RICKY Hatton will continue to shun the celebrity lifestyle as he seeks to establish himself as one of the finest champions in British boxing history.
Hatton will enhance his status next Saturday night in Boston if he dethrones the WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo and becomes a major player in a second weight division.
But Hatton insists the recognition which goes hand in hand with such success does not interest him.
He said: "Being more well-known and popular has never been high on my agenda.
"I don't expect them to roll the red carpet out wherever I go. I just like simple stuff - and if I could achieve what I have achieved with fewer people knowing me, give me that any day of the week."
Hatton was hailed on both sides of the Atlantic for last year's win over Kostya Tszyu and last week picked up the prestigious American Boxing Writers' Fighter of the Year award.
Friends
But having only recently moved out of his parents' house in Hyde for a new place just around the corner, out of training Hatton remains happiest with his tight circle of friends down the local pub.
Hatton added: "People ask me `Are you disappointed you haven't fought on terrestrial television because you could have become the kind of household name like Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank?'
"But the only difference is it would have made me more popular, and I would rather not have that. I have always had time to talk to people but I don't need anything else."
Hatton's grounded lifestyle has attracted criticism due to his habit of putting on almost two stones between fights - and for that reason, he believes reducing to the higher 147lbs limit will suit him.
Hatton, who arrived in Boston on Sunday morning to complete preparations for his first fight on American soil for six years, added: "It has never been a problem making the weight.
"I don't help myself, because everybody knows I like my food and my pints. But I've got a good nutritionist and I am able to spend three months bringing my weight down gradually."
Will Hatton beat Collazo? Have your say.
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this is undoutibly ricks hardest fight,and rick has to be commended for going to america to fight collazo in his own backyard ,i,ve researched collazo and he,s no pushover and being a southpaw makes the fight all the more difficult,billy graham advised against it in the first place ,and i have nothing but the upmost respect for his judgement,my prediction for the fight is that rick will be found wanting and will be beaten on points or a late stoppage ,but if he comes through with a win i,ve just read on the net that oscar de la hoya says he may want to fight ricky, what a fight that would be ,i watched oscars latest fight against mayorga and without doubt he,s still something special.