Hatton-Maussa survives legal challenge!

By G. Leon

22/11/2005

Hatton-Maussa survives legal challenge!

A list-ditch effort to hold up the world championship bout between Ricky Hatton and Carlos Maussa failed yesterday when an American judge refused to interfere with the WBA's sanction of the contest. Hatton, who is generally recognized as the true world champion of the 140-pound division, holds the IBF belt while Maussa holds the WBA title. A lawsuit was filed in New York on behalf of Souleymane M'Baye, the top rated contender in the WBA. M'Baye, represented by Judd Burstein, argued that Maussa should not be able to defend his title against anyone but M'Baye because the WBA allegedly violated its rules when it gave Maussa an exception to his mandatory defense. Federal Judge Denny Chin disagreed with M'Baye and allowed the bout to proceed with the WBA's sanction, although he did order that the Hatton-Maussa winner could not defend the WBA title until further proceedings are held.  M'Baye is a legitimate but anonymous contender, below Burstein's usual A-list clientele. However, M'Baye's suit is reportedly being backed by British promoter Frank Warren, who is already locked in a bitter struggle with Hatton since Hatton left Warren's promotional company.  Warren tried on his own to block Hatton-Maussa in a British court but withdrew the motion and now is relegated to seeking a monetary award from Hatton. Warren, however, has reportedly signed M'Baye to a promotional contract and retained Burstein to represent the boxer in a bid to frustrate Hatton's career with his new promoter, Fight Academy. The Hatton-Maussa bout will proceed as scheduled on Saturday in Sheffield, England and United States fans will be able to see it on pay-per-view for around $20 beginning at 4:00 p.m. Remember where you heard it first! 5:55 PM EST