RICKY HATTON STATEMENT ON SCOTT QUIGG

"I was bitterly disappointed recently to see Scott Quigg leave Hatton Promotions to move across to the Matchroom stable.

Scott was one of my first signings and a young man I brought up from the boxing dinner show circuit to world title level.

Bearing in mind the massive financial investment, plus the time spent by my team to get him the opportunities we did, to see him sign with someone else while we were still providing opportunities was such a shame.  

Scott believed that we owed him more fights under his contract. However, a fighter going the places we thought he was going can only fight so many times a year and when we lost our television dates it made our job extremely difficult as a talent such as Scott should be on TV. I was very keen that we get the right fights for Scott not just any fights.

Scott came into my office for a meeting, rightly concerned after the loss of the TV dates. I explained to him how difficult it had been and told him to give me a few weeks to sort him a deal.

I told him then that if I couldn’t get him a deal I would give him his contract back, shake his hand and sincerely wish him all the best. I did not wish to stand in the way of his career and progress. Scott agreed and thanked me.

After that, I spoke to Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions and told him how I felt the time was right for Scott to make his name in the US.
Schaefer thought the same way so we agreed a three-fight deal for Scott to box on world title bills in the US which would be co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Hatton Promotions with Scott receiving the purses he wanted. This deal including him making appearances on the undercard of a Floyd May weather fight in Las Vegas and a Zab Judah fight in New York.

We also had a three fight offer from ESPN, which would have given him huge exposure. The money wasn’t great but I offered to make his purse up out of my own pocket.  
In the circumstances this was a fantastic opportunity for Scott to give him exposure to the biggest boxing market in the world. Having offered to make up his purse I was very surprised learn from Scott’s then manager that Scott felt (or was being advised) that I must have been taking money away from him in some way. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

To my surprise Scott refused all of the offers and said he wanted to stay in England.
Scott was then asked what he thought of a fight with Carl Frampton. I was prepared to work on putting together an opportunity in relation to this. Scott said he felt he was 12 months off that fight.

I could feel an issue was coming because even after that we got him the chance to fight in the UK on a televised bill with ten weeks’ notice. He refused again, this time stating he needed 12 weeks to prepare.

My team were struggling to know what else they could do for Scott having presented a number of great opportunities. We asked him exactly what he wanted us to do and he said that he didn’t know and needed time to think.

Sadly the only reports we got at that time were that Scott wished to move away from Hatton Promotions.  Given all the efforts this was most disappointing.
In a last ditch effort to reassure Scott of his future, Richard Schaefer and Oscar De la Hoya agreed to do a conference call along with myself and Scott to advise him on what was the best way forward for his boxing career and what we could do for him.

When Scott was offered this chance he told Hatton Promotions that he’d already made up my mind up. He wanted to leave.
At this stage I resigned myself to the fact that was it, Scott wanted to go.

I considered taking the legal route to keep him, with respective solicitors exchanging correspondence but it was clear to me that it was a road to nowhere as Scott was prepared to do anything to leave Hatton Promotions. His solicitors letters made that clear.

I had to think to myself, do I really want to spend money trying to keep a fighter who wants to leave and who I can’t get to accept the opportunities we put to him?
I feel we could do no more. I believe my team have offered great opportunities to Scott and he has declined them. It is fair to say my views on Scott have changed in recent times. Nether the less, I will watch his career with huge interest.

Ricky Hatton MBE"

Read more at http://www.eastsideboxing.com/2013/ricky-hatton-statement-on-scott-quigg/#H061YUXvePWh3g7H.99

Interesting read Strongy. To be honest only reading Hatton's take on events so would be unfair to castigate Scott on the back of this but putting aside what has happened between them do get the impression if Ricky is going to survive and flourish in the promotional game he needs to develop something of a tougher hide. Remember when he lost his Sky deal he did his fair share of grumbling and complaints about the lack of loyalty. He may well have been right but suspect he needs to realise fans, fighters and TV companies are largely pretty fickle and out for what is best for themselves.

Interesting his comments about Scott not wanting the Frampton fight, find that hard to believe, suspect reading between the lines it really means he did not want it with Hatton promoting.

Hatton wanted to move from Warren promotions.........and he dumped his longtime Coach unceremoniously......

So tough doodie..........

Hatton is turning into a bitter man I think

You fancy Rees on Saturday??

Hearn can offer good fights at home building up his own fan base for good money on sky. Hattons offers don't really stack up in comparison. Especially if the kid likes home comforts. Hatton or khan going stateside is a whole different prospect to what quigg would have been facing into.

Bottom line is Hearn has more clout in Boxing than Hatton..........end of.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:You fancy Rees on Saturday??

Yeah. He is gonna bust Crolla up hopefully. Late stoppage with a bit of luck. Im missing the fight as in Belfast meeting the in-laws for the first time

On that note im off to bed. Have a good weekend folks and lets hope its a win for Rees against Crolla and Wales (with a couple of Paddys and Toffs thrown in) against Australia in the second rugby test

Regards

Hatton wanted to move from Warren promotions.........and he dumped his longtime Coach unceremoniously......

So tough doodie...........

