More photos from Hatton's win All the action as it happened

Already the IBF champion, Hatton made a reckless start in Sheffield, emerging from a round one head clash with blood streaming from above his left eye.

The Briton was cut above his other eye in the third, but he landed all the telling blows and won each round.

Hatton finished off Maussa with a big left hook in the ninth.

It was no less than the 27-year-old deserved.

In front of a loud and partisan crowd that included boxing adversaries Prince Naseem Hamed and Marco Antonio Barrera at ringside, Hatton piled on the pressure from the start.

The cuts came along because I wasn't as cautious as usual Ricky Hatton Feature: Eyes on America

The Manchester fighter made the odd mistake in his rush to get the win, but consistently troubled his obdurate opponent.

Maussa, 34, took many ripping body blows and also showed a granite chin, while courting controversy when he appeared to rake his glove across Hatton's second cut in round three.

But he showed little coming forward and was eventually caught clean by the decisive hook, dropping dead-weight to the canvas and rising just too late to continue.

Hatton did not attend the post-fight news conference, instead going to hospital to have a routine check on the damage to his eyes.

Champion Hatton faces layoff

And his trainer Billy Graham revealed that he would now have to sit out for six months to recover.

"I felt I was miles in front but was not boxing to full potential," Hatton said of his display directly afterwards.

"Maussa was awkward, swaying back, but I was trying too hard. I went in there and wanted to kill him.

Is anyone else a bit disappointed that Gatti is being touted as Hatton's next opponent? From GU Have your say on Five Live

"I was so built up for obvious reasons and the cuts came along because I wasn't as cautious as usual. I was loading up with big bombs. The red mist came down a bit."

The new WBA champion dedicated the win to his father Ray.