th round to stop the WBC champion in what many regarded as the best fight of 2005.
Castillo then took the second in October of last year, although his fourth-round stoppage of Corrales did not net him a world title because he had failed to make the weight.
Corrales, 28, has a total of 40 victories from his 43 bouts, winning 33 of them by knockout. Castillo, 32, has knocked out 47 opponents in his 54 wins from 62 fights.