Las Vegas Weekly

August 4, 2008 · 3:56 PM

Thou$and dollar ticket$ for boxing bout on the Strip

By Robin Leach

"The Hitman" is returning -- and probably all of his 12,000 British fans too! Tickets will go on sale this Friday -- some for as much as $1,000 each -- for the 140-pound world title unification bout, which will be broadcast live on HBO from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in November. Call it "Manchester Muscle vs. New York Flash," "England vs. United States," "Brawler vs. Boxer," or simply a clash between the two best 140-pound fighters in the world. However, no matter how one describes the matchup between the pride of England, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton, and Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi, fans can be sure that the junior welterweight world championship bout will be one of the most intriguing and exciting fights of 2008.

"Hatton is an aggressive puncher who swarms his opponents from start to finish, while Malignaggi is one of the best pure boxers in the game today," said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. "As a fan, I am excited to see if Hatton can lure Malignaggi into a brawl or if Malignaggi can dictate the tempo and make the fight his. No matter what happens, I think when their styles collide, it’s going to make for great action and great drama.”

Hatton is one of the world’s most popular and accomplished fighters. For Malignaggi, it will be his Vegas debut. A 29-year-old international superstar, Hatton scored 31 KOs and had an unblemished record of 43-0 before he lost to Floyd Mayweather in the superfight here last year (Floyd has subsequently announced his retirement). Hatton fell in love with Vegas and stayed here partying for three weeks after the fight. "This is a big fight for me and I’m happy to return to Las Vegas to show my fans in the States that the 'Hitman' is back and better than ever," he said. "To be honest, I’ve never felt fitter and I’m very excited about the prospect of being the first fighter to knock out Paulie Malignaggi."

Malignaggi stated: "I am thrilled to be involved in the biggest 140-pound fight of 2008. This will be my first fight in Las Vegas, which makes it much more exciting. If the nickname of Vegas is the 'City of Lights,' it is only fitting that 'The Magic Man' will light up 'The Hitman' all over the MGM Arena in November.”

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