Ricky Hatton: Did You Know!

Click for larger image © Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton made his grand arrival at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV in preparation for his mega fight against “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather taking place this Saturday, December 8, 2007 at the MGM Grand and live on HBO Pay-Per-View. Although this is Hatton’s fourth fight in the United States, there are still things United States fight fans might like to know.

Did you know…Ricky Hatton is a Member of the British Empire. This distinction was presented to Ricky in recognition of his achievements in and out of the ring. Prince Charles presented Ricky with the Member of the British Empire Medal on January 1, 2007. Ricky is actively involved in local charities, “There is never a day goes by that I don’t do something or sign something to help others less fortunate than myself” said Hatton.

Did you know …If Ricky was not a boxer he would want to be a professional football player for Manchester City. Ricky loves the Manchester City Football Team and he tries to attend all of their matches. As a youngster Ricky played in the midfield and idolized his favorite footballer of all time, Colin Bell, who played for Manchester City. Ricky is friends with Paul Dalglish who plays American football for the Houston Texans.

Did you know …Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton’s favorite Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns’ fight was against Marvin Hagler. Hatton and Hearns met each other for the first time while Hearns was training at the Phoenix Gym in Manchester for a fight at the MEN Arena.

Did you know …Ricky’s most memorable fan experience was entering the MEN Arena to 22,000 fans who were cheering for him when he fought Kostya Tszyu. Ricky’s worst fan experience was when he received a bottle of beer (Guinness) outside of his hotel room in Grand Rapids with a note from Mayweather saying, “To Vicky Fatton!”

Did you know …During his downtime, Ricky likes to go out with friends and socialize at pubs or clubs. But when in training he spends his down time watching comedy films on DVD or TV and watching professional wrestling with his son Campbell.

Closed circuit tickets, priced at $50, are still available and can be purchased at MGM Mirage properties’ box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at 866-799-7711. For MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay venues, tickets also are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 702-474-4000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person and all seats are general admission.

The Mayweather vs. Hatton pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For your Mayweather vs. Hatton fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

The series finale of HBO’s documentary series “Mayweather/Hatton 24/7” will premiere Thursday, Dec. 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. In addition, HBO will stack and replay all four half-hour episodes on Friday, Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on the main service.