Ricky Hatton sums up Manny Pacquiao vs Conor Benn showdown with 'absolutely barmy' verdict

Ricky Hatton says a proposed fight between Filipino star Manny Pacquiao and welterweight contender Conor Benn is "absolutely barmy" and has voiced his concerns about the future of professional boxing.

Pacquiao, 45, is in talks to come out of retirement to face Benn, son of British boxing legend Nigel, despite the Englishman being 18 years his junior. The "PacMan" last fought in August 2021, when he was defeated by Cuban fighter Yordenis Ugas for the WBA Super welterweight strap.

Benn, 27, has recently returned to the ring after being cleared of doping charges, and continued his flawless record of 23 wins from 23 bouts when he outpointed American Peter Dobson in Las Vegas last month. The "Destroyer" is keen to continue his ascent towards a shot at world title glory and will feel that a win over former eight division world champion Pacquiao will help achieve that goal. He was previously scheduled to face domestic rival Chris Eubank Jr until a deal fell apart at the last minute.

Benn and Pacquiao were brought together at last week's weigh-in for the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with both parties confirming that talks to stage the fight are ongoing. But former two weight world champion Hatton, who was knocked in two rounds by Pacquiao back in 2009, has criticised the potential match-up and thinks boxing is now in a different place from the one he stepped away from in 2012. Speaking to www.spintbet.com, he said: "Boxing is not like it once was. I was one of the fighters in the last era of champions, and I’m not mentioning other champions aren’t champions, but I am saying me, Joe Calzaghe, Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn and Carl Froch.

"I know we are in the entertainment