By Rick Reeno

IBF junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, fresh from his stunning victory over Kostya Tszyu, is willing to give Tszyu a rematch in Kostya's backyard of Australia. Hatton battered the former champion this past Saturday, making the veteran Tszyu retire on his stool prior to the start of the final round.

"I would fight him again. I've had a lot of cuts but I've not had too many really bad ones. I'm fresh for 39 fights." said Hatton

"What has hurt me in the past is that people have said I didn't want to fight this person or that person, but I will fight absolutely anybody and this has proved I will. It was a physical fight which is right up my fight. My trainer Billy Graham said I needed the last round to be safe so I was really up for it. I don't know whether Kostya sensed that and did the right thing."

"I raised my game and that's why I didn't get hit as much. I was the underdog and had to be more cautious. I would like to fight him again but it was a tough fight. Australia would be a bit warmer than Manchester, but my fans deserve it.  

The sky is now the limit for Hatton as far as opponents and big money purses. Jay Larkin, vice president of cable powerhouse Showtime, is willing to match Hatton with the best fighters that boxing has to offer.

"Ricky has finally entered the world stage, and he has entered it with a marching band. The sky is certainly the limit. We could sit down with Ricky and create three or four fights with him which would be feature fights of the year, no question, because that style of his will go down a bomb with American audiences." said Larkin

"He just didn't stop for 11 rounds against Tszyu. He threw punches straight for 33 minutes and he retired Tszyu, a boxing machine."

Larkin is looking to match Hatton with either unbeaten WBO champion Miguel Cotto or current WBO/WBC lightweight champion Diego Corrales. Larkin would love to see Hatton stage a mega-bout against Corrales in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

 "I would love to see Ricky fight Corrales in Madison Square Garden in the first quarter of 2006. With two brawlers like they are, it would be an epic."

The Hatton camp is very eager to bring the undefeated Brit over to America in order to raise the level of his superstar status in the sport.