The name Ricky Hatton is synonymous with British boxing.
Whether it be how fans could relate to his personality or the legion of fans he would take to Las Vegas for huge fight nights, the sport in Britain has a lot to thank him for.
However, after he retired following a ninth-round knockout loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko, some felt that he was not able to say goodbye to the sport he loved on his terms, but that all changed last November when he fought Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition contest.
In front of a packed Manchester Arena, Hatton rolled back the years and showcased some of the skills which made him British sporting icon.
Exhibitions have become more and more frequent in boxing over the past few years, and while sometimes they can be met with criticism, Hatton explained why he took up the offer to fight Barrera in an attempt to not just put smiles on the faces of his devoted fanbase, but also to benefit his own health.
"I’ve just kept an open mind to be honest, when the opportunity arose, it came from nowhere," Hatton said when speaking to DAZN on behalf of Genting Casino.
"The way it was put to me was that we just come out of the lockdown, I actually lost my cousin Steve, so it had been a depressing time for the country. To put a smile on people’s faces, I was asked ‘How would you like to have a move around with Marco Antonio Barrera at the Manchester Arena?’.
"Seeing me at 44 years of age, shifting all that weight and the demons that I had to get to the condition I was in, it was a winner all the way for me. I’m glad that I did it, I just kept an open mind to how my weight goes.
"I’m 44, there might not be anymore exhibitions, if I put my weight back on, I might not get it back off, so it ended up being a lifestyle change for me where I am able to look after myself a little bit better and keep my weight down.
"If something came up, I would look at it bear in mind how much good it did me and how much of an inspiration it was to other people as well."
Two high profile names which have been featured in exhibition bouts are Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao who just happen to be former rivals of Hatton's.
"The Hitman" faced Mayweather and Pacquiao in 2007 and 2009 resepectively, and lost both matchups by way of knockout, but if the opportunity arose to face these two former opponents once more, would Hatton be interested?
"It’s very hard to say, me and Marco had an understanding in that exhibition. We’ll make this competitive, but Floyd’s exhibitions, he’s taking the p—s out of everybody," Hatton responded when asked about the possibility of facing Mayweather or Pacquiao in the future.
"You look at his last fight, he was belittling his opponent and it ended up kicking off and getting a little bit nasty.
"Do I want to be involved in a circus?
"I would have more chance of getting it with Manny because he seems like a decent guy, but I’m not saying Floyd isn’t a decent guy, I’m only going off what I see in his exhibitions."
Mayweather's last exhibition outing took place in June against John Gotti III which descended into chaos after being brought to an end in the sixth round.