Junior Witter is dreaming of spending next summer in the Garden - Madison Square Garden.

The New York venue is the undisputed home of boxing where all the legends have performed: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier; Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis.

Witter, Bradford's only world boxing champion, would love to add his name to such an illustrious list.

His ambition could be realised in 2008 with a unification fight to pit his WBC light-welterweight crown against IBF champion Paulie Malignaggi.

The New Yorker faces a mandatory defence against the dangerous Herman Ngoudjo in Atlantic City on January 5. Providing he comes through that unscathed, initial discussions with Witter's camp could be stepped up about a summer showdown.

But not for the first time, the fly in the ointment is Ricky Hatton. He is set to drop back to the 140lb division after losing to Floyd Mayweather and a Malignaggi showdown has already been mooted.

So The Hitter' is praying that his dream of headlining at boxing's Mecca will not be gazumped.

"Madison Square Garden is the ultimate place to fight," said Witter. "It would be amazing to box in THE home of the sport.

"Everybody these days is boxing in Las Vegas, which is absolutely brilliant and has become the new draw.

"But as a fighter who respects all the history I want to go the original home, where all the greats have fought. That would be something special.

"As far as I know, there have been talks on the management side with Malignaggi and we're just looking at when to do it. It would be a good fight for the British public.

"Americans keep talking about Malignaggi as their big hope but I will beat him.

"He's quick, got good movement and is a hard man to nail down. He's very much a boxer - but he doesn't hit as hard as me."

It would also prove a rich money-spinner for Witter, who deserves an American pay-day after the way he superbly dismantled Vivian Harris in September.

Those seven rounds in Doncaster confirmed his place at the very top of the light-welterweight tree. Nobody could be left in any doubt that he is a worthy champion.

"Harris was a really live opponent and had been around the top for the last eight years. He had all the advantages you could want going into the fight - height, reach, youth, experience of the big occasion and a high knock-out percentage.

"I'd had a twisted knee in the build-up and people said it was a real 50-50 fight but everything suddenly clicked into place about two weeks before.

"I just felt the best in the world and knew I was going to win. It was a great feeling.

"It's been a really good year for me with the Harris win and getting my first defence out of the way. That was more nerve-racking because there was a lot of pressure.

"My opponent (Mexican Arturo Morua) was supposed to come out and have a go but it didn't work out that way. The fight wasn't as good as it could have been but realistically it was probably what I needed."

Witter will be 34 in March but trainer Dominic Ingle reckons he can rule the roost for the next five years. The fighter himself thinks that is a conservative estimate.

"I can see myself being champion even longer," he said. "It's just about me staying focused and having the hunger.

"There are definitely challenges there to get my teeth into and credible opponents. At the moment I don't see me losing; I don't see me retiring.

"The biggest opponent for me is myself. As champion you have to be switched on because everyone wants a piece of you.

"You have to be ready for every fight otherwise it can go just like that. Look at when Lennox Lewis lost in South Africa - how did he lose that?

"That hunger must always be there whatever opponent you are fighting. I've proved that I'm the best light- welterweight in the world and I might move up one day if the right fights can be made. I've taken a long, hard road and I'm getting the rewards now.

"My public image has improved a great deal and I'm happy with the way things are going. But there are big days still to come."

Hatton, of course, is the one he really wants but the Hitman's predictable reticence since his Mayweather mauling has not raised the hopes in the Witter camp.

Other, perhaps more realistic options, include Demetrius Hopkins - Bernard's nephew - and fellow American Kendall Holt or Colombia's WBO title holder Ricardo Torres. Gavin Rees, the unlikely current WBA champion, would come into the picture if he gets past his mandatory defence against former Witter victim Andreas Kotelnik.

Expect to see Witter back in the ring in February or March for a voluntary defence. Then he wants a bite at the Big Apple.