'Expert From The Armchair' - Promoting The Brand

By David Johnson @mrdaj.

The ever-growing stable at Matchroom Sport.

Are we witnessing a change in the way we choose who we follow on the boxing scene?

In years gone by we've tended to follow the boxer who is local to us, has a cultural fit to our views on life or in many cases the kind of personalities the boxers have (I don't think I need to touch on our love for a warrior or explosive fighter)...

For example:

The Tony Bellew's / Paul Smith's / David Price's have all spoken about their pride of representing the city of Liverpool and the fans love it, but their appeal reaches so much further than that great city, the nation loves them and their fellow liverpudlian fighters - Many people follow their local hero, and long may it continue.

Ricky Hatton dances for charity tomorrow night!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

'The Hitman' looks unimpressed with his new outfit. 

British boxing legend Ricky Hatton goes from wearing gloves to dancing shoes tomorrow night when he takes part in 'Let's Dance For Comic Relief' on BBC 1 at 6:50pm.

'The Hitman' will be up against four other celebrities including comedians Tim Vine and Olivia Lee in the first series of heats, with the public voting for who they want to see progress into the next round.

"In the ring I think my footwork was very underrated," Ricky told WorldBoxingNews. "I used to feint, then slip to the left, slip to the right in order to find my body shots. Let's see if I can bring those moves from the ring to the dance floor."

The 34-year old won't be the first boxer to star in the show. Carl Froch, Johnny Nelson, Tony Jeffries and Duke McKenzie entered as a four-man group named 'The Champion Boxer' back in 2010.

Money raised from the show will go to this year's Comic Relief, so make sure you tune in and vote. Since 1985 Comic Relief has raised over £600 million for good causes in the UK and Africa. 

Kell Brook rejects fight with Timothy Bradley... Hoping for Ricky Hatton!

Brook after beating Ricky Hatton's younger brother Matthew.

British welterweight No.1 Kell Brook has revealed that he was very close to taking a bout with WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Timothy Bradley but turned it down in order to finish his quest in becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.

'The Special One' takes on Hector Saldivia on October 20th at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. The winner of this bout will earn the right to challenge for the IBF world title in the near future.

Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn believe the mandatory route is the right way to go for the 25-year old and could potentially lead to super showdown with Ricky Hatton sometime next year.

"The Bradley fight was put in front of me but I believe the mandatory position in the IBF is the right move," said Brook. "Eddie (Hearn) has worked hard to get me into the position and providing I beat Saldivia, I'll be fighting for a world title at the start of 2013."

"I would love that to be in Sheffield too and I know Eddie would do his best to get it here as it would be an amazing event. I will also be watching Ricky Hatton's comeback with great interest as a fight against him next year would be an absolute blockbuster for British boxing."

"When I fought his brother Matthew you could see that the Hatton name still means a lot in boxing and we would fill a big stadium fighting for a world title."

Hearn also explained why they made the decision to turn down the fight.

"Top Rank contacted me in August and made us an offer for the Bradley fight. It was a nice ego boost for Kell to be offered a fight of such magnitude but we begun this journey with a goal of becoming a mandatory challenger and now we are just one win away."

For me, this is important for two reasons. Firstly, it looks clear that Brook is not one of those fighters that just wants to rush into big fights that could potentially back-track his career and he and Eddie Hearn are being very careful when it comes to planning his career and picking fights. It also proves that some of the top welterweight fighters are taking Ricky Hatton's comeback very seriously. The fact that Kell Brook is planning a potential "super" fight with him next year shows us that most of his fighters are expecting him to become serious competition for them.

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Ricky Hatton claims no more weight gain between fights...

Out-of-shape.                                              In-shape.

As you all know by now, Ricky Hatton will return to the ring on November 24th, against an opponent that is yet to be named, for the first time since his devastating 2nd round loss to Manny Pacquiao back in 2009. Hatton is now almost 34 years of age and obviously can't do the things that he used to do when he was fighting at the age of 25.

It's no secret that Hatton was not fully committed to the sport even in his "glory days." The Mancunian used to party hard after every fight and always gained about three or four stone in between bouts. He was even nicknamed Ricky "Fatton" for his behaviour outside of the ring, but he claims this will not be the case when returns in November.

"I am going to change my spots but you can't completely change me," said Hatton. "I'm a Jack The Lad and all that but I cringe at the weight I had to lose all those years ago. If I'm going to make a comeback, the three stone I used to shed when I was 25 years of age, I can't shed that as I'm 34 next month."

"Things have got to change. I can't turn round to my fighters and say; 'Listen, keep coming in the gym and do not balloon in weight' if I'm going to go out and do it."

It still waits to be seen whether or not Hatton can fully dedicate his whole entire life to the sport of boxing. I'm sure he will be in tip-top condition for his comeback fight in November. But can he keep it up for the next few years?

