Ricky Hatton's Las Vegas debut was almost scuppered by a chest infection.

Hatton beat Juan Urango comprehensively on points in the gambling capital last Saturday night to take the IBF light-welterweight crown.

But now his dad Ray has revealed that the Hitman was on the verge of having to pull out after being hit by a chest infection 10 days before the bout.

And he claims this was the reason his son's stamina appeared to be a problem in the later rounds.

He told The Daily Express: "People have said Ricky looked jaded in the second half of the fight and I'm not surprised.

"Ricky suffered a really bad chest infection in the lead-up to the fight while out in Las Vegas.

"The doctor said it would linger for weeks. We carried on, but if the infection had started a few days later, we'd have pulled him out."

Hatton now has time to recuperate before his next appearance - against Jose Luis Castillo in Vegas in June.

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That explains why he looked so weak and sloppy then.