THE COMEBACK KING?

This weekend, November 24^th, our very own Hyde lad, ‘The Hitman’ Ricky Hatton returns to the ring to face former WBA world champion Vyecheslav Senchenko.

In my column two years ago, (October 2010) I wished Ricky all the best in his rehabilitation and sincerely hoped he could face and destroy his demons; pull himself together and live a long and happy life.                                                

Over the years, Ricky had provided me and thousands of boxing fans from all over the world, with hours of first class boxing entertainment; he was one of the best boxers this country has ever produced and I was sorry to see him in that position.

So my head says that in this comeback fight, he can't win, but my heart desperately wants him to succeed. Even if he loses the fight, hopefully he will win the battle and be content to face the tough challenges of a training career and once again become a legend in the ring, but this time through others in his boxing stable.

Remembering the' bad press' since Ricky ‘retired’ it’s easy to forget how big Ricky Hatton was between 2005 and 2009 and although I have never met him, from what I’ve seen and heard of the man, he strikes me to be a genuinely decent guy, who, without fail, always gave his all in the ring.

So, on Saturday, at the Manchester Arena, I, along with thousands of his fans, will be metaphorically standing in his corner, cheering him on and hoping that he can once again write a closing glorious chapter to his great boxing career and gain back his immense pride and self-belief.

After all, Ali did it, Mike Tyson did it, and hopefully on Saturday night, Ricky Hatton will do it!

Good luck Ricky!