Pounding his fists on the canvas, mimicking every blow given and received by his brother Matthew, it was the clearest indication yet that the Hitman is not ready to call time on one of boxing's most enduring careers.
Watching his kid brother take on Lovemore N'dou for the IBO welterweight title, it was clear Hatton's place remains very much within the squared circle, rather than at ringside.
His burgeoning promotions career provides an enjoyable distraction - but a fighter who has scaled the very top of the sport could never have allowed the sickening blows of Manny Pacquiao's lightning fists to be his boxing epitaph.
His is a career that should be remembered for his remarkable triumphs - not the sight of his prostrate, motionless body in the centre of Vegas' MGM Grand.
Hatton deserves better than that and so do his legion of fans.
There will be those who will claim he should call it a day. That as a fabulously wealthy man he can afford not to put his body through the perils of training and torture of conflict.
But with Hatton it was never about the money, which is why the fact he looks set to return to the ring for a superfight with Juan Manuel Marquez next year - reported in later editions of yesterday's MEN - will be about so much more than one final pay day.
Let's consider the facts.
At 31, is he too old to compete?
Certainly not. Pacquiao is at the top of his game at the age of 30, while Floyd Mayweather has come out of retirement aged 32.
No one is suggesting those ageing pugilists should hang up their gloves. On the contrary. A showdown between the two is a fight the world is waiting to see.
Is Ricky physically up to it anymore?
For all Hatton's bingeing between fights, he has always looked in top physical condition in the ring and there is no reason to think he couldn't do the same again, despite the fact he has ballooned during his time out of the ring once again.
Is there anything to prove?
And this is the tricky one. In a word, no. Hatton's achievements have already far exceeded even his own expectations. But while he remains a top-class fighter, his clashes with Mayweather and Pacquiao proved his designs on being pound-for-pound number one were a step too far.
But should that mean he has to give up on the sport entirely?
Will Miguel Cotto walk away from the ring after defeat to Pacquiao or Marquez following his loss to Mayweather?
There is the lingering suggestion that Hatton's only two defeats are proof-positive that he is no longer up to the grade - but at this moment in time no-one is up to the standard of the two greatest fighters on the planet.
There are still plenty of challenges out there for Hatton.
At 36, Marquez looks like the perfect opponent. The Mexican is a natural lightweight, but any bout would almost certainly be at Hatton's ideal class of light- welterweight. Marquez also represents the kind of super fight to which Hatton has become accustomed and one that would sell out on either side of the Atlantic.
The last thing anyone wants to see is a once great champion scrapping around in the lower divisions because he simply doesn't know when to give up.
Boxing is full of depressing tales of fighters whose instincts wouldn't allow them to quit - Evander Holyfield a case in point.
But the same could not be said of Hatton.
The choice of Marquez suggests he still believes he can compete at the very top of the sport - taking on a man who has twice taken Pacquiao the distance and only lost on points to Mayweather in September.
Beyond that there's the mouth-watering prospects of Amir Khan, who now has a world title, or Cotto - proof that there are still plenty of challenges ahead if Hatton wants to pursue them.
It remains to be seen if that is his plan or if he is looking for one more swansong.
If so Marquez could prove to be a fitting finale to a glorious career - but it could also be the start of the next chapter in the extraordinary tale of the Hitman.
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PatBlackFlash (19/11/2009 at 13:33)
Also, to say that Marquez 'only lost to Mayweather on points' doesn't tell the full story. Marquez was floored and totally dominated by Mayweather who won every minute of every round. A lot of cornermen would have pulled Marquez out well before the final bell, such was the beating he was taking. And that was from a man who hadn't boxed for 2 years!!
To say 'its not about the money' is also a naive comment. To beat up Marquez, a 37 year old Mexican who boxes at a lower weight division is hardly going to enhance Hattons reputation, so why else would he take the fight other than the money, which will see Ha££on's bank balance increase by a few million. With Ricky, earning the money has always been important to him. The money is the reason why he started promoting himself as he can then pay himself as both fighter and promoter (which is a smart move by him).
The Boxing News put together a list of the British Top 10 fighters of all time and Ricky didn't make the list. Colin Hart from the Sun has been reporting on Boxing for the past 40 years and this week he published his Top 10 British fighters of all time and again, Hatton didn't appear in the list. My point is that Hatton has had a great career but his 'greatness' is overplayed due to the tremendous support he has received.
The vaste majority of fans I know and who have commented on the MEN website want Hatton to retire and don't understand the point of this comeback. Ricky is actually losing respect with a lot of people by mounting this comeback, many of the people who have followed him for years have now lost respect for him.