Hatton signs for Golden Boy

Hatton: Golden Boy deal

He's a fighter universally loved by fight fans because of his heart and aggressive style. We're all expecting even bigger and better things from him in the coming months.

Oscar de la Hoya on Ricky Hatton
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Ricky Hatton has signed for Golden Boy Promotions.

The Hitman has joined forces with Oscar de la Hoya's company ahead of his return to the ring later this year.

He is expected to fight at the City of Manchester Stadium, but the Golden Boy deal is likely to ensure he gets high-profile coverage on American television and remains a big name across the Atlantic.

De la Hoya was the promotional mastermind behind the stellar showdown with Floyd Mayweather last December which saw the Mancunian beaten for the first time in 44 professional fights, and Hatton believes Golden Boy can take him back to the top.

"I'm pleased to be working with Golden Boy Promotions and I know that each one of my fights will be bigger than the last, not only for me, but for all of my loyal fans," he said.

"I got a taste of working with Oscar and his team with my fight with Floyd Mayweather and they're a world-class company. They're the kind of team I need to keep me in big fights against the best in the world."

It means Hatton joins a star-studded stable which includes the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Shane Mosley and Ronald 'Winky' Wright - as well as long-time rival Junior Witter.

There were suggestions he was going to become Golden Boy's European representative after the Mayweather fight but de la Hoya believes there is still far more to come for his newest signing, inside the ring.

Hatton will box again in May, back in England and with Juan Lazcano the likely opponent.

"I've always been a fan of Ricky Hatton and it's an honor to partner with Ricky and Punch Promotions to add him to the Golden Boy Promotions roster," he said.

"He's a fighter universally loved by fight fans because of his heart and aggressive style. We're all expecting even bigger and better things from him in the coming months."