ESPN Dan Rafael Blog

LAS VEGAS -- Another week, another fight, which means another edition of stuff I heard in the press room.

This week the MGM Grand is playing host to the biggest fight of the year -- Saturday's Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao showdown -- and the media center has been bustling with a who's who of the boxing industry, especially during Thursday's special screening of the fourth and final episode of HBO's "De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7," which I thought was easily the best episode of the series. Just a tremendous piece of television. If you watched that episode and are not completely stoked for the fight, you're probably not a boxing fan.

In addition to media from around the world; the staffs from Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions; the outstanding PR team from the MGM; and HBO's top three boxing executives -- Ross Greenburg, Mark Taffet and Kery Davis -- there are also plenty of fighters around.

The roster is impressive. Ricky Hatton, who stopped Paulie Malignaggi here two weeks ago, returned from England with his father, Ray Hatton, attorney Gareth Williams and agent Paul Speak. Hatton is here, of course, because he is the obvious and likely candidate to be the next opponent for the winner of Saturday's fight.

Before I get to my discussion with Hatton, here are just a few of the other fighters I've seen in the media center mingling and doing interviews: Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Bernard Hopkins, Oscar Larios and Hall of Famer Daniel Zaragoza (who is part of De La Hoya's training team).

One of the things I enjoyed seeing was the friendly behavior between rivals Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, who have tortured each other for three consecutive fights. It seems like they're taking the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward route of rivals, becoming friends, rather than the Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales route of rivals who despise each other.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach has also been a regular in the press room, as has the legendary Angelo Dundee, one of my favorite people in boxing and a De La Hoya training consultant.

OK, on to Hatton. Yes, he wants to fight Saturday's winner and makes no bones about it.

"Without a doubt, I want to fight the winner," said Hatton, who doesn't look like he's been packing on too many pounds since his win two weeks ago. "Manny Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. There are a lot of good fighters at 140, but with no disrespect, they're not what you would call household names. If Pacquiao wins, he can fight me for my title. If Oscar wins, we can sit down and negotiate what weight that can be made at. I like to call him a friend. I've gotten to know him very well, but if the fight is made, it would be pure business. He'd be my sworn enemy."

Hatton said whether the bout were held in America or England, it would be a massive event.

"You've got the biggest name in boxing and the biggest ticket seller in boxing, so it can't help but be a blockbuster. Oscar has already said to me he would love to fight in England. Wembley Stadium, I reckon we could get easily 100,000 for a fight with Oscar De La Hoya."

• I had lunch with Top Rank boss Bob Arum, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and they told me that the Jan. 24 Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight is on the move. Instead of taking place at Mandalay Bay (which really didn't want the fight because it will be the week before the Super Bowl, when the resort will bring in its best customers), a deal has been made to hold the fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles -- which is where it belongs anyway. Arum and Schaefer said they got lucky because the arena -- home to the Lakers, Clippers and Kings -- had a rare open Saturday in January. A Tuesday news conference has been planned for a formal announcement.

• Arum said he closed a deal Thursday morning with British promoter Frank Warren for Michael Jennings to face Miguel Cotto on Feb. 21 in the first half of Top Rank's split-site pay-per-view card. Cotto and Jennings will fight for the title left vacant by Paul Williams. Arum also said the fight, originally ticketed for Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., could instead wind up at New York's Madison Square Garden. The first three televised bouts will include Cotto and two other bouts from that venue. Arum said candidates to fight on that portion of the show are junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez, who defends his title Saturday night, and junior flyweight champ Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon. The main event from Youngstown, Ohio, is middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik defending against mandatory challenger Marco Antonio Rubio.

• Here's one more tidbit from Arum: junior bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel will defend his title against Nonito Donaire in either the Philippines or Macau in March on Showtime. Donaire plans to vacate his flyweight title and move up in weight for the shot, Arum said.

• Winky Wright, who had to withdraw from a fight scheduled for Thursday because of a hand injury, probably will skip a tune-up bout and return to HBO in March or April for a notable fight, according to Golden Boy's Eric Gomez. Gomez said Wright is willing to fight a top opponent at 160 or 168 pounds, and that Golden Boy has been talking to representatives for super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler about a potential match. Wright would also be interested in fighting light heavyweight champ Joe Calzaghe (and would be willing to fight in Wales), assuming Calzaghe elects to continue his career.

• HBO's Jan. 17 "Boxing After Dark" card, which will be headlined by Andre Berto's mandatory welterweight title defense against Luis Collazo, may include a co-feature of interim junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez against prospect Joe Greene. The fight was close to being made Thursday.

• Although Versus has not announced its 2009 boxing schedule, Golden Boy has been pitching fights, including former lightweight titlist Jesus Chavez against one of three fighters: former lightweight champ Joel Casamayor, former junior lightweight belt holder Jorge Barrios or all-action brawler Michael Katsidis. Let's hope Versus buys any of the three. They're all interesting fights.