The former world champion will be back in the ring for a middleweight bout against Emirati Eisa Al Dah in Dubai on December 2, 13 years on from his retirement from the sport.

The bout was announced during a show promoted by Al Dah in Dubai on Sunday (06.07.25), with The Hitman confirming his return on a livestream.

Hatton, who will turn 47 in October, had been due to travel to the Middle East for the launch press conference but was unable to attend after accidentally injuring his eye with his sunglasses as he attended the Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff.

He said: "I wish I was there but I had a little bad injury on my eye. The main thing is the fight will take place and I can't wait, I'm really looking forward to it.

"It's just one of them freakish things, I caught one of my sunglasses in my eyes and I'm very fortunate it's not done any permanent damage. It's just scraped the surface, so fingers crossed we're good to go."

Al Dah, 46, is enthusiastic about the fight and has promised that it will be far more competitive than the controversial contest between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last year.

He said: "Trust me, this fight will not be like the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight.

"It will be a true fight, true action. And I will do my best, because everybody in the UAE and the Gulf, they will watch this fight. The place will be sold out and it will be watched around the world."

Hatton won 45 out of his 48 fights during a 15-year career that saw him claim world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight but hasn't fought professionally since losing to Ukraine's Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.

However, the Manchester boxer did take on Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition fight in his home city in 2022.