LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT

RICKY 'THE HITMAN' HATTON

Manchester, England
Trainer: Billy Graham

Titles Held: Undefeated British light welterweight champion (2000); WBU champion (2001 - 2005); IBF champion (2005 - 2006); WBA champion (2005 - 2006), WBA welterweight champion (2006); linear champion (2005 - present)

Professional Record - W 43 (31 ko's)  |  L 0  |  D 0  |

Ricky is the undefeated, undisputed linear light welterweight (10stone, 140lbs) champion of the world. He is also undeniably one of the most exciting and popular fighters in boxing and the only Briton to be regarded internationally as a bone fide pound-for-pounder.

The big break through in terms of worldwide acclaim and prestige came last June when, as a 4-1 underdog, Hatton walked through a hailstorm of right hands to sensationally force world No.1 Kostya Tszyu to surrender his IBF title belt.

Before 20,000 fanatical supporters at the MEN Arena, Manchester, 'the Hitman' scored what experts agree was one of the all-time great wins by a British fighter.

In 2001 Tszyu has emerged from a unification series as the undisputed champion of the division and, by virtue of his victory, Hatton became the consensus champion of the light welterweight weight class.

Eager to press his claim to light welterweight supremacy, Hatton was determined to annex further championships at 10stone. So, having reached a one-fight deal with Dennis Hobson's Fight Academy Promotions, the Hitman signed to fight Columbian wildman and reigning WBA champion Carlos Maussa in Sheffield last November.

Later admitting that well-reported outside the ring distractions had affected his temperament, Hatton fought in a wild but wildly exciting fashion. Badly cut over both eyes early on, Hatton eventually broke down the brave Colombian before landing a thunderbolt left hook in the ninth to become the first man to legitimately knock Maussa out.

The brace of world title KOs earned him worldwide acclaim as the Fighter of the Year, with the Hitman picking up best of 2005 awards from Ring Magazine, ESPN, the American Boxing Writers' Association and SecondsOut.

In 2006, Hatton took the chace to annex the WBA welterweight title from young champion Louie Collazo. In a Fight of the Year level bout, Hatton knocked the bigger champion down in the first round and took a close decision in a brutal fight.

He said: "I'm just getting started at this level and I will fight anyone who has a title or is regarded as one of the very best.

"I've got maybe three years to cement my legacy. I want people in 20, 30 years to watch my old fights and think 'Wow - that Hatton was a good fighter'. And part of that involves going to America and getting the job done over there."

Hatton is expected to move down down to his old division when he fights in the New Year. Atlanta USA is most likely to be the venue.

Hatton added: "I've always wanted to top the bill in America and win over the American fight fans. I think they love my style of fighting. When I've been over there to watch fights in Las Vegas or Atlantic City I couldn't believe how many Americans already knew all about me. I can't wait to show them what kind of a fighter I am."