Ricky Hatton believes a change of trainer and tactics will help prolong his career.
Hitman believes change of trainer and tactics will prolong his career
Ricky Hatton believes a change of trainer and tactics will help prolong his career.
The Hitman will team up with Floyd Mayweather Snr for his November 22 showdown with IBF light-welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, having ended his long association with Billy Graham earlier this year.
Watch Hatton v Malignaggi on Sky Box Office
Having built his career on his bulldozing, come-forward style, Hatton believes that Mayweather Snr will refine his approach to fights by making him more of a boxer than a brawler.
"I'm not saying I'm ready for my pipe and slippers yet but as you get a bit older with a lot of miles on the clock and tough fights behind you, you don't change your style, but you've got to tweak it and be a bit more cautious," said Hatton.
"Look at Marco Antonio Barrera; in some of his fights he turned from fighter to boxer had some wonderful fights and wins in doing so and Arturo Gatti was another one.
"I've shown my boxing ability a number of other times and even people close to me have said 'Why don't you do that more often?'
"In working with a coach who is a bit more safety-first, if that helps that then it should make me a better fighter."
Despite a change of tactics, Hatton admits that he will still have to go hunting for Malignaggi when they meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"With someone like Malignaggi you've got to cut the ring down, get in close," said Hatton.
"But with the things I'm working on, along with the boxing ability I had in the first place, I've now got a coach who is going to bring that out of me a bit more and I expect to out-box Paulie."
Malignaggi remains unimpressed with Hatton's new approach, with the New Yorker claiming: "I'm sure he'll come with a couple of different things but I'm a firm believer in, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'."
