06.05.08 – Photo © Jane Warburton/MMG – Saturday, May 24 sees a record breaking show in the United Kingdom with 55,000 fans packed into the home of Manchester City Football Club to witness the homecoming of their favorite son, Ricky Hatton. Ricky defends his IBO light welterweight crown and the most prestigious title in world boxing, the Ring Magazine belt, against Mexican-American hard man Juan Lazcano.
The eyes of the boxing world will be firmly focused on May 24 at 10PM when the first bell goes to see which Ricky Hatton steps into the ring. The big question will be has the loss to Floyd Mayweather done anything to the man’s boxing ability and his belief in himself?
Very few fighters throughout history have stayed undefeated including such greats as Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard, but it is the nature of how a fighter comes back after a loss that is very important and that is what everyone will be judging Ricky Hatton upon.
In Autumn, Ricky Hatton is expected to step into the ring with IBF light welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi, who is certainly not shy about coming forward and voicing his opinion on the Hatton situation.
Malignaggi will be defending his world title against Lovemore Ndou in a rematch on May 24 at City of Manchester Stadium. Both Hatton and Malignaggi know there is so much on the line and understand that they have to each give their best so the public will demand a match between them later this year.
One of the most intriguing contests on this five title fight card is a Commonwealth Welterweight title bout between two Mancunians. The champion, Craig Watson, who against all odds beat the more experienced Ali Nuumbembe to win the title on December 8, faces Matthew Hatton, the younger brother of Ricky, who is looking to add the first major professional title to his name in pursuit of his own world title honours. This bout has definitely caught the imagination of the British fight fans.
The other two championship fights feature an English light middleweight title bout between the champion, the much avoided Andrew Facey, against Manchester’s Thomas McDonagh and for the vacant English super bantamweight title, Liverpool’s Mark Moran goes against Danny Wallace, the half-brother of former British super feather champion Carl Johanneson. Both Moran and Wallace know that a good win could put them in for a shot against European champion Rendall Munroe.
Doors open at 5:00PM, boxing starts at 5:30PM and the show will be over by 11:00PM so the fans can go out and enjoy the hospitality of Manchester’s restaurants, bars and clubs.
Any remaining tickets to Hatton vs. Lazcano can be purchased on www.ticketmaster.co.uk , www.seetickets.com , www.gigsandtours.com and www.rickyhitmanhatton.co.uk .
For those unlucky enough to not be among one of the 55,000 to witness this event in person, it can be viewed live on Sky Boxing Office starting at 7:30PM.
Frank Maloney Promotions also announce the British light heavyweight title fight between champion Tony Oakey and challenger Dean Francis on Friday, June 13 at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, England.