Ricky Hatton Thinks Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos Maidana Fight Is a Mismatch

Ricky Hatton was disappointed with Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s decision to face Marcos Maidana instead of Amir Khan in his upcoming fight on May 3 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Hatton said that Mayweather robbed boxing fans of what could have been a competitive showdown with Khan, whom he said has a good shot at handing the pound-for-pound king the first defeat of his boxing career.

Khan, who turned down a showdown with Devon Alexander in December to stay in the race for Mayweather's next fight, was a favorite to land a bout with the Grand Rapids native before Mayweather opted to face the Argentinian, who recently defeated Adrien Broner.

Hatton, who absorbed a knockout loss to Mayweather in 2007, said that Maidana will not be huge threat to the undefeated champion, saying that Mayweather's next fight will just be similar to his previous fight against Saul Alvarez.

Mayweather dominated the then-unbeaten Alvarez en route to a unanimous decision win during their WBC and WBA light middleweight title showdown in September last year.

"I like Maidana. He is a big puncher and he's all action, but I don't see that he has any of the qualities that could trouble Floyd," Hatton told The Manchester Evening News. "Style-wise it's a mismatch. He's just a smaller Alvarez with less boxing ability. I don't see how he's going to harm Floyd unless he lands one on the chin - and we all know how hard he is to hit."

Hatton insisted that Khan is a more deserving opponent for Mayweather compared to Maidana. The former champion said that his compatriot has the perfect style and ability to put the 36-year-old champion in trouble.

Hatton said that winning against Mayweather will be a long shot for Khan, but he pointed out that the Bolton native's speed could have given Mayweather a long night in his next bout.

"Amir might be the only fighter out there who is as fast as him and even if Floyd did win, he might not come out of it looking very good," Hatton stressed. "Instead, he has chosen Maidana as his next opponent, but for me it's just a repeat of the Saul Alvarez fight. Floyd won that comfortably despite giving away a weight advantage."