By Paul Walsh: As the media circus whips up frenzy and the social network rumours gather pace it finally becomes reality, Ricky the “Hitman” Hatton will once again lace up the gloves and enter the squared circle. I think the question we are all asking is why, what does he have to prove?

Then again after watching the press conference, listening to Hatton talk about how his appetite has returned and that “something” has been missing, you suddenly get a flash back of Hatton laid out flat in the middle of the ring and Manny Pacquiao standing over him. You think to yourself, I wouldn’t want to go out that way either.

However, Ricky is a smart man and if he genuinely believes he can recapture he’s best form then it could be just what British boxing needs. He obviously feels he can as he has not taken an easy fight to ease his way back into the sport. He will fight former World Boxing Association (WBA) champ Vyacheslav Senchenko on November 24th in Manchester. Briton currently has two reigning world champions and is struggling to keep pace with the Americans and Europeans. But if Hatton tries to cut corners, balloons up in weight in-between fights and is only back for the extra cash he could end up getting embarrassed and more importantly hurt which, I for one do not want to see.

So I get it, he has some unfinished business to deal with and some demons to lay to rest but three years out of the fight game is a very long time. Can Ricky get back to the heights of Kostya Tszyu? I’m not so sure and to be honest I really hope he can but I fear for Hatton and more importantly his legacy….