For Ricky Hatton it truly is the dream scenario.
When the Hitman began his ring career in 1997 at the Kingsway Leisure Centre in Widnes, the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip seemed a long way away.
But on May 2 Manchester's finest gets his second shot at becoming the best boxer in the world.
Hatton takes on current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in the MGM Grand in a mouthwatering light-welterweight showdown.
In December 2007 he had a similar opportunity, but moving up to welterweight and facing the brilliance of Floyd Mayweather Jr proved too much.
This time Hatton says it will be different, and he'll take a chance he never dreamed would come along.
He said: "I obviously dreamed of becoming a world champion. That's any youngster's dream is to obviously become the world champion. Every youngster dreams of becoming a world champion. And I was very fortunate to do so, four times in three weight divisions.
"But I have to be frank, never did I dream of being in a position to fight for the pound for pound title, which means you're the best champion out of all weight divisions. As much as I love to dream, I could have never have dreamed this. But I'm grateful that I'm in a position to do it. I'm not only just grateful for being in the position, it's a position that I believe I'm going to take full advantage of."
Pacquiao will provide formidable opposition for Hatton on May 2. The Filipino icon is coming off a sensational stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya - again in the MGM Grand - last December.
That match was at welterweight (147lbs) - an astonishing achievement when you consider Pacman won his first world title at 106lbs.
Hatton admitted: "Well, one it's a phenomenal achievement what Manny's done, he won his first world title at 106 pounds. So that's incredible there, a man fighting at the weight he's fighting at now.
"I would say, no disrespect, obviously intended, but being Manny's weight, when you look at - say if you win a title at super bantamweight, which is 8 stone 10 and then you move up to featherweight, that's just four pounds for the nine stone match, then up to super featherweight, it's just another four pounds, for 9 stone 4. And then if you move up to 9 stone 9, it's just another five pounds. Well, once you get to junior welterweight, you've got to move up a full seven pounds.
"It sounds like I'm being a little disrespectful to Manny, which I'm not. I just said earlier he won his first time at 106, that's an absolutely unbelievable achievement. But I think it's a lot easier to move up through the weights the lighter weight you are, because obviously the weights are a lot closer together. But I think it's not just roundabout. It's also about the manner of your performances, how you can move the weights and do it comfortably.
"From where Manny started off when he one his first world title to really when he won his last world title, you would have to say I would say it's more impressive, yes. Because 106 pounds to 147 pounds, even though the weights are very, very close together, it's absolutely a massive achievement."
Source: sportinglife.com
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