SHOWTIME TO AIR HATTON COMEBACK FIGHT

Press Release: British superstar Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton returns to Showtime for his first fight in 3½ years when he faces ex-WBA welterweight titleholder Vyacheslav Senchenko on Saturday, Nov. 24th in Manchester, England, live at 5 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The scheduled ten rounder will be a special, afternoon edition of Showtime Championship Boxing  followed by a replay that night on Showtime Extreme. This will be the first comeback fight for Hatton, a 34-year-old slugger, since he retired following his loss to Manny Pacquiao on May 2, 2009, with a record of 45-2 with 32 KOs.

Senchenko (32-1, 21 KOs) went undefeated in 31 fights before losing his WBA belt to Paulie Malignaggi in his most recent outing last April 29th. The bout in Hatton’s hometown will be only the third professional Senchenko fight outside his native Ukraine.

“This is a very dangerous opponent for a so-called comeback fight,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. “Ricky is showing us that he wants to challenge himself and immediately put himself back in the mix with the top 147 pounders. There are a number of exciting matchups in this division, and with a win Ricky will be right back in upper echelon of the division.” 
 
Eighteen thousand tickets were purchased for the Nov. 24th event even before an opponent was announced.

Hatton battled depression, suicidal thoughts and ballooning weight after going into a self-imposed exile following the loss to Pacquiao three-and-a-half-years-ago. “People ask if I should come back, will I win, can I be world champ again. They don’t get it,’’ Hatton said. “I’ve already won. I’m here. I saved myself. The end of the ‘Ricky Hatton Story’ was not being knocked out by Pacquiao. I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring and showing what I can do. I want to get back in the title mix, but you can’t do that by taking easy fights. That’s why I’m taking on this guy.’’

Hatton registered the most noteworthy victory of his career in his last appearance on the network when he captured the IBF 140-pound title with an 11th-round TKO over Hall of Famer Kosta Tszyu on June 4, 2005, in Manchester.

If triumphant on Nov. 24th, his first fight in 42½ months, Hatton could be looking at several high-profile return bouts in the near future, including a rematch with Malignaggi, the current WBA welterweight champion, whom Hatton defeated via 11th-round TKO on Nov. 22, 2008.