Hatton holds out for perfect venue

Ricky Hatton will head back across the Atlantic after beating Juan Lazcano on points at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday night - but warned the venues vying for his services he will not be held to ransom.

Madison Square Garden in New York and a handful of Las Vegas casinos are keen to stage his November showdown with IBF light-welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi but Hatton insists capacity concerns could make the crucial difference to his choice.

"If we go to fight in Las Vegas again and they want to give me 4,000 tickets I won't put up with it. There's nothing to say I have to fight at this place or that place," said Hatton.

A post-war British record crowd of 57,000 watched Hatton ride out some scary moments on his way to defeating Lazcano and tens of thousands could be expected to follow him back to America.

"My intention is to go back there and win world titles but it's hard for me to look people in the face who have had tickets off me all through my career, and tell them they can't have any."

Hatton's problem is a November date rules out an outdoor venue such as the 60,000-capacity Yankee Stadium, with the Garden's 20,000 capacity likely to sell out within minutes.