Hatton ducks Wenger

Ricky Hatton says he will be doing his best to avoid Arsene Wenger after the superstar boxer helped pair Arsenal and Liverpool in Sunday's FA Cup Third Round draw.

The unbeaten light-middleweight, drawing the home ties, pulled Liverpool out of the hat before Amir Khan drew Arsenal to complete the plum draw of the round.

"It seems everyone wants to knock me out but Arsene Wenger might want to now," joked Hatton.

"Arsenal are not having the best of seasons as far as their usual high standards. Having said that, neither are Liverpool so it should be an even game."

The unbeaten light-middleweight took time out from training for next month's world title fight to help with the draw and admits it was a privilege to be involved.

"It was nice to do," he said. "I was more nervous about dropping the balls! That was the hardest part. Then I had one eye on what team Manchester City got."

Hatton, an avid City fan, was not too disappointed when Stuart Pearce's men were drawn away at Sheffield Wednesday.

"I am confident of getting through - there are worse draws," he admitted. "The nightmare tie would have been away to Chelsea. Having said that you could gone away to Tamworth which could be just as difficult."

In the rehearsal, Hatton helped pair Tamworth with Premier League champions Chelsea, but during the live draw moments later, the world champion at two different weights handed Chelsea a home tie with Macclesfield.

"It's a nice one for Macclesfield," said Hatton. "They have got the dream tie. But you never know. Against a team like that, there are so many high-profile Chelsea players who might not be as motivated for Macclesfield as they would do for Manchester United. That's why you have giant-killings.

"I love The FA Cup - it's the best football competition in the world. Where else can someone like Macclesfield get Chelsea? Draws like that keep the smaller clubs going."

Log on tomorrow to read about Amir Khan's verdict on the draw.