Ricky Hatton announces comeback fight with Marco Antonio Barrera

Hatton (left) and Barrera (right) [Instagram: @supremeboxing]

Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera have announced an exhibition match on July 2, 2022 in Manchester, England.

Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton has announced a return to boxing at the age of 43.

He plans to make the return in his hometown of Manchester in a bout against Marco Antonio Barrera on July 2. https://t.co/VFa73CYEAk

Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera are both legends in their respective divisions. Hatton was a world champion at light welterweight and welterweight while Barrera was a world champion at junior featherweight, featherweight, and super featherweight.

Hatton retired in 2012 with a record of 45-3-0 with 22 knockouts. Barrera retired in 2011 with a record of 67-7-0. Few details about the upcoming card have been released yet but it will feature at least two undercard fights.

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Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera, a glimpse

Ricky Hatton grew up in Manchester. He turned professional in 1997 at 18-years-old. His second professional fight was at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of Naseem Hamad vs. Kevin Kelley. Hatton made a name for himself on the domestic circuit but rose to international prominence after forcing Kostya Tszyu to quit on the stool in 2005.

Ricky Hatton won the WBA Light Welterweight Title later the same year in a close fight with Luis Collazo. In 2007, he knocked out Jose Luis Castillo and then challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC Welterweight Title. He lost the bout by TKO in the tenth round. In 2008, he stopped Paulie Malignaggi in the eleventh round. It was the last victory of Hatton's career, who retired after consecutive losses to Manny Pacquiao and Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Marco Antonio Barrera was born in Mexico City. He had an incredibly successful amateur career, with a record of 104-4. He turned professional in 1989 at the age of fifteen. He won the WBO Super Bantamweight Title in 1995 by defeating Daniel Jimenez.

Barrera is most well-known for his rivalry with fellow Mexican champion Erik Morales, whom he fought three times between 2000 and 2004. The trilogy is often considered to be among the greatest fight trilogies of all time. The first and third fights were awarded The Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.

The first fight between Barrera and Morales was a close slugfest, with both men fighting almost exclusively in the pocket. Though Morales was awarded a split decision victory, Barrera was adamant that he actually won the contest. The rematch in 2002 saw Barrera adopt a more technical style, which led him to a decision victory. The third fight was something of a return to form, where Barrera was awarded a decision after another close brawl.

Check out the first fight between Barrera and Morales here: