Ricky Hatton to end 13-year retirement with Dec. 2 bout in Dubai

Ricky Hatton (45-3, 32 KOs), announced on Sunday that he will come out of retirement for a December fight, 13 years on from his last professional bout.

The 46-year-old former world champion — who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last year — will take on United Arab Emirates’ Eisa Al Dah (8-3, 4 KOs) in a middleweight contest on Dec. 2 in Dubai.

Hatton — who fought out of Manchester, England — announced the fight by joining a livestream of the promotion event, led by Al Dah.

“I wish I was there but I had a little bad injury on my eye,” Hatton said. “The main thing is the fight will take place, and I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to it.”

His last professional fight came in the form of a knockout loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012, with his career including blockbuster wins against names such as Jose Luis Castillo and Luis Collazo and infamous defeats to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. He also fought Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition in 2022.

Organizers said Hatton’s comeback bout is set to be a professional contest. The 46-year-old Al Dah’s last bout was a knockout loss to Pedro Alejandro Delgado in 2021.