Ricky Hatton says he is not worried by Manny Pacquiao's reputation - and that size will be the key to him winning the fight.
Hitman not worried by Pacquiao's reputation
Ricky Hatton says Manny Pacquiao's reputation does not bother him one bit.
The Hitman kicked off the verbals ahead of their Las Vegas showdown in front of 6,000 fans in Manchester, before beating the Filipino at a darts in his local pub.
In the ring Pacquiao is regarded the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and takes on Hatton fresh from destroying Oscar de la Hoya in one of the finest individual performances in recent times.
He has beaten the Golden Boy, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez in his last six fights as he has moved up from super-featherweight, but Hatton says that will count for nothing at light-welter.
"He is fighting somebody that won't be scared of his aggression," he told
Sky Sports News. "I'm going to be on his chest all day.
Handful
Hatton believes his famed body shots hold the key to what will be the biggest win of his career.
He points to the fact that Pacquiao has been halted before even if it has not happened since he lost in three to Medgoen Singsurat as a flyweight some nine years ago.
The Hitman is adamant it is going to happen again and does not see their May 2 showdown going the distance.
"He's been stopped twice before with body shots, he's been shaken up several times by people who are nowhere near as big as me," he said.
"The top and bottom of it is Ricky Hatton is an absolute handful.
"He's going to have to absorb more punches against Ricky Hatton than he has in his whole career - and he's going to have to take them off the biggest man he's faced."
