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Boxing

Hatton to relinquish WBA welterweight belt

18/08/2006

Ricky Hatton will drop back down a division in an attempt to regain his IBF light-welterweight belt.

The Manchester Hitman is relinquishing his WBA welterweight crown and will take on current IBF champion Juan Urango, most likely in Atlanta on December 9th.

Dennis Hobson, Hatton's promoter, said: "We are finalising negotiations at the moment and it is not far away. Certainly moving back down to 140lbs for a fight with Urango is our preferred route."

Hatton moved up a division at the start of the year, after beating Carlos Maussa to add the WBA light-welterweight belt to his IBF version which he won by sensationally defeating Kostya Tszyu in June last year.

Critics questioned his decision to move up a division although he quietened them to some extent by becoming a two-weight champion thanks to a unanimous points decision victory over Luis Collazo in May.

Hatton, still unbeaten in his 41 fights, suffered the most brutal battering of his career at Collazo's hands, however, and his camp must have included this in their thinking as they decided to step back down to light welterweight.

Hobson has refuted this and has insisted the decision is motivated purely by the sporting options available, which tantalisingly include facing fellow Briton Junior Witter.

"There are a number of fights to whet your appetite at 140lbs and I certainly would not discount a domestic fight with Junior Witter if he wins in style," Hobson added.

"Ricky is still the main man at light welterweight whether he has got a title or not. If he beats Urango and gets his title back there is any number of mouthwatering fights to be made."

Options for Hatton include the lucrative pay packets which come with lightweight stars Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, both of whom are stepping up, as well as Witter, but the unbeaten Colombian Urango will provide a stern test.

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