‘Keeping the old man on his toes’ – Ricky Hatton prepares for Marco Antonio Barrera bout by sparring his son Campbell Hatton

British boxing legend Ricky Hatton is using his son Campbell Hatton as a sparring partner ahead of his eagerly anticipated comeback fight.

Hatton will return to the ring to take on the legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera on July 2 at the AO Arena in Manchester after undergoing a body transformation that has resulted in ‘The Hitman’ returning to peak physical condition.

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Hatton retired for good in 2012 after his ill-fated comeback fight against Vyacheslav Senchenko ended in a disastrous ninth-round knockout loss.

Ten years on and Manchester’s favoruite son is happy to be back in camp for a fight and enjoying the process that has included training with IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington and his son, who is currently forging his own career in the sport.

On Friday, Hatton expressed his pride after sharing the ring with 21-year-old Campbell, who is currently undefeated in the sport after picking up seven consecutive wins since making his professional debut last year.

“Very emotional day for me as a father today," the 43-year-old icon wrote on

"Couldn’t be prouder of Campbell Hatton anyway, as everyone knows, but I never thought I’d see him turn pro and I especially never thought I’d be in a training camp sparring with him. 6 x 3s done today at a blistering pace,” he wrote on

“Talk about keeping his old man on his toes. I’ve had so many proud moments in this sport over the years. Another coming on July 2nd. Today guys. That was also up there.”

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Sparring with his son appears to have been the cherry on top of a wonderful experience for Hatton, who has enjoyed every minute of his first fight camp in a decade.

“I’m loving it, to be honest with you,” Hatton told talkSPORT.

“The support I’ve been getting from everyone has been dead encouraging and I hope I’ve inspired some people along the way

“Everybody knew my head fell off a few years ago and to see me get it back on track, be doing what I’m doing and in the condition I’m in – everyone is a winner, as they say.”

“Everything just seems to be just falling into place. I’m getting a few little aches as you’d expect at the age of 43 but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”