Hatton jokes he’s had ‘worst birthday ever’ as Benn vs Eubank Jr scrapped

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Former boxing superstar Ricky Hatton joked that the postponement of the much-anticipated fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr ruined his birthday.

The 'Hitman's' 44th birthday has been dominated by the news that Saturday's fight at the O2 has been called off due to Benn's failed drugs test.

On Wednesday it was revealed that Benn had returned traces of a fertility drug that can boost testosterone levels, in a recent test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) subsequently announced that they prohibited the fight as it was 'not in the interests of boxing'.

And the decision was made on Thursday to call off the fight just under 48 hours before the ring-walks, despite both fighters still being prepared to go to battle.

"With the news that I've just found out, I'm having the s******* birthday ever!," Hatton told iD Boxing after discovering the dampener on his celebrations.

After initial news of Benn's positive test result, Hatton said: "It’s a travesty to hear the news the main event might not take place, but everything has to be done for the right reasons – the safety of the boxers. It’s just a shame because everyone on the bill including the main event has worked so hard.”

Meanwhile, Hatton is set to return to the boxing ring himself next month after a decade since his last outing in the sport. The Manchester-born fighter retired after losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012, but will return in a re-arranged exhibition bout against Mexican star Marco Antonio Barrera.

Hatton's fight was supposed to take place on July 2, but had to be rescheduled after an injury to heavyweight Hughie Fury cancelled the whole bill.

He believes a gruelling training camp ahead of the contest has been important for both his physical and mental health.

“I was devastated when the fight got postponed but ‘Ricky Fatton’ has gone now. I’ve got rid of my big wardrobe and now it’s for the sake of my health now," he told Betfred.

"My whole attitude has changed now. I don’t feel the need to go to the pub every night and I don’t need to shoot down Manchester every night across the weekend."

"It’s taken me 44 years to get here but I’m a little bit older and wiser now. Other things in life now are more important than going partying all the time. It’s a lifestyle choice for me and this is me now.”

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