Refined Hatton ready for Pacquiao

Ricky Hatton said there's a misconception about himself that he wanted to clarify.

Contrary to popular belief, the junior welterweight from Manchester, England, has not reinvented himself since joining forces with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. Rather, Hatton calls it a refinement of skills he already possessed.

"I'm still the old Ricky Hatton," he said of the power-punching, rough-and-tumble fighter he has been throughout a 13-year professional career that has produced a 45-1 record with 32 knockouts. "I'm just more polished."

Hatton has not forgotten how to be aggressive. But he admitted some of his boxing skills had eroded in the latter stages of his relationship with Billy Graham, who had trained him from the outset of his career until last summer, when the duo parted ways.

"I knew I had good footwork, a good jab and good head movement," Hatton said. "The problem was I had stopped using those things. In the time I've been with Floyd, I've been able to rediscover those parts of my game."

He knows he'll need all his boxing skills if he hopes to defeat Manny Pacquiao on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden.

But Hatton is sincere when he talks about the fight and what the outcome will be.

"I'm not the bragging type," he said. "But I feel different for this fight than any other. I feel like I'm a more complete fighter. I feel better prepared.

"But saying is one thing and doing is another. It's a very, very tough fight. Manny is a great fighter. But I'm going to be the biggest man that Manny has faced. And it's going to be one of those rare times where I am bigger and taller than my opponent."

At 5 feet 7 inches, Hatton is an inch taller than Pacquiao. So it's not like he's going to tower over him.

Still, if Hatton believes he has an advantage and it keeps him in a positive frame of mind, he'll use it. But his skill set in the ring needed a tuneup, and Mayweather has been able to connect with him during their 12-week training camp as they team up for the second time.

Their first time together was a seven-week camp to prepare Hatton for his Nov. 22 fight with Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton had one of his most impressive performances in years, scoring an 11th-round TKO victory at the MGM.

"I'm in a perfect place I want to be with my weight, my sharpness, everything," Hatton said.

Mayweather said Hatton continues to be a good student.

"Listen, the name of the game is hit and not get hit," Mayweather said. "Ricky has much better boxing skills than people realize, and he showed them when he beat Malignaggi, and he's going to show them when he beats Pacquiao."

Mayweather has concentrated on three specific areas with Hatton. One is footwork. He wants his fighter to have better balance and be able to slip Pacquiao's left hand when Pacquiao comes forward. Hatton said his lateral movement is much improved, and he won't be an easy a target for Pacquiao's left hand.

Second, Mayweather has continued to stress head movement. He wants Hatton to be elusive from the neck up, something Hatton showed signs of against Malignaggi, a fighter with quick hands who never was able to get a clean shot in on Hatton. His head movement that night was arguably the best he had displayed his entire professional career.

Finally, there's hand speed and counter punching. Mayweather has emphasized timing to Hatton, knowing when to get in and when to get out. The plan is to box with Pacquiao rather than brawl with him.

"I'm a lot more difficult to read right now," Hatton said. "I strongly believe I would be as fast as Manny. My defense is a lot better. I'm moving my head faster. I'm jabbing a bit more. I think Manny's going to be shocked when he sees what I've got, technically speaking."

Hatton said the fact he and Mayweather understand each other better the second time around has made this camp fun, as well as educational.

"The first time we were together, I didn't understand a thing Floyd was saying the first two weeks, and I don't think he got my sense of humor," Hatton said. "But he's a fantastic trainer, and no disrespect to (Pacquiao's trainer) Freddie Roach, but I think I've got the best trainer in boxing in my corner."

Mayweather didn't disagree.

"Ricky don't need me to beat Pacquiao," he said. "But he has a better chance to win with me than without me."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.