So the Hitman is back after a pretty one-side victory over light punching Paulie Malignaggi. The New Yorker saw his corner throw in the towel with just 28 seconds to go of the 11th round leading to the fighter being most displeased.

Speaking to Ian Darke after the fight Malignaggi was moaning and questioning why his corner had pulled him out but before he could get into full flow he was interrupted by his promoter Lou DiBella. He said that whilst his fighter was the bravest kid you'll ever see, Hatton was terrific and his fighter just wasn't going to win the fight. He also said that this may have been the best Ricky Hatton since the Kostya Tszyu fight and maybe even better than that – high praise indeed.

As for Hatton, this puts him well in the shop window for a mega fight with the winner of the Oscar De La Hoya v Manny Pacquiao fight on December 6. Should De La Hoya win then you'd expect a fight between them at 147lbs in Wembley next summer, should Pacquiao stun everyone and pull the upset then they would fight at 140lbs probably in Vegas.

A De La Hoya fight in Wembley is mouthwatering but Hatton has had trouble up at 147 and to take on someone of De La Hoya's class up there would be dangerous. However his performance in the early hours of Sunday morning our time showed us that Ricky Hatton still has a lot left in the tank. The big fights are still coming and British boxing still has three guys who are all sitting at the very top table.