Boxing odds: Hitman names the date

Fans of Ricky Hatton can add the date May 24th to their diaries as the Hitman has confirmed he will return to the ring then, with the 32-year-old Mexican Juan Lazcano his likely opponent, and William Hill make The Hitman 6/5 to beat his next opponent by a knockout. Hatton is just 1/7 to beat Lazcano in his first fight since the points defeat by 'Pretty Boy' Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas in December and the Manchester fighter will revert to his natural light-welterweight division. The fight will take place in England as a repayment to the fans who followed Hatton to Las Vegas, although the venue is yet to be confirmed, negotiations are ongoing with both the City of Manchester Stadium and Wembley. "It would be nice to repay the fans as a way to say thank you to them for coming over to the States," added Hatton, who is still the IBO title holder at light welterweight. "Vegas is like my second home and I will go back there. But it was very disappointing the number of tickets the fans got for the December fight so I insisted on coming back home for my next fight. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams believes Mexico's Lazcano represents a "safe" option for the Mancunian: "Lazcano was at his peak in 2004 when he took Jose Luis Castillo close, but Hatton will be much stronger as he steps back down to light-welterweight," Adams explained. If Hatton can beat Lazcano, his next target may be with current IBF champion Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi is expected to feature on the undercard of the Hatton-Lazcano bout, and William Hill have priced up the Italian at 11/8 to beat The Hitman. Junior Witter is not on the Hatton camp's four-man wish-list, which also features Ricardo Torres, Herman Ngoudjo and Kendall Holt. Witter has regularly been touted as a possible opponent but Hatton feels the light-welterweight champion is not a big enough draw in America to be a credible option. "I'll fight Junior Witter when I want to," said Hatton. "I'm not saying I won't fight him. You can never say never but I'll fight him when I choose to. I think Junior needs to fight a few more creditable opponents because it's all about American television."