Ricky Hatton Announcement Scheduled For Friday, Nov. 24 Return Expected

Ricky Hatton has scheduled a press conference for Friday in Manchester, and is expected to make official a rumored comeback to the ring in November.

Hatton, who turns 34 on October 6, has been suspected of a return to boxing since July, and in the past few days, he's met with the British Boxing Board of Control, ostensibly to discuss getting his license back, and undercard ideas have even been batted around.

The fight would, reportedly, be on November 24 at MEN Arena in Manchester. No opponent has been mentioned, nor has the weight of the former junior welterweight champion's comeback, but most expect it will be at welterweight and against most likely a veteran journeyman or gatekeeper-type fighter, which makes perfect sense given that the "Hitman" hasn't fought in over three years, since he was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao.

Hatton (45-2, 32 KO) returning to the sport will be huge news for UK boxing, and for the sport overall. There has been a lot of chatter about a possible rematch with current WBA welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi in 2013, and Malignaggi has made very clear that he'd love to try and avenge that loss next year.

We'll see on Friday just what Ricky has in store -- if the comeback is here or not, and possibly even if they've already got an opponent lined up. I'm sure there's no shortage of fighters out there who'd love to take a crack at Ricky Hatton in his big-fight comeback in Manchester.