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97

Hatton and father involved in bust-up!

Ricky and Ray.

Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton's father, Ray Hatton, has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his son on Thursday, the day before 'The Hitman' announced his return to the ring.

Ray Hatton, 61, was given a police caution after it was confirmed that he assaulted Ricky outside of the families' health and fitness gym in Hyde, Greater Manchester. According to reports in the Independent newspaper, the pair traded punches following a heated argument.

A policeman spokesman gave a little info on the situation: "Shortly before 11:45 BST on Thursday, police received reports that there had been a fight involving two men outside a health and fitness club on Market Street."

"A 33-year old man was assaulted by a 61-year old man, who was arrested on suspicion of common assault and subsequently given a police caution."

On Friday, the day after the incident, Hatton revealed that he would be making comeback into the sport of the boxing and will fight at the Manchester Arena on November 24th.

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Hatton comeback rumours continue to escalate!

The rumours that former two-weight world champion and British fan-favourite Ricky Hatton will return to the ring later this year are forever growing stronger. Numerous sources claim that the 33-year old Mancunian will announce a two-fight comeback in the very near future.

Hatton last fought in 2009 when he was knocked out in just two rounds by Manny Pacquiao and at that time he insisted that he was retired for good. However, he has been back in the gym and training a lot recently. Those close to Hatton claim that he is the best shape he has been in for a very long time.

At first the most likely fight for Hatton was against Paulie Malignaggi in November but his old rival is already scheduled to fight on October 20th against Pablo Cesar Cano. This would mean that Malignaggi would have only a month to prepare for one of the biggest fights of his career. So I think its almost certain that this fight will not happen in November.

However, I do think that if Hatton does make a comeback, he will definitely fight Malignaggi. Whether its his first or second fight, he will end up fighting him. Both men want the fight and it would be an easy bout to sell and make. The most likely outcome is that Hatton will face Malignaggi at the start of 2013 and if he is victorious he will move onto an even bigger challenge. You never know... Maybe even Manny Pacquiao?

Khan believes him against Hatton would be bigger than Haye-Chisora!

Khan (left) with Hatton (right) during the build-up to his fight with Paul McCloskey.

Former light-welterweight world champ Amir Khan has his sights set on a rematch with Danny Garcia, who scored a surprise knock-out victory over him last Saturday (July 14th), but he has not ruled the chances of a fight with Ricky Hatton in the future. The 25-year old actually claims that it would be bigger than the heavyweight grudge match between David Haye and Dereck Chisora.

There have been many rumours circulating that Hatton is planning a surprise return to the ring for the first time since 2009. These rumours have not been confirmed, but a lot of evidence such as the Mancunian spending a lot of time in the gym and losing a lot of weight, have made the rumours seem a lot more likely. At first, Paulie Malignaggi was the only fighter who was mentioned for a fight with Hatton but now Khan has been brought into the picture.

"I don't think Ricky will want to fight us," said Khan. "I try to avoid the Ricky fight but you never know. It'd be a huge British fight and I don't think we've had a British fight like that. It would be bigger than the Dereck and David fight but who knows? For the moment I'm more focused on the Garcia fight because what burns me is that you know you made a mistake and you know what mistake you make."

Ricky Hatton to return to the ring?

Hatton in his fight with Paulie Malignaggi.

There have been tons of rumours circulating that retired British fan favourite Ricky Hatton is looking to make a return to the ring for the first time since 2009. The rumour has not yet been confirmed by Hatton or any of his team but there are a lot of UK media outlets that are stating that this rumour is true.

Hatton, 33-years old, last fought in May of 2009, where he suffered a devastating knock out loss to Manny Pacquiao.

It's fair to say that at this moment in time, Hatton is not in shape. However, according to inside reports, the former two-time world champion has been training a lot lately and has also been shedding a lot of weight. It's  hard to believe that this story is true as there have never been any signs that the Manchester-born man was even considering returning to the ring. At the moment, I'm not actually sure whether I would want to see Mr.Hatton back in the ring. I've enjoyed watching him fight so many times and he does usually bring a lot of excitement for the fans. However, I do not want him to become another one of the ring legends that tarnish their career because they just don't know when to hang up the gloves. I know he's only 33, but he's been inactive for over three years and I just don't think that he will ever be able to make it back to the top. I hope I'm wrong.

What's even more surprising is that the rumours that are circulating also state that Hatton is targeting WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton defeated Malignaggi by an 11th round stoppage prior to his loss to Manny Pacquiao.

Always chatty and willing to talk Malignaggi gave his thoughts on the rumours:

"I'm hearing that Ricky Hatton is interested in a comeback," said the New Yorker. "I'm hearing rumours that I'm the target of that comeback. I've had two rematches in my career and I'm 2-0 in those rematches. In our fight, he did very well. I'd like to think that there are a lot of things that I could have done [better] and I'd like to think that I have made a lot of changes on my team that have really, really brought out the best in me."

