Ricky Hatton is not a fan of former opponent Floyd Mayweather’s latest money-making exercise.
The 44-year-old Mayweather will face 0-1 YouTube celebrity turned fighter Logan Paul at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, on Sunday evening, giving away 34.5lbs in weight in a high-profile exhibition that would have seemed barely believable a couple of years ago.
Two-weight champion Hatton, who worked tirelessly to seize his own opportunity against Mayweather in December 2007, feels that the American great is doing his legacy no favours by gifting an opportunity to a novice.
“I think Floyd Mayweather is damaging his legacy, his peers will be looking at him. Truth be known, though, Floyd doesn’t give a sh!t. He doesn’t care. He’s called himself ‘Money’ Mayweather for God sake, that tells you all you need to know,” Hatton told Metro.
“It is all about money with him. Me personally, I thought it was about the fans, the fans pay your wages. The fans deserved to be entertained. Floyd isn’t bothered as long as he gets money. It shows total disrespect to his peers and the other great champions of old.
“Of course, you go into professional boxing for money reasons, to provide a better living for your family and a better lifestyle for them and yourself. So of course, money plays a big part. But some things have to come before money. Like legacy. How much money does he want? He has already secured his family’s future. The last few fights you want are the ones to secure your legacy.
“I haven’t seen Logan Paul box, I don’t know if he’s any good or how bad he is. I didn’t know who he was until a few months ago until he started getting linked with all these fighters. What upsets me, as a boxer who loved and still loves this sport, I feel very proud of how hard I worked to get the opportunity to fight Floyd Mayweather.
“I beat Kostya Tszyu, who was the best in the light welterweight division. I beat Carlos Maussa, I beat Luis Collazo, I beat Juan Urango, I beat Jose Luis Castillo, that’s how I got my shot at Floyd Mayweather. [Paul] has got a shot at him because he’s got 72 fucking million followers. And it pisses me off.”