Big-time boxing could soon return to Croke Park if Manchester-based fighter Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton successfully defends his IBO World light-welterweight title against Juan Lazcano on Saturday night. The fight takes place at the City of Manchester Stadium and will be watched by a post-war British record attendance of 55,000. But because the demand to see him in action is so great, Hatton and his management team are now exploring bigger venues and Croke Park, with its 82,300 capacity, is high on his list. The figure could extend to 140,000 when fans seated on the pitch are taken into account, and would break the outdoor attendance record set by Julio Cesar Chavez met Ben Haugen who fought in front of 136,274 fans in Mexico City 15 years ago. Hatton, who is a regular visitor to Ireland and attended last year's All-Ireland football semi-final between Kerry and Dublin at Croker, said: "We are looking into it. I would love to set the all-time record for an outdoor crowd. Croke Park would be an ideal kind of place. "The Gaelic football pitch there is a lot bigger than a soccer pitch." Former World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali famously fought at Croke Park during the 1970s. Tweet

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