Manchester sensation Ricky Hatton will finally get his big shot in the Boxing world after numerous shots had fallen through for him previously. On June 4th in Manchester at the M.E.N. arena, Hatton will take on the top dog in the 140 pound division Kostya Tszyu. After possible fights with Sharmba Mitchell, Vivian Harris, and Miguel Cotto fell through, Hatton landed the biggest one of them all getting Tszyu, and getting him in his hometown. The undefeated phenom will be taking a huge step up on the 4th. Hatton talked with the press on Monday about his upcoming huge fight, and here's a little of what he had to say.

              Ricky Hatton:

-On his past fights falling through- I had possible fights with Kelson Pinto, Miguel Cotto, Sharmba Mitchell, and Vivian Harris fall through. Many looked at as Ricky Hatton trying to avoid the big fights, and it was very disappointing. Especially with Vivian Harris, who was calling me out and wanting to fight me in Manchester. Frank Warren had a deal with Vivian, that would have payed him $750,000, more than anything he had made before. Then he pulled out and ended up taking a fight for $300,000. I hope people realize that these fights falling through was not the fault of Ricky Hatton. But, all this did pave the way for the biggest fight, a fight with Kostya.

-On his respect for Kostya Tszyu- Kostya Tszyu deserves to be recognized as the #1 light welterweight for his performance against Sharmba Mitchell after a long layoff. He's one of the greatest light welterweight of all time. The only light welter that I can think of that has accomplished near as much as he has is Julio Cesar Chavez. He's coming to Manchester to fight me at 2 am, but that's the reason why he's champ. I couldn't have anymore respect for him.

-Would he ever fight in the U.S.- If I beat Kostya Tszyu, I don't feel that I have to fight in the States to prove myself. But, I would still love to fight in Las Vegas. I love fighting in Manchester, but it's a dream of mine to fight in the States. I don't want people to think that I can only fight in my comfort zone in Manchester.

-On how he sees the fight going- I'm just going to take each round as it goes. It could go the distance, and if it does I think that favors me. He is at his sharpest early, and has not went long into a fight for a long time. Being that I'm a body puncher, the longer distance fight would favor me.

-On how he plans on winning the fight- Styles make fights. My style is closing the distance, making the fight an up tempo fight and holding my ground. He's not used to fighting that type of fight, and hasn't done it in a long time. The only guys that have done that to him have been Vince Phillips and Oktay Urkal. With the ease that I have been winning my fights, I believe I can bridge the gap and win. He will bring the best out of me, and he has not been the distance in awhile.

-On the fight being at 2AM- The last 2 weeks, I have been doing my road work at 2 am. The first few days was tough, and I was tired, but now my body is used to it. It feels like second nature now. I've been getting to bed at between 4:30-5:00am, and still getting as much rest, just sleeping later.

-On his critics- Hopefully people realize that the fights that fell through were not the fault of Ricky Hatton. After the fights with Mitchell and Harris fell through, I pressured Frank Warren to get me a big fight to silence the critics. I've fought decent names in the past, but now I feel that I'm ready for the cream of the crop.

-On the advantage of fighting in his hometown against Kostya Tszyu- It's a slight advantage fighting at home. He knows how to deal with a hostile crowd, and he has experience in doing so, like in his fight against Julio Cesar Chavez. But, my fights are like being at a soccer match, the fans are loud and passionate, so it could give me a slight edge.

    The Hitman will take on Kostya Tszyu on June 4th from the M.E.N. arena in Manchester, England. The fight will be televised live to the U.S. on Showtime.