By Mark Havey: Saturday night will see Ricky Hatton (45-2, KO’s 32) return to the ring against former WBA Welterweight champion (32-1, KO’s 21). Hatton is Britain’s most popular boxer with a legion of fans who will follow him anywhere in the world.

His aggressive style is pleasing to British fans who tend to appreciate a battle, and jeer at a fighter that hits and runs. Hatton has shared a ring with many great fighters and broke them down physically with body shots, and mentally with his courage and forward style.

But this was the Ricky Hatton of the past. The Manchester icon has only lost twice, against the best two fighters of this era. But those losses led to a 3 year retirement, alcohol and drugs issues, serious weight gain and depression. The choice of opponent is a testament to Hatton’s courage and ambition. He could have picked an easy and unranked opponent. But he picked Senchenko, a man who was a world champion up until April this year.

I’m not a fan of comebacks, but in Hatton’s case I’m making a exception. I was a huge Hatton fan. I do have a few concerns, but the main one is ring rust. No one can predict how a 3 year layoff would have affected him. Weight loss is another problem. A 70 lbs weight loss is huge, and in such a short amount of time, could Hatton be weakened by this?

Despite all of this, I think Ricky Hatton will shine. Senchenko was stopped by Paulie Malignaggi, a man known as a relatively light hitter. Hatton can be a brutal puncher. It’s worth saying that Hatton also stopped Malignaggi, but that was a different Ricky Hatton. I think the Hitman’s choice of opponent is perfect and wouldn’t be shocked if he wins by a stoppage win.