45-3 veteran boxer snubs Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao for hardest hitting opponent

Ricky Hatton has revealed his toughest opponent, and it's not Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao.

'The Hitman' is one of the most beloved British boxers of the 2000s. Beginning his career a staggering 43-0, he captured high-profile wins over names such as Kostya Tszyu, Jose Luis Castillo, and more.

That undefeated record and multiple championship wins led to the Brit's clash with Floyd Mayweather in December 2007. The bout was one of the most anticipated of both men's careers and saw 'Money' score a knockout win. Nonetheless, the event was a smashing success.

#OnThisDay - In 2007, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Ricky Hatton by TKO 10 of 12 to retain the WBC, Ring & Lineal welterweight titles. https://t.co/yeixONAPke

Ricky Hatton returned to the drawing board, even earning a win over Paulie Malignaggi. That led to a May 2009 clash with 'Pac Man', where Pacquiao would dominate en route to a second-round knockout win. That bout wound up being the penultimate of Hatton's career, as he retired in 2012.

A destructive, devastating KO of Ricky Hatton from Manny Pacquiao on this day in 2009 🤯

🎥 @trboxing

https://t.co/4ujcPutKwB

Despite those losses, the Brit doesn't feel that Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao are his toughest opponents. In an interview with TalkSport, he instead named Luis Collazo as his toughest foe. 'The Hitman' outpointed 'God's Way' to earn WBA gold in 2006.

In the interview, he stated:

“That was my toughest fight. I mean, getting beat by Pacquiao like I did was very tough to come to terms with and Floyd Mayweather was just technically so good. From a physical point of view [Collazo was tougher]... Every time he hit me – Floyd Mayweather wasn’t a big puncher, he was technically unreal – but [Collazo] was a big punching southpaw, and every time he hit me, oh my.”

Did Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather ever rematch?

Despite years of speculation, Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather never shared the ring again.

While it's been forgotten in the nearly two decades since the fight took place, there was some controversy. Hatton has always been vocal about his belief that he was hindered by the referee in the contest.

Referee Joe Cortez's performance that night in 2007 was quite controversial. Hatton was known for his work on the inside and in the clinch, however, he was barely allowed to get close to 'Money' that night.

The Brit has long been vocal about his belief that he didn't get a fair shake, and last year, he sought to change that. Hatton came out of retirement for an exhibition with Marco Antonio Barrera, fighting to a draw last November.

Around that time, he repeatedly called to face Mayweather, who is also doing exhibition fights. However, 'Money' has been uninterested to this point.