SYDNEY, 8 December 2004 — Australia’s world champion Kostya Tszyu said yesterday he has no plans of a title fight with England’s Ricky Hatton.
English boxing promoter Frank Warren last week told the British media Hatton would challenge International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight champion Tszyu on March 5 in Manchester.
Warren said the fight was on and that he believed he was close to an official announcement and was working on a date and venue.
But Tszyu and his manager Matt Watt yesterday rejected any suggestion of a deal with Warren.
“I’ve got no idea what he’s talking about, there definitely hasn’t been any verbal agreement from me,” Tszyu told Australian Associated Press yesterday. The 35-year-old Russian-born fighter also made it clear he would not be ready to fight in March.
Tszyu said he wants to spend time with his family over the next few weeks and has told American television Showtime he will be ready to fight from April.
Watt said he had not spoken to Warren about a fight with Hatton and thought the promoter was trying to drum up interest leading in to his fighter’s contest against Ray Oliveira in England on Saturday.
“Frank Warren is generating some interest in Ricky Hatton for this weekend talking about Tszyu as the next fight, he is getting way ahead of himself talking about an agreement, verbal or otherwise, between Ricky Hatton and Kostya Tszyu,” Watt said.
“Ricky Hatton is one of a number of opponents we are considering and if Frank Warren thinks there is almost a verbal agreement, maybe he should give me a call and tell me about it.”
