Manny Pacquiao had just connected with the best punch of his career, a left hook that landed on the butt of Ricky Hatton's chin with six seconds remaining in the second round of their super lightweight fight.

Hatton went down as if he were shot, completely out, as Pacquiao leaped upon the ropes in celebration. Medical personnel rushed to Hatton's side as he lay unmoving, flat on his back atop the logo in the center of the ring at the MGM Grand Garden.

Only a few seconds after the fight ended in a brutally devastating manner, HBO's Jim Lampley looked at the fallen Hatton and said, "I'm not a medical guy, but he's in very bad straits there."

Lampley, nor anybody else, had a clue how bad it would get for Hatton.









It's now more than three-and-a-half years since Hatton lost to Pacquiao. He's 34 and preparing to return to the ring for the first time since that ignominious night in Las Vegas on May 2, 2009.

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He'll fight Vyacheslav Senchenko on Saturday in his hometown of Manchester, England, in a welterweight fight that will be broadcast on Showtime. More than 24,000 tickets were sold in 48 hours, long before an opponent had even been named.

"I can't even express to you how grateful I am for the outpouring of love and support I've received," Hatton said.

That Hatton is alive is somewhat of a miracle. Several times, he found himself with a knife, about to slash his wrists and end it all, looking to run away from the pain.

He abused cocaine. He was in a constant drunken stupor. His weight ballooned to 210 pounds. He had panic attacks at all hours of the day or night.

He wished he were dead.

"There was a time when it seemed like that might be the only option, when it would be best for me to just [commit suicide] and end it all," Hatton said.









A year-and-a-half before he was knocked out by Pacquiao, Hatton met Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a battle of unbeaten fighters in Las Vegas.

The MGM Grand Garden had, quite literally, been taken over by Hatton's passionate British fans. More than 30,000 of them had flown to Las Vegas for the bout, though the arena only held a bit more than 16,000.

They were omnipresent, singing Hatton's unofficial theme song, "There's Only One Ricky Hatton," over and over and over again.

There's only one Ricky Hatton!/One Ricky Hatton!/Walking along, singing a song, walking in a Hatton Wonderland!

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The weigh-in on Dec. 7, 2007, was one of the most remarkable spectacles in modern boxing history. There was more passion inside the MGM Grand Garden that afternoon than there'd been for any fight in years, maybe decades.

"That," Hatton says now, "is something I can never forget. I've always tried to be a down-to-earth guy and remain close to my roots. Over here in England, the way they phrase it is they say, 'You're just one of the lads. You're one of us.' I wouldn't have the fan base that I have if I were any other way. Let's be honest. They supported me so strongly because I was no different than they were."

If he wasn't fighting, he was in the pub in Manchester drinking a pint with one of them, watching sports on television and generally being a bon vivant. To the citizens of Manchester, Hatton wasn't a celebrity; he was a Mancunian, albeit one who happened to have a special talent.

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