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Vicious Vivian wants Hatton

01/08/2006

Vivian Harris, the former WBA lightweight champion, has challenged Ricky Hatton, the reigning WBA welterweight king, to a fight anywhere and at any division.

Harris, dubbed Vicious Vivian, called out Britain's Hitman after his weekend demolish job on American Stevie Johnston at Chumash Casino in California.

The 28-year-old Guyana boxer believes Hatton is over-hyped and after seeing him struggle to defeat Luis Collazo in May is confident he can overpower Manchester's best.

"Hatton has made it clear that he is coming back to the junior welterweight division and who can blame him after my Brooklyn homeboy, Luis Collazo, nearly beheaded him in Boston," Harris said.

"We can fight at 147, where you hold the WBA title, or at 140 or even in between. The weight doesn't matter. I just hope you don't make me wait.

"Every week it seems there is another press release coming from Dennis Hobson and Arthur Pellulo (Hatton's joint promoters) about how Hatton is being ducked and dodged by so many people. Let's make this clear, I am not ducking Mr Hatton."

Hatton, unbeaten in 41 fights with 30 coming via stoppage is due to face German welterweight Oktay Urkal, the mandatory challenger to his WBA crown, in December but if he drops back down a division he will have to arrange an alternative opponent.

New York-based Harris clearly is insistent he is given the shot, something that could well be arranged after Hatton's preferred big money fight fell through when Argentine superstar Arturo Gatti lost to Carlos Baldomir a fortnight ago.

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