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Hatton camp threaten withdrawal if Alvarez bulks up

Matthew Hatton has been warned not to fight Saul Alvarez if the Mexican does not make the agreed weight limit © Getty Images

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Ricky Hatton has urged brother Matthew to 'walk away' from his WBC light-middleweight title fight with Saul Alvarez if the Mexican turns up for the weigh-in above the agreed 150lb limit.

With both men stepping up from welterweight to contest the fight for the vacant title, the two camps reached a decision to stage the fight at a reduced weight of 150lbs - short of the 154lbs division limit.

Alvarez will lose 30% of his fight purse if he comes in above that catchweight, but Hatton's backroom team are increasingly concerned that is what he will do as he looks for any advantage in pursuit of a title victory that would propel his career to new heights.

"Our contract with Golden Boy promotions stipulates both fighters come in at or under 150lbs," Ricky Hatton told the Daily Mail. "If Alvarez is above that I would want Matthew to call it off. He is already giving away weight to a bigger man.

"This lad doesn't look to me like he's draining down to the agreed limit. His face doesn't look drawn like mine did when I had to make the weight. I'm wondering if he's just going to come in at his usual poundage, pay the fine that's in the contract and expect the fight to go on."

Hatton's lawyer, Gareth Williams, went one stage further - insisting "the fight is off" if Alvarez does not make the agreed weight. But, crucially, Matthew Hatton seems less adamant, as the 29-year-old prepares for perhaps the defining fight of his career.

"I've heard what's being said but I want to believe that Alvarez will honour our agreement," Matthew said. "If not, it will cost him a third of his purse ... and give us a decision to make."

Alvarez, who is managed by Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, will enjoy almost the entire support of the crowd when the pair fight on Saturday night in Anaheim, another advantage over his Manchester opponent. Being groomed for stardom, De la Hoya clearly has big plans for the Mexican who is yet to lose in 36 fights as a professional.

"This fighter [Alvarez] is not only charismatic and a good-looking kid, but he can fight," De La Hoya said. "I haven't seen something like that since, well, me.

"We can't plan too far ahead because Matthew is going to be a very tough fighter."

With the two boxers only having contested one previous bout at light-middleweight between them, criticism of the fight being awarded title status remains strong.

"I am speaking as a fighter and for the fighters that are ranked," WBO and WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez told boxingscene.com. "They work very hard to get in the rankings and all of a sudden this kid is the No. 1 contender? Come on, what about [Alfredo] Perro Angulo and the English No. 4 [Ryan Rhodes]?"

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