logo
Ricky Hatton, 46, to make boxing comeback in Dubai

Ricky Hatton, 46, to make boxing comeback in Dubai

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Ricky Hatton, the 46-year-old former two-weight world champion, will return to the ring to fight in the United Arab Emirates in December, 13 years after he retired.
The Manchester native, who turns 47 in October, will face Eisa Al Dah in Dubai on Dec. 2, it has been announced.
Hatton (45-3) has not fought since losing in his last comeback bout to Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012.
'Fight! Fight! Fight! It's official,' Hatton posted on X.
He won world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight, with his other two losses coming against pound-for-pound greats Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
He is the latest former champion to announce a comeback long after retirement in a growing market for such events, with Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Julio César Chávez Jr. all making lucrative returns.
Al Dah, also 46, has not fought since 2021 and only once since 2012. But he was adamant 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. They earned him clashes with Mayweather and Pacquiao — but both ended in knockout defeats.
He retired for the first time after his brutal second round knockout defeat against Pacquiao in 2009, but returned more than three years later and fought 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 trained other fighters in his Manchester gym.
He said he hoped his fight would lead to more being staged in Dubai.
'There's a market for it,' he said, 'and I think it'll be a sensational evening.'
___
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wife's reaction says it all as Djokovic incident sends shivvers through Wimbledon
Wife's reaction says it all as Djokovic incident sends shivvers through Wimbledon

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Wife's reaction says it all as Djokovic incident sends shivvers through Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic admits his body is not what it once was after a 'nasty' incident in his Wimbledon quarter-final win that left wife Jelena horrified and sparked huge concerns for the Serb. Djokovic set up a blockbuster clash against World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the last-four after ending the fairytale run of Italian young gun Flavio Cobolli, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-5 6-4. But the seven-time champion suffered a frightening late fall on the Centre Court grass that saw him scream in pain and left him sprawled out behind the baseline. The sickening scenes came while Djokovic held a second match point, having come back from dropping the opening set to stand on the cusp of victory. Cobolli was trying desperately to stay in the contest and his shot from the opposite baseline wrong-footed Djokovic, who stretched to try and retrieve the ball but ended up doing the splits. The 38-year-old let out an audible scream, before ending up lying face-down on the grass as Cobolli and chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore both came over to check on the stricken Serb. Thankfully, the 24-time major winner was able to gingerly get back to his feet, before winning the next two points to book a place in his 14th Wimbledon grand slam semi-final. That sees the 38-year-old surpass Roger Federer's record of 13 appearances in the last-four and makes him the oldest men's semi-finalist since Aussie tennis legend Ken Rosewall in 1974. Djokovic admitted afterwards that his trademark slides can be risky on the Wimbledon grass but was hopeful he'd avoided any significant injury before his semi-final clash with Sinner. "It was a nasty slip and that's what happens when you play on the grass. You expect to fall with the way I move and slide on the grass," said Djokovic. "It came at an awkward moment but I managed to close it out. I will visit this subject with my physio and hopefully it will be fine in two days." But he later admitted in his post-match press conference: 'Obviously (my) body is not the same today like it was before, so I guess the real impact or effect of what happened, I will feel tomorrow. So let's see." A very nasty fall on match point, the splits gone wrong….ouch 😖Poor Jelena & Stefan look horrified but Novak was able to serve out the match & appeared to be ok, but his physio will work on him; hopefully all is well. Stefan & Jelena were able to celebrate with the… — Linda, Fan of NovakDjokovic 🐊2️⃣4️⃣🥇💯 (@DjokovicUk) July 9, 2025 Flavio Cobolli rushed to help his idol Novak Djokovic after a nasty fall. 🥹True sportsmanship, touch of class and respect from the young man. ❤️#Djokovic | #Wimbledon | @DjokerNole — Shane (@Shanegupta22) July 9, 2025 Djokovic's victory keeps his quest for a record 25th grand slam title alive and sets up a mouthwatering semi-final clash with World No.1 Sinner, who beat American 10th seed Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-4 in their last-eight clash. It will be the 10th time Djokovic and Sinner have faced off, with the Italian holding a 5-4 career record over Djokovic. RELATED: Cruz Hewitt hits out at father Lleyton in fiery scenes at Wimbledon Alex de Minaur goes public with heartbreaking truth after loss The Serb has won their only two previous matches at Wimbledon though, beating Sinner in the semi-finals in 2023 and the quarter-finals in 2022. Sinner was fortunate to progress to the quarters after trailing Grigor Dimitrov by two-sets-to-love in their last-16 clash before the Bulgarian had to retire with a torn pec in heartbreaking scenes. Sinner also injured his elbow in a fall during that match and was sporting a white sleeve on his racquet arm to protect it during the quarter-final win over Shelton. There was a brief moment of concern for the Italian when he clutched at the elbow after trying to return a booming serve from the American, but it was an otherwise ruthless straight-set victory for the three-time major winner. "When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try to not think about it," said Sinner, who has reached his fourth straight grand slam semi-final. "It has improved a lot from yesterday to today." The winner of Sinner's semi-final with Djokovic will play either two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or American fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon final. with AAP

