Ricky Hatton, Former World Champion, Announces Comeback Fight After 13-Year Hiatus

Last Updated:July 07, 2025, 16:46 IST

Ricky Hatton, 46, will return to the ring in Dubai on Dec. 2, facing Eisa Al-Dah. Retired in 2012, Hatton aims to tap into the growing market for comeback fights.

Ricky Hatton (L) returns to the ring after 13 years. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Ricky Hatton, the 46-year-old former two-weight world champion, will make his return to the ring in the United Arab Emirates this December, 13 years after his retirement.

The Manchester native, who turns 47 in October, is set to face Eisa Al-Dah in Dubai on Dec. 2, as recently announced.

Hatton (45-3) has not fought since his last comeback bout ended in a loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! It’s official," Hatton posted on X.

He clinched world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight, with his only other two losses coming against pound-for-pound legends Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Hatton is the latest former champion to announce a comeback long after retirement, tapping into a growing market for such events. Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Julio César Chávez Jr. have all made profitable returns to the ring.

Al Dah, who is also 46, has not fought since 2021 and has only fought once since 2012. He is determined it will be action-packed.

“It will not be like the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight," Al-Dah said. “It will be a true fight. True action and I will do my best."

Hatton became a British sporting hero after winning epic battles against Kostya Tszyu, José Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi, which earned him clashes with Mayweather and Pacquiao—both of which ended in knockout defeats.

He retired for the first time after his brutal second-round knockout defeat against Pacquiao in 2009, only to return more than three years later and fight Ukrainian Senchenko at the Manchester Arena.

That fight also ended in defeat with a ninth-round stoppage that left Hatton in tears.

Since retiring, Hatton has been training other fighters in his Manchester gym.

He expressed hopes that his fight would pave the way for more such events in Dubai.

“There’s a market for it," he said, “and I think it’ll be a sensational evening."

With AP Inputs

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Location :

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

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News sports Ricky Hatton, Former World Champion, Announces Comeback Fight After 13-Year Hiatus