Former multiple world champion Ricky Hatton has announced his return to boxing.
Manchester’s Hatton, who turns 47 in October, will fight the United Arab Emirates’ Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight bout on 2 December in Dubai.
Organizers say the contest will be a professional bout but it is unclear if it will be fully sanctioned or if it will have conditions like Mike Tyson v Jake Paul, where there were shorter rounds and a limit on number of rounds.
Hatton fought Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition in 2022. His previous professional bout was a loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.
The fight was announced during a show promoted by Al Dah in Dubai on Sunday, with Hatton confirming his return via livestream.
Hatton, who won world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight, revealed he should have been in Dubai but could not attend after accidentally injuring his eye with his sunglasses.
“I wish I was there but I had a little bad injury on my eye. The main thing is the fight will take place and I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to it,” said Hatton.
“It’s just one of them freakish things, I caught one of my sunglasses in my eyes and I’m very fortunate it’s not done any permanent damage. It’s just scraped the surface, so fingers crossed we’re good to go.”