Man United staved off competition from Man City to land Harley Emsden-James
Man United staved off competition from Man City to land Harley Emsden-James

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Man United staved off competition from Man City to land Harley Emsden-James

Manchester United are currently struggling to secure Bryan Mbeumo's signature for the first team, but their academy recruitment remains on point as seen from their recent capture of Harley Emsden-James. United have signed the highly-rated defensive prospect from Southampton, after paying a £1 million compensation fee to the Saints. Advertisement The defender is only 16, but made his U18s debut for Southampton last season, making two appearances in total. He is regarded as one of the brightest English talents in his age group, and the Red Devils have been following his progress for over a year before finally swooping. United had their eyes on Harley Emsden-James for over a year As per Football Insider, the recruitment team felt he has the potential to emulate the likes of Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro, high praise indeed. Which is exactly why United pushed so hard to seal the deal ahead of fierce cross-town rivals Manchester City as well as the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United, Tottenham, and Aston Villa. Advertisement 'Man United have completed the signing of 16-year-old defender Harley Emsden James from Southampton, sources have told Football Insider. 'United's recruitment team, Luke Fedorenko, Connor Hunter, and Jamahl Jarrett, have been tracking Emsden James closely over the past 12 to 14 months. City lose out in the race 'Their persistence has paid off, with the Old Trafford club confident he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of rising stars like Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro. 'The teenager was also on the radar of Premier League rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Tottenham, and Aston Villa, who all tracked him closely over the last 13 months.' Advertisement Apart from the ex-Southampton academy wonderkid, United have also signed Diego Leon this summer. And last season, Heaven and Chido Obi were among the high-profile academy arrivals. This indicates how seriously INEOS are taking academy recruitment. Follow us on Bluesky: @

How to Watch Wimbledon Women's Singles Semifinals Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic for Free
How to Watch Wimbledon Women's Singles Semifinals Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic for Free

CNET

time3 hours ago

  • CNET

How to Watch Wimbledon Women's Singles Semifinals Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic for Free

Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic will face each other in the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles semifinals on Thursday. Swiatek defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals, leading her to the semifinals, 6-2, 7-5. She currently ranks fourth in the women's singles. Meanwhile, Bencic defeated Mirra Andreeva by winning both tie breaks to earn her spot against Swiatek. She now ranks 35th in the women's singles. The Swiatek and Bencic match will happen at 9:40 a.m. ET (6:40 a.m. PT) on Thursday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. Here's how you can watch the match for free with a VPN or via a live TV streaming subscription. Read more: Wimbledon 2025: How to Watch a Free Tennis Livestream How to watch the Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic Wimbledon semifinals for free If you're traveling or the match isn't available in your area, you can connect to a virtual private network, or VPN, to watch Swiatek and Bencic in the semifinals. A VPN routes your internet location to another country, which gives you access to sports and shows available there. Most paid VPNs have this capability, but when it comes to streaming sports, we recommend ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN We recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN for the Swiatek vs. Bencic match, and any other sports games. It's reliable, safe and works on most personal devices. It costs $13 a month, but you may be able to sign up for a free trial to watch this match. If you like ExpressVPN and want to sign up for an annual subscription, you'll get three months free and save 49%. ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Details See at ExpressVPN How to stream the Swiatek vs. Bencic Wimbledon semifinals for free with a VPN Sign up for a VPN or a free trial. We recommend ExpressVPN. Install the VPN on your phone or computer. Connect to a location server in the UK. Watch the game via the BBC iPlayer. Other ways to stream the Swiatek vs. Bencic match in the US You can watch the Swiatek vs. Bencic Wimbledon match on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC. If you don't have cable, these live TV streaming services also offer coverage of the tournament. How to watch the Wimbledon women's semifinals match in the UK, Australia and Canada for free If you're not based in the US, here's how you can catch all the tournament action. BBC iPlayer You'll need a valid UK TV license to stream the Wimbledon tournament. Details Watch Wimbledon 2025 in the UK for free See at BBC Channel 9 UK viewers can watch live coverage of Wimbledon matches on 9Gem. You can also watch for free on its streaming service, 9Now. Details Watch Wimbledon 2025 in Australia See at TSN Plus Canadian viewers can catch the Wimbledon tournament on TSN or its streaming service, TSN Plus. You'll have to pay CA$20 a month to enjoy the matches on TSN Plus. Details Watch Wimbledon 2025 in Canada See at TSN

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store