Ricky Hatton has done arch rival Junior Witter a big favour - by making boxing fashionable again.

Bradford ace Witter is gearing up for his first appearance in an E nglish ring this year when he defends his European crown against Ukrainian Andreas Kotelnik next month.

The July 9 fight in Nottingham will be screened live on ITV as British boxing basks in the glow of Hatton's sensational win over Kostya Tszyu.

The Hitman's success has rejuvenated interest in the fight game and Witter is determined to cash in by clocking up another impressive victory on his relentless drive towards the light-welterweight big time.

Witter admitted: "It's all looking great for British boxing again. With Hatton achieving what he has, and Amir Khan as well, the sport has been brought back into the public eye at the right time.

"Hatton has gone out there and captured people's imagination and now it's my turn to drive them wild. Being live on mainstream TV means the viewing figures will be bigger than anything, much more than watched the Hatton fight."

Witter is keen to build on his American debut when he out-pointed Lovemore N'Dou in Los Angeles four months ago. But he has had to be patient after damaging his right hand four rounds into that distance win.

"I've had to wait a while since the N'Dou fight and it feels like forever.

"But I couldn't punch, I couldn't do this and that and I had to wait for the hand to be right again. Now I'm feeling perfect again.

"The power has come back and I'm punching hard without any response from the injury. I'm ready to show again what the Hitter can do."

Kotelnik, who fights out of Germany, has a decent pedigree. His only professional loss was dropping a points verdict to durable Frenchman Souleymane M'Baye.

But Witter knows the stakes are high and he must impress.

"It's England v Germany again and this time England are going to win," he announced. "It's only an hour and a half down the road so I've got home advantage and I'll put on a show.

"His record is a good one but I know what he will be like, tall with a high guard and a good workrate.

"He doesn't like to take a punch but it's up to me to break him down, find the holes and smash through them." Witter has bizarrely dropped to number four in the WBC world ratings. Tszyu has moved in at two despite quitting on his stool against Hatton.

Witter's manager John Ingle said: "If Tszyu had managed to last the distance, then he would probably have gone in at number one! Nobody understands how they work."