Paulie Malignaggi has banished all talk of Ricky Hatton as he prepares for his rematch with Lovemore N'dou.
Magic Man focused on N'dou and not showdown with Hatton
Paulie Malignaggi has put Ricky Hatton on the back-burner as he prepares for his rematch with Lovemore N'dou.
The New Yorker puts his IBF light-welterweight world title on the line as the chief support to Hatton's Manchester homecoming on May 24.
If victorious the pair will face off later in the year, but the Magic Man insists that is at the very back of his mind as he and trainer Buddy McGirt prepare for his first fight in Europe.
"I'm just working on getting the job done May 24," Malignaggi said in a statement from his Sicily training camp.
"I'm focused on doing my job on this card, not looking any deeper than I have to.
"I'm training in Sicily to get acclimated to the time change. I have connections here and everything was set up for me, including my sparring partners.
"I trained two weeks in Vero Beach with Buddy and he'll catch up with us in Sicily."
McGirt himself believes Malignaggi's focus will spot on.
The legendary trainer believes his man was guilty of taking his eye off the task in hand in the first defence of his IBF strap in January, a disappointing points win over Herman Ngoudjo.
"Paulie won't be looking ahead to Hatton," said McGirt. "He never mentioned Hatton's name in the two weeks he trained here (in Vero Beach before switching to Sicily).
"Paulie learned a tough lesson against Ngoudjo, looking ahead to talks about fighting Hatton. There's no Hatton fight unless he wins this fight. Paulie will be ready."
Malignaggi actually beat N'dou to become world champion in June 2007.
And although Australian-based South African has brought in former super-featherweight world titlist Cornelius Boza Edwards as his trainer for the return, the champion is expecting little to change.
"N'dou is a pressure fighter who fights at a high pace," he said. "I just have to stay consistent and fight like I did our first fight. I'll force him into making adjustments.
"He has to try and get to me, come to me, not stay on the outside. He's been the same fighter for a long time and I don't expect anything much different this fight."
