Maloney - homecoming is Hatton's biggest fight
Boxing guru Frank Maloney says Ricky Hatton's upcoming battle against Juan Lazcano is the biggest spectacle of his career because of the number of fans taking an interest in the bout. Hatton will clash with the Mexican at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24 and 55,000 tickets were sold in less that 24 hours.
And Maloney says it is all down to the type of person Hatton is.
Maloney said:" I know the opponent is not a mega name but the size of the fight and the crowd makes this the biggest fight of Ricky's career.
If he had stood for the Mayor of London he would have won it and done us all a favour.
"He is unbelievable, you can't compare Ricky with any sportsman. How he is in touch with the people and they love him back, it is a gift.
"He is a people's person and that is important. He is not arrogant or flash and everyone on the street can associate with him."
Hatton is a fanatical Manchester City fan and Maloney says fighting inside his own football team's stadium is " a dream come true."
He added:" What other boxer has sold 55,000 tickets?
"It is unheard of and it takes Ricky Hatton to a new level. It takes him beyond boxing. If there was a superhuman being Ricky Hatton would be one of them.
"Ricky is fulfilling one of his dreams.
"Ricky has set out all his dreams and he is doing it. One of them is to fight in his beloved Manchester City's ground and he is doing that.
"How many boxers can say they have set their dreams out A,B,C and D and then gone and done it."
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Posted by purple – 2 May 2008, 9:29 PM
55k tickets in 24hrs? Thats simply insane. I mean I know its going to be a good match, but can you imagine how upset you'd be to have been just five minutes too late to buy one of the last tickets? This is truly going to be one of those fights people will brag about having gone to for years to come...
Posted by MVP2008 – 4 May 2008, 4:21 AM
More than any other fight in the near future, this is the one fight to truly watch in my honest opinion. Not to discredit any of the other boxers with fights coming soon, but I am anxious to see how well Ricky Hatton will handle this bout. Apparently many boxing fans share my interest, as the 55K tickets in 24 hours perfectly attest to.