Ricky Hatton on his incredible weight loss at 43 and his inspiration ahead of boxing return

It has been ten years since Ricky Hatton last boxed in front of his loyal Mancunian fans, the former World Champion losing on his last comeback against Vyacheslav Senchenko way back in 2012 at the Manchester Arena. However, things have changed since then with his son Campbell having entered the ring in recent years in a bid to emulate his father's exploits.

Claims that he is being mistaken for his son these days following his return to the gym may well be an exaggeration, but it is hard to deny that the 43-year-old is in impressive shape as he gears up to face former three-weight world champion Miguel Antonio Barrera at the AO Manchester Arena next month.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, the man who is still ranked by BoxRec as the fifth greatest pound-for-pound British fighter of all time claims to have lost two stone in seven weeks as he gears up for his comeback fight on July 2. The fight will take place on the undercard of Hughie Fury's WBA world title eliminator fight against Michael Hunter.

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In the interview, the man who fought both Manny Pacqiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at his peak said: "The bad times that happened through my life are why people see me now and see the change more…if I’d always been like this they’d say, 'look at him, he looks well at 43', but because I fell from grace, I had such bad times, it makes more of an impact on people."

Hatton has had well documented issues with drugs and alcohol, but a return to the ring appears to have worked wonders for the former champ. Fans will be happy to see a return to good health both mentally and physically for the man known as 'The Hitman' in a story