Ricky Hatton, Michael Moorer strike different tones in leading their class into Hall of Fame

Ricky Hatton (left) of England, lands a left to the face of Juan Urango, of Colombia, in the seventh round of their IBF Jr. welterweight title boxing match in Las Vegas, in 2007

Ricky Hatton laughed his way through his Hall of Fame induction speech, marveling at the places boxing took him and the thousands of his fans that would always follow.

“I had some wars, didn’t I?” Hatton said last weekend. “When I think back at the Kostya Tszyu fight, Floyd Mayweather fight, Manny Pacquiao fight and my toughest fight, my divorce.”

Michael Moorer took a more serious tone with a plea for safer conditions for boxers during and after their careers.

Hatton and Moorer, both champions in two weight classes, were the headline names when the International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 2024 was inducted during a ceremony at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Moorer won the light heavyweight title in just his 12th pro fight and later moved up to become the first southpaw heavyweight champion. Noting the size of present-day heavyweights who sometimes weigh more than 250 pounds, with former champion Tyson Fury fighting above 270, Moorer called for the advent of a super heavyweight division.

Moorer, who went 52-4-1 with 40 knockouts, said he has undergone 28 surgeries and been left without the ability to smell or taste. He said it was imperative for boxing’s sanctioning bodies, managers and promoters to prioritize the welfare of fighters.

“The toll on a fighter’s body persists long after they hang up their gloves,” Moorer said. “I am just one of the many retired fighters who have been left to deal with a long list of injuries without any meaningful insurance assistance.”

Ivan Calderon and Diego Corrales, who died in 2007 two years after rallying in a memorable 10th round to beat Jose Luis Castillo in boxing’s “Fight of the Year,” were the other headline fighters in the class that will be enshrined in the hall’s museum in Canastota, New York.

Calderon, a two-division champion from Puerto Rico who still works with fighters from there, noted the presence of the heads of three boxing organizations, who were also Latin American.

Pacquiao Looking for comeback

Manny Pacquiao said earlier this week that a title fight against Mario Barrios is in the works, with details still being negotiated.

Pacquiao, a former world champion who retired in 2021, spoke in Japan to promote a three-round boxing exhibition on July 28 against Japanese MMA fighter Chihiro Suzuki.

“We’re still in under negotiation,” the 45-year-old Pacquiao said of the possible Barrios fight for the WBC welterweight title. “And, we’re talking about that. The fight is not materialized yet. But that negotiation is ongoing.”

He hinted any eventual fight would be in November or December. But he said his mind was on Suzuki.

“I just want to say to everybody. This is not an exhibition. This is a fight, a three-round fight,” Pacquiao said.Pacquiao lost in the run for the presidency of the Philippines in 2022.

His career boxing record is 62 wins (39 KOs), 8 losses and 2 draws.

Suzuki knows he is up against a legend. MDT/AP