"It's a loss that I've had to live with. It's a loss that hindered me and every day I think about the loss and it bothers me. It's unfortunate because I should have done much better, but it was what it was. The rematch is something that interests me. I have nothing but respect for Ricky, his fans and his family. They were nothing but respectful to me during the entire promotion and I expect nothing less in the rematch. I know that he wants to come back and win a title to reclaim old glory but it's my time now and I know that I can beat Ricky Hatton."

Ricky Hatton has not yet made a comment regarding the rumours of a ring return.

Munroe-Quigg Winner Vs Carl Frampton looking less likely...

This Saturday (June 16th), the fans get to witness one of the biggest domestic fights of the year when the No.1 and No.2 super-bantamweights Rendall Munroe and Scott Quigg take each other for the title of 'The best super-bantamweight in Britain.' This is a great fight, but we all had something even better to look forward to. The winner of this fight was looking likely to face the highly rated up and coming prospect Carl Frampton. But now, this idea is looking less and less likely to happen.
The reason for this is that Quigg's promoter Ricky Hatton was dropped from Sky as his deal expired. This means that after this fight, none of Hatton's fighters will fight on SkySports. And here's the problem: Frampton is one of SkySports' most valuable fighters and will not fight on any other channel.

"Frampton is a Sky Sports fighter and I hope to be able to announce in the next couple of weeks my new TV deal," told Hatton. "So if you look at it from that point of view, the fight looks highly unlikely. When I was a figther, I wanted to fight the best and as a promoter I want to put on the fights the fans want to see. The TV situation makes things slightly more difficult - but you can never, say never."

There have been rumours that the winner of Quigg Vs Munroe could go on to face Guillermo Rigondeaux, a man who is probably one of the most dangerous up and coming fighters in the world right now. However, I doubt that Hatton would even consider putting one of these men in with Rigondeaux. Munroe and Quigg are very good fighters but I really doubt that they would even trouble Rigondeaux.

We will have a fight preview available on our site for this fight available on our site tomorrow morning.

Ricky Hatton is supporting Cotto on Saturday!

Mayweather had too much for Hatton.

Former world champion Ricky Hatton has said that he will be backing WBA light-middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in his fight with Floyd Mayweather on Saturday. But, he does reckon he is backing a loser.

Hatton has shared the ring with Mayweather and he knows just what it is like to be in the squared-circle with the greatest of this era. In the 'Hitman's' eyes, there is nobody in the world that is Mayweather's level. However, he does believe that Cotto will not go down without a fight.

"I would rather watch Cotto than Mayweather everyday, but you have to give credit where it is due," said Hatton, 33. "Cotto is a wonderful fighter, but although that I don't really see eye-to-eye with Mayweather he is an absolute boxing genius... I do think fighters like myself and Cotto bring the bestout of Mayweather so people in Las Vegas and watching on BoxNation will see a good fight."

When Hatton and Mayweather met, it was one of the biggest fights of the decades. More than 300,000 fans travelled to Las Vegas to watch the Hitman's brave effort against the P4P No.1 and despite their differences Hatton believes that Mayweather is the best opponent he ever faced. He also believes that the Mayweather-Cotto fight will go the same as his clash with 'Money' Mayweather.

"I think it could have a similar pattern to my fight against Mayweather... It will be hairy scary for a few rounds but I think Mayweather will take the sting out of him and come through on a late stoppage or points."

The Mayweather-Cotto fight takes place on Saturday in Las Vegas. It will be shown live on HBO PPV (America) and BoxNation (UK).

"

Martin Murray withdraws from Chavez Jr fight!

British, Commonwealth and Intercontinental champion Martin Murray has had to withdraw from his fight with WBC world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr due to the fact that he will not be able to get a visa in time.

The reason for this is that Murray spent time in prison when he was younger but since then has turned his life around. This means that because of his past there was a delay with the approval of the visa.

The fight was scheduled for June 16th and was to be held in Texas. Murray is very annoyed with the situation. ''I'd signed the contract and everything was agreed so to be told I cannot box Chavez Jr because of my past is gut-wrenching''said Murray. ''As a human being I couldn't have done any more to turn my life around in the last seven years.''

Murray in fight with Felix Sturm.

Murray has said that he will still try and get himself a visa so he can box in the United States in the future but for now he will concentrate on defending his titles and maybe add another Lonsdale belt this summer.
He proved that he is able to fight at world level when he drew with WBA super champion Felix Sturm last december.

Murray is very grateful to his promoter Ricky Hatton for everything he has done. ''I would like to thank my team, Hatton Promotions for all their efforts and I have every faith in them.''

Hatton also commented on the situation saying: ''This is a sledgehammer for Martin and his team but everyone at Hatton Promotions will work to get him another world title fight.''