By Mark Vester
The next fight for Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31KOs) has been officially announced by his camp. Hatton steps back in the ring against Juan Lazcano (37-4, 27KOs) at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24. He returns for the first time since suffering the only loss of his career, a knockout at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. last December.
"It is a homecoming fight and it's an absolute dream come true to be fighting back in Manchester," said Hatton told the BBC. "I'm down the home straight of my career with everything I have done so far. But I'm back down to my normal weight and it's my aim to come back and slam the door on everyone who thinks I'm finished. You prove yourself to be great by coming back from obstacles which are put in front of you."
Hatton's father/manager Ray told the Manchester Evening News that he expects a record crowd of 55K fans, breaking the the British attendance record of 42K for Benn/Eubank in 1993.
"Ricky is absolutely delighted. He's probably lost over £1m by having the fight here in Britain as a reward for his fans rather than going back to America which the satellite TV channels over there wanted him to do," Ray Hatton said.
"This is a Brit-friendly night. We're going for the record and hope to get up to 55,000 in the City of Manchester Stadium. It's Brit-friendly in terms of TV timings and the fans. Special planes are being laid on to bring in supporters from Ireland and throughout the UK."
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