Video: Ricky Hatton Discusses Career and Retirement in In-Depth Interview

As we just mentioned this morning, Ricky Hatton has decided to formally announce his retirement from boxing. Here's an in-depth interview from his official site, as the "Hitman" reflects back on his memorable career. Here are some highlights of the 49-minute interview (since the video auto-starts, I didn't want to embed here):

On Kostya Tszyu: "No one really gave me a chance, because he was such a formidable fighter, such a formidable puncher. I think a lot of people thought because I was so aggressive that I was going to walk into that murderous right hand. ... He was the best. He was ranked No. 2 pound-for-pound as well. ... The atmosphere was absolutely electric. ... In the ring, that was the greatest win."

On Jose Luis Castillo: "I think that was the best body shot I've ever thrown."

On Floyd Mayweather Jr: "It wasn't really my division. ... I think the first fight at welterweight against Luis Collazo showed that maybe I wasn't suited for the weight. ... If you get an opportunity to become the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and you turn your back on it, then you're a bit of a fraud to be honest with you. ... I don't think the referee did me any favors, to be honest with you. ... I totally lost my cool."

On Billy Graham: "He was my friend. But it was the right decision. ... He's still the best trainer that ever trained me. He's very knowledgeable, his tactics were always spot-on."

On Floyd Mayweather Sr and Manny Pacquiao: "It worked for the Malignaggi fight. That was my best performance since the Kostya Tszyu fight. ... For Manny Pacquiao, I did eight weeks with Floyd. I think the extra three weeks just killed me. ... Floyd is a good trainer. We had a good win with Malignaggi. But I just can't help but think Floyd trained me into the ground. ... All the strength had been taken out of me."