Boxing: Floyd Mayweather to Take Ricky Hatton Bait

Ricky Hatton's taunts may have had the desired effect and tempted Floyd Mayweather out of retirement.

After Hatton's stunning fourth-round stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo in the early hours of Sunday morning, the IBF light welterweight champion challenged Mayweather to a multi-million-pound super-fight.

Both fighters are unbeaten, but Mayweather had previously insisted last month's victory over Oscar de la Hoya would be his final bout. Now, Mayweather's adviser Leonard Ellerbe claims Hatton's jibes have paid off.

"He got Floyd's attention. Now we're calling his bluff," Ellerbe told the New York Daily News. "All he has to do is make a deal and he'll have his chance to back up all that talk. All that's standing between him and Floyd is air and opportunity.

"We can make the deal this week. He's very, very disrespectful. He's trying to promote himself off Floyd's name. When we make the deal, we'll show the world why he's the most overrated fighter of this decade. Floyd has never taken any fight personally. But he's taking this personally. Floyd is going to kick his butt."

Ellerbe revealed Mayweather was far from impressed by Hatton's performance against Castillo at the Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas. "He said he only wants to fight the best - then sign the contract," Ellerbe said. "Floyd's going to show all his fans in Britain just what a phony he is."