RICKY HATTON will watch son Campbell make his PPV primetime debut in sun-soaked Gibraltar and laugh at his own midnight Widnes wash-out.
The 19-year-old starlet makes his pro bow on the undercard of Dillian Whyte’s must-win rematch with Alexander Povetkin, 24 years after his old man’s far more modest intro.
Campbell, now managed by Anthony Joshua’s 258 team, has spent a week in a luxury yacht covid-bubble and will box in front of 500 vaccinated fans and around 300,000 on box office at home.
And, a quarter-of-a-century after The Hitman’s first paid assignment, he smiles at how times have changed.
“I certainly didn’t get a debut like this,” Ricky roared. “Mine was in Widnes boxing in front of about nine people.
“It was a four-round float fight used to fill any gaps but every single fight went the distance.
“So instead of going on at 8pm I was on at half midnight and the only people there were my mum and dad and the fella sweeping up to close.
“As I was boxing I can remember the cleaners and caretaker picking up and stacking the chairs while I am trying to fight.
“I wasn’t even on the poster!
Campbell is on the poster, the programme, the TV, radio and newspapers as the cheeky chip-off-the-block son of a national hero.
Instead of trying to deny or ignore the pressure, the teenage father to daughter Lyla is harnessing the fanfare and focus in a bid to impress his first real crowd.
He said: “I am a bit nervous because there is a bit of pressure and there will be a lot of eyes on me but I am trying to use that to my advantage.
“I am going to use it as an added bit of motivation and feel like I cannot afford to put in a bad performance.
“I am feeling the spotlight, it isn’t something I have ever felt before and it is going to take a bit of getting used to.
“But I feel like I am handling it quite well and there is so much going on that it’s probably helping with my nerves a little bit.
“The boat and everything else is acting like a bit of a distraction and occupying my mind a bit, so it’s helpful and I am using it to my advantage.”
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Father and son are ready for the Twitter trolls to pile in on Campbell for getting a leg-up in the hurt business.
But both know that the extra pressure and scepticism the fighting family name will bring are ready to roll with the punches.
“I am very proud of my son, not even because he has turned professional, just because of the person he is,” Ricky said.
“I know people will say being my son has opened doors for him but it has also brought unnecessary pressure going into the hardest game in the world so I think you have to give the little fella a pat on the back.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