Hatton was a massive draw for Warren but Hatton made it abundantly clear that he wanted bigger fights against better fighters. Warren blagged and wriggled and squirmed until we reached the now infamous bust-up with Adam Smith live on Sky. Warren had the clout to secure bigger and better fights for Hatton a damn sight sooner than he did, he just chose (again) to milk his biggest cash cow.

Hatton is relatively small time and has been open and honest as to the reasons why he couldn't get the fights he felt Quigg needed. The options he allegedly offered with Golden Boy Promotions seem, on the face of it, to be a fantastic opportunity and one which I believe most young fighters would relish. The truth of the matter would probably be that Quigg was fighting in front of half a dozen drunk guys and a hot dog vendor but he still gets to taste the Big Fight atmosphere at some level.

Quigg taken the safer option of going with Hearn but you have to ask, is he a big enough name to push his way to the forefront of Hearn's attentions or will he just end up being "another guy I promote"?

DAVE667 wrote:

Hatton wanted to move from Warren promotions.........and he dumped his longtime Coach unceremoniously......

So tough doodie...........

Hatton was a massive draw for Warren but Hatton made it abundantly clear that he wanted bigger fights against better fighters. Warren blagged and wriggled and squirmed until we reached the now infamous bust-up with Adam Smith live on Sky. Warren had the clout to secure bigger and better fights for Hatton a damn sight sooner than he did, he just chose (again) to milk his biggest cash cow.

Hatton is relatively small time and has been open and honest as to the reasons why he couldn't get the fights he felt Quigg needed. The options he allegedly offered with Golden Boy Promotions seem, on the face of it, to be a fantastic opportunity and one which I believe most young fighters would relish. The truth of the matter would probably be that Quigg was fighting in front of half a dozen drunk guys and a hot dog vendor but he still gets to taste the Big Fight atmosphere at some level.

Quigg taken the safer option of going with Hearn but you have to ask, is he a big enough name to push his way to the forefront of Hearn's attentions or will he just end up being "another guy I promote"?

Think after the inactivity that Quigg has had he was entitled to jump ship when the offer came from Hearn as was Hatton when he made the move from Warren during his career.

Hatton of all people should know that boxing is a business and its pretty much ever man for himself, as Trussman stated he had no issues dumping billy graham and jumping promoters even after being delivered a world title fight in his own backyard against tszyu.

The 'statement' from Hatton on Quigg for me was uncalled for, what was the point of it, seemed to be airing his dirty laundry in public and was very similar to the 'statements' Warren has been known to make in the past.

Funny now seeing Hatton cosying up to Warren, as many have said in the past, you want loyalty buy a dog.

irishbrads wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:

Hatton wanted to move from Warren promotions.........and he dumped his longtime Coach unceremoniously......

So tough doodie...........

Hatton was a massive draw for Warren but Hatton made it abundantly clear that he wanted bigger fights against better fighters. Warren blagged and wriggled and squirmed until we reached the now infamous bust-up with Adam Smith live on Sky. Warren had the clout to secure bigger and better fights for Hatton a damn sight sooner than he did, he just chose (again) to milk his biggest cash cow.

Hatton is relatively small time and has been open and honest as to the reasons why he couldn't get the fights he felt Quigg needed. The options he allegedly offered with Golden Boy Promotions seem, on the face of it, to be a fantastic opportunity and one which I believe most young fighters would relish. The truth of the matter would probably be that Quigg was fighting in front of half a dozen drunk guys and a hot dog vendor but he still gets to taste the Big Fight atmosphere at some level.

Quigg taken the safer option of going with Hearn but you have to ask, is he a big enough name to push his way to the forefront of Hearn's attentions or will he just end up being "another guy I promote"?

Think after the inactivity that Quigg has had he was entitled to jump ship when the offer came from Hearn as was Hatton when he made the move from Warren during his career.

Hatton of all people should know that boxing is a business and its pretty much ever man for himself, as Trussman stated he had no issues dumping billy graham and jumping promoters even after being delivered a world title fight in his own backyard against tszyu.

The 'statement' from Hatton on Quigg for me was uncalled for, what was the point of it, seemed to be airing his dirty laundry in public and was very similar to the 'statements' Warren has been known to make in the past.

Funny now seeing Hatton cosying up to Warren, as many have said in the past, you want loyalty buy a dog.

Now that Hatton has teamed up with Warren on BoxNation it might be the start of the BoxNation promotors trying to stick the knife into Matchroom.

Quivering with fear.......Eddie is I'm sure........

Wait a minute Frampton is Irish.....So that's why you like Boxnation.. 

Sour grapes from hatton and hope he doesn't go down the Warre route of ripping everyone that jumps ship regardless of his failings as a promoter, then to turn around when they remember him like Khan and Haye

There was no need for the statement. He said at the beginning that he'd let Quigg go if he couldn't get the fights, then when that happened he wanted to take legal action... What happened

The whole GoldenBoy thing sounds great but right now Quigg isn't a world title challenger and the most important years of his development have been wasted. Going to America with a small fanbase isn't for anyone and factor in the poor money he talked about then why would he take it.