Ricky Hatton treated a 5,000-plus sell-out crowd to a master class of boxing as he retained his WBU light-welterweight title at the Velodrome in Manchester tonight.
Former champion Jason Rowland, who had only relinquished the belt after pulling out of a March showdown because of a chest infection, was the unlucky opponent as the 22-year-old backed up his billing as Britain's brightest young prospect.
Hatton floored the West Ham veteran twice in the fourth round, before Rowland's corner effectively through in the towel, after simply overwhelming the challenger from the first bell.
It was a 24th straight win for Hatton, his 19th inside the distance, and thankfully there were no signs of the cut problems which have caused him problems in the past.
"Jason had a game plan to come in and spoil and maybe open up a cut," said Hatton.
"But we've worked on ways to avoid those problems coming back and everything went well tonight. I'm only 22, but I reckon I'm ready to take on anyone in the world right now."
