Ricky Hatton claimed his exhibition fight against Marco Antonio Barrera was 'one of the best' things he has done in boxing.
The Hitman returned to the ring for the highly-anticipated bout against his close friend in aid of mental health. Hatton enjoyed a glittering career, winning multiple world titles and had a fantastic record of 45 wins and just three losses.
Two of those losses came against the legendary figures of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, with Hatton a key protagonist in the world of boxing during the late noughties. His only other defeat came against Vyacheslav Senchenko in his last professional fight.
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The exhibition was originally scheduled for July but an injury to Hughie Fury - who was fighting on the same bill - delayed it, but that didn’t stop the punters from coming out in their droves on Saturday night. The scene of so many of his famous nights, Hatton rolled back the years in front of a packed-out AO Manchester Arena.
He returned to the ring to the tune of Manchester City's anthem Blue Moon and walked out holding a Zimmer frame. 'There's only one Ricky Hatton' was chanted long before The Hitman made his way to the ring.
Both men traded meaty punches throughout the bout, although a stoppage never looked likely. And so after eight rounds of boxing, referee Mickey Vann raised the hands of both men just moments after they had embraced following the final bell.
"I wondered how it was going to go, me and Marco are friends, but with such a big crowd getting behind me I wondered if it would get a bit heated,” Hatton told Sky Sports.
“But it was good, entertaining, I think everything we wanted. I've done a lot of good things in boxing, my win over Kostya Tszyu, my fights in Las Vegas, but this is up there with one of the best."
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