Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor
WBN Editor
Malignaggi could get home advantage for 2013 clash
Two-weight world title holder Ricky Hatton is hoping to challenge for another world title in the 'city that never sleeps' next year and challenge WBA welterweight champion
Paulie Malignaggi in New York City.
After watching the ‘Magic Man’ come through a tough bout
with Pablo Cesar Cano via a tight split decision on Saturday night, the 32 year-old likes what he
sees from the newly-built Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Another possible venue for the clash is the world famous Madison
Square Garden, which is a dream venue for any fighter and Hatton is on course
to seal the fight if he can come through Vyacheslav Senchenko with flying
colours next month.
“I thought Paulie’s fight with Cano was very close, but I
thought he won the fight and 114-113 was probably about right,” Hatton told
World Boxing News.
“If I get the performance I'm expecting against Senchenko on
November 24th at the Manchester Arena, then I'd love the chance to fight Paulie
again either at Madison Square Garden or the new arena in Brooklyn.
“The New York boxing fans and the ‘Hitman Barmy Army’ from
the UK would make the Big Apple bounce!”
Hatton is deep in training for what will be just his third fight
at 147lbs and some may argue that he has a lot to prove after indifferent
performances against Luis Collazo and Floyd Mayweather at the weight.
There is no doubt in my mind that had the Mancunian
continued fighting after the Manny Pacquiao defeat, then he would have grown
into the weight by now anyway and it should be just like fighting back at
140lbs for Hatton come fight time.
A destructive victory, in the ilk of Hatton of old, would certainly set
pulses racing around the boxing world and set the four-time world champion up
for some mouth-watering clashes in the coming year.