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Sam meets 'the Hitman'

Stourbridge's Sam Eggington has been watching Ricky Hatton's comeback trail at close quarters as both prepare for their ring assignments.

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Stourbridge's Sam Eggington has been watching Ricky Hatton's comeback trail at close quarters as both prepare for their ring assignments.

Former British, WBU, IBO and WBA 'super' world light welterweight champion Hatton will lace up his gloves after a three-and-a-half year retirement next Saturday night in his hometown of Manchester.

The 34-year-old squares off against ex-WBA world title holder Vyacheslav Senchenko, 35, over 10 rounds at the MEN Arena, live on Prime Time.

The following Saturday, Eggington takes in his third fight as a professional in the slightly less glamorous surroundings of the Hilton Hotel in Coventry, against Andy Hardy.

The unbeaten welterweight, 19, has been at Hatton's gym in Manchester for training over the last few weeks and was scheduled for sparring with 'the Hitman' himself.

But that plan was scuppered and Eggington ended up disappointed when Senchenko turned up at the gym!

The teenager said: "I got to watch him spar, though, and do his circuits and that, he's looking sharp and I know what he's been through as a former world champion.

"I was impressed, no doubt, and I learned loads just by watching him, I have been in his gym for most of my training.

"At one point, I was going up there to spar Ricky, but Senchenko was up there so he wasn't doing anything while his opponent was in the gym.

"This guy he's in with is no pushover, he's a former world champion himself. But I think Ricky looks back to his old self and I have watched all of his fights."

'Sam the Man' had originally gone to Manchester to serve as a sparring partner for Commonwealth welterweight champion Denton Vassell, who boxes the talented Ronnie Heffron on November 30.

Eggington said: "Denton can be so strong when he plays to his strengths. When he's punching to the body, it just goes through you.

"He's the best body puncher I have ever been in with."

The teenager believes the extraordinary level of training partners he has experienced for his next fight will give him a jagged edge over Hardy on December 1.

Hardy has lost all 10 of his pro contests but has only been stopped once and Eggington is looking to make a name for himself by becoming the second man to get the job done inside the distance.

He said: "I am going out there for a pure war, you will see the difference when I am boxing. This guy looks to come in and have a scrap, so it's perfect for me."

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