Ricky Hatton announces return to boxing after 13-year hiatus

Former world champion Ricky Hatton announced on Tuesday that he will come out of retirement for a professional fight this December, marking his first competitive bout in 13 years.

The 46-year-old British boxing legend, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last year, will face the United Arab Emirates’ Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight contest scheduled for December two in Dubai.

Hatton announced during a livestream promoting the fight, which was hosted by his opponent, Al Dah. He expressed regret over not being able to attend the event in person due to a minor eye injury.

"I wish I was there, but I had a little bad injury to my eye. The main thing is the fight will take place, and I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to it," Hatton said.

He added that the injury occurred in an unusual accident, "It's just one of those freakish things—I caught one of my sunglasses in my eye. I’m very fortunate it didn’t cause any permanent damage. It just scraped the surface, so fingers crossed we’re good to go."

Hatton enjoyed an illustrious 15-year professional career, during which he won 45 of his 48 fights. His last official bout came in 2012, when he was defeated by Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Hatton’s career included major victories over Jose Luis Castillo and Luis Collazo and high-profile defeats to legends Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

He briefly returned to the ring for an exhibition bout against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022. Organisers have confirmed that Hatton's upcoming fight will be a professional contest. His opponent, the 46-year-old Al Dah, last fought in 2021, suffering a knockout loss to Pedro Alejandro Delgado.