I’M not normally a huge fan of boxing but when it comes to Ricky Hatton, I like to show my support. I flew to Vegas to watch him when he fought Jose Luis Castillo last summer.
I bought tickets for me, my nephew Luke and friends Happy and Gary to him fight against Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium the other week.
But, when I arrived, I bumped into a friend from television who got me passes for the ringside and VIP areas.
So I still have an unused £350 ticket to sell on eBay or to a mad fan!
The atmosphere was electric. Even if you’re not a fan of boxing, it was such an intense fight, which finished with Ricky winning on points.
Afterwards, we went to the VIP area and there were loads of celebrities – Mike Tyson, Patrick Kielty, Amir Khan and Tina Malone, who plays Mimi Maguire in Shameless.
As soon as she saw me, she screamed: “Are you deaf? I was shouting and waving like a nutter when you were pointing your camera at me.” Sorry Tina! She was waving at me from behind TV presenter Ben Shepherd. It turns out Mr Shepherd got into boxing after fighting Lemar in Sport Relief’s Celebrity Boxing match.
When I went into the press conference and I couldn’t believe the state of Ricky’s face.
Even though he won, he was really bruised and battered.
It wasn’t a quick fight, anyone who watched really got their money’s worth.
Ricky cracked jokes throughout the conference – he’s got such a good northern humour and I think that’s what adds to his popularity. He is so loveable.
If he ever has to give up boxing he could always be a stand-up comedian!
