SCOTT Quigg had double cause for celebration this week after being named Britain’s best young boxer shortly after it was announced he would fight on the undercard of Ricky Hatton’s much-anticipated comeback bout.

The 23-year-old Bury boxer pipped heavyweight hope Tyson Fury in one of the closest votes in the 61-year history of the British Boxing Writers Club to win their annual Geoffrey Simpson award, which he will pick up at the Savoy Hotel next month.

He will now be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Frank Bruno, Barry McGuigan and John Conteh, who all received the honour before going on to become world champion.

“When I was told I had won the award it took a while to really sink in, especially when you look at some of the people who have won the award in the past,” said Quigg.

“To be mentioned in the same breath as Hatton, Bruno and Benn is a great honour and just drives me on to be the best I possibly can.”

Quigg’s next fight, on the Hatton undercard at the Manchester Arena on November 24, could well propel him towards his dream of becoming a world champion.

The British champion will take on Rendall Munroe for the WBA interim super-bantamweight title in a re-run of their June bout, which ended as a technical draw after a clash of heads in the third round opened a deep cut over Munroe’s eye. The fight will realise what Quigg thought was an impossible dream.

“I’ve been a Ricky Hatton fan for a long, long time,” he said.

“I grew up watching his fights on TV and so it was great when I was able to sign up for his promotion company.

“But never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would one day get the opportunity to fight on the same card as Ricky.

“It’s going to be an amazing night.”

But despite the hype surrounding Hatton’s comeback, the young British champion understands he will have to keep a level head if he is to reach his long-term ambition.

“My focus has been on Rendall Munroe from the minute that our first fight was abandoned,” ASSUREDQuigg.