By PAT SHEEHAN, The Sun
RICKY HATTON has confirmed his comeback - despite pleas from his family to call it a day.
The Hitman, 31, has taken eight months to decide to fight on following his sensational two-round defeat to Manny Pacquiao in May.
Dad Ray Hatton was hoping his son's success promoting fights and running his sportswear business meant he would not want to box again.
Hatton Snr said: "We didn't want Ricky to fight on but we will respect his decision and give him 100 per cent backing. As a family we have to back him no matter what he decides.
"He has everything a young man could ever wish for but Ricky needs closure on the defeats to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. He doesn't want to spend the rest of his life saying 'if only'.
"He wants to pack up boxing feeling right in his head.
"One thing we have said is that if we feel it's not there when he is training for whatever reason, we will all sit down and discuss the situation with him.
"We are not plotting five or six more fights. At the moment it is just one. If that goes well, and the warm-up will be against a 'name', then maybe we will start talking about another biggie."
There is a strong possibility Hatton will fight for a second time at Manchester City's ground with May 29 or June 5 the proposed dates.
Ray Hatton added: "Nothing has been written in stone yet.
"If you had told me Ricky would be fighting at Eastlands after he lost to Mayweather in Las Vegas, I'd have said you were mad.
"Fighting somewhere like that brings its own pressure but I know Ricky appreciated how many fans turned out for him at the City of Manchester Stadium. It was a special night."
Hatton Jnr said: "I want to finish at the top. If I am going to have one more fight it is going to have to be at the top against a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter or a world champion.
"The fight won't be a soft 10-rounder, either. I don't want people to say I only had that fight so I could finish on a win."
Hatton will start training again when he returns from holiday in Australia on February 15.
He added: "I am a little bit heavier than I would normally be between fights. So I will spend the first two weeks just shedding weight and then, when the date is fixed, I will go into my usual 12-week training camp."
Source: thesun.co.uk
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