They say never go back, but that way of thinking clearly doesn’t resonate with Ricky Hatton, who has announced that he will be returning to the ring on November 24th.
While the name of his opponent is yet to be confirmed, it will be his first bout since his infamous humbling at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in Vegas nearly 3½ years ago.
There’s no doubt that when Hatton was at his best he was easily one of the finest boxers in the world, but having not had a competitive fight for so long, I’m not so sure that this is such a good idea.
Hatton said that his comeback is fuelled by the desire to prove to himself and his family that he hasn’t become a bitter has-been, and to redeem his past misdemeanours.
However there are other ways to do that and if the worst comes to the worst and Hatton is knocked out or losses his comeback fight, where does he go from there.
Towards the end of his original career Hatton was noted for his weight ballooning between fights and the struggles he faced to not only make the weight for his fights, but also to try and maintain his form for the full 12 rounds, and problems like these are only going to be intensified by his time on the sidelines.
I hope the comeback goes well for him, as clearly his reasons for returning to the ring run much deeper than picking up a pay-cheque, but I can’t see him winning a world title, because to get to that level he will have to beat guys who have been fighting competitively for three years, so Hatton will be starting off at a major, and to me, insurmountable disadvantage.
Added to this previous examples have shown just how tough it is for professional sportsmen to return after a lengthy absence.
I re-iterate I hope it goes well for him, despite thinking it’s a bad idea, but whatever happens it should be an interesting watch.
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