Confident Hatton determined to justify massive Vegas billing

EVERY time Ricky Hatton gazes up towards the bright Las Vegas sky he is reminded of the reason why he has earned the right to top the bill in the entertainment capital of the world.

The Manchester ‘Hitman’ sees his own face beaming back down from the gigantic billboards above the Strip, jostling for attention alongside the likes of Celine Dion and Tom Jones.

Ahead of his challenge to Juan Urango for his old IBF light-welterweight title at the Paris Casino tonight, Hatton is acutely aware that it takes a special kind of fighter to earn such lofty status. And that is why his priority remains to emulate his illustrious predecessors like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard and put on a performance fit for his famous surroundings.