Ricky Hatton ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple

Phil D. Jay
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.

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