 Hatton was below-par in his last fight, against Juan Lazcano |
Ricky Hatton will fight Paulie Malignaggi for the New Yorker's IBF light-welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 22 November. The Manchester boxer, 29, will be making his fourth appearance in Las Vegas, the scene of his only defeat, against Floyd Mayweather last December. "I'm looking forward to challenging Malignaggi for his title. Las Vegas is a second home for me," said Hatton. "The fans treat me like gold, I promise them another value-for-money fight." Hatton will head into his world title clash without his long-time trainer Billy Graham after the pair parted company earlier this week. Graham's assistant Lee Beard is likely to prepare Hatton for what will be the Englishman's first fight since his points victory over Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium in May.  | 606: DEBATE |
Malignaggi, who beat Lovemore N'Dou on a split points decision to retain his IBF light-welterweight title on Hatton's undercard, has been described by promoter Oscar de la Hoya as "one of the purest boxers in the game". And the six-weight world champion predicted a great bout between the two contrasting fighters, with arguably the status as the world's number one 140lb fighter at stake. "As a fan, I am excited to see if Hatton can lure Malignaggi into a brawl or if Malignaggi can dictate the tempo and make the fight his," said De La Hoya. "No matter what happens, I think when their styles collide, it's going to make for great action and great drama."
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