WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JUAN URANGO VS. RICKY HATTON

IT'S A BRITISH INVASION, LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS

British boxing sensation Ricky Hatton lands in Las Vegas to open the 2007 boxing season on HBO when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: JUAN URANGO VS. RICKY HATTON AND JOSE LUIS CASTILLO VS. HERMAN NGOUDJO is seen live from the Paris Casino on SATURDAY, JAN. 20 (9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT). The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, as well as closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

HBO2 playdates: Jan. 21 (9:00 a.m., 5:30 p.m.) and 23 (11:30 p.m.). Times are ET/PT.

Originally from Colombia and currently living in Miami, undefeated 140-pounder Juan Urango (17-0-1, 13 KOs) seized the opportunity to win the junior welterweight title when Ricky Hatton vacated it to pursue a belt at 147 pounds. Now, he must defend his title against the man who held it before him.

Ricky "Hitman" Hatton (41-0, 30 KOs), of Manchester, England, is a big star across the pond who brings a dash of personality and style to the sport. Named the BWAA’s 2005 Fighter of the Year, the hard-punching slugger made his HBO debut last May in Boston, scoring a 12-round decision victory over titleholder Luis Collazo at 147 pounds. Now he returns to the 140-pound division in hopes of regaining his premier position.

The evening's opening bout is a 12-round junior welterweight clash featuring Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico versus Herman Ngoudjo (15-0, 9 KOs) of Cameroon, now living in Montreal. Castillo is a formidable blend of toughness, speed and power. The largely unknown Ngoudjo hopes to seize the national spotlight in his HBO debut.