Ricky ready to reign

Adam Smith has spent time in Vegas with Ricky Hatton - and says he is ready to bring home the P4P title.

Hitman in the mood to make Manny pay, says Adam

Ricky Hatton is currently putting the finishing touches to his intense three-month training camp - the last weeks of which have been firmly ensconced in Las Vegas. The dry desert heat really begins to escalate at this time of year, and Hatton has a burning desire to succeed on this mission - one which plenty of boxing critics are seeing as impossible one. Hatton is though, single-mindedly blinkered by the challenge to beat the finest pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. I have known Ricky for the best part of 15 years, and I sense a real intensity about him this time; there's a tremendous drive to topple Manny Pacquiao on May 2, mixed with a very serious belief that he can pull this off. Every time I see him, every time I speak to him, Ricky seems more and more sure. Yes, he felt he would be the first man to beat Floyd Mayweather, but he really rated the defensive genius. He feels Pacquiao is much more one-dimensional, easier to hit, and physically far too small. Ricky thrives as an underdog, but one senses an annoyance at the critics who are writing him off. Most of the polls you see pick Pacquiao. Hatton's former foes Luis Collazo, whose southpaw style and size gave Ricky such a massive scare in Boston, and Paulie Malignaggi, his last opponent and another slickster, agree. They predict an emphatic victory for the Filipino sensation. Hatton did struggle with Collazo, but that was up at welterweight, and the pre-fight build-up was far from smooth. He also had a bad cold from the hotel air conditioning before outclassing Juan Urango, and suffered illness before fighting Juan Lazcano too. Yet he still managed to find a way to win. He is a hard, hard man to beat. Hatton doesn't pull out of fights, but when he's had a brilliant camp, he tends to look much better - the Mayweather fight obviously apart . But there is no disgrace in losing to the THE best fighter of his generation.

Preparation

In his last pre-fight build-up, Hatton arrived in Vegas to start sparring earlier than ever. He then mixed up boxing skills and his overwhelming pressure well against Malignaggi, and generally looked refreshed under the guidance of new trainers Floyd Mayweather Snr and Lee Beard. Look back at Ian Darke's post-fight interview. Hatton wasn't even out of breath. This camp has been more successful. Ricky is in tip-top shape. After his splendid win over Malignaggi last November, he listened to Mayweather's advice and didn't allow his weight to balloon too badly. He was actually nine pounds lighter than normal when he began this preparation. My colleague Glenn McCrory's comments were spot on - Ricky looks so well - his complexion's clear, and he's in fabulous condition going into this super showdown. There are a couple of changes this time, though. There was no medicine ball needed to pound Hatton's body, because his mid-rift had long been toned, and Ricky's been mixing up the use of the heavy old-fashioned combat boots that Mayweather prefers, with his own running shoes. Pacquiao's conditioner Alex Ariza poured scorn on the use of those boots. But then different methods work for different fighters. After a solid six-week regime in Manchester, it took Hatton a few days to get adjusted to the new time zone and the thin air. Once again he has been pounding Mount Charleston at 7,000 feet, but for this training camp, Hatton has also run the track at Sunset Park - which was specifically built for Mike Tyson, in his heyday in the late eighties. One morning at dawn as Ricky prepared pretty much alone - locked away and listening to his favourite Oasis tunes - one of the game's real characters emerged: Steve 'Crocodile' Fitch, who was the cheerleader and motivator for the Tyson crew for many years. Who can forget those dark glasses, combat gear and intimidatory manner? Actually he's a loveable character. He asked after big Glenn, and told me that Mike is doing OK. He says that he speaks to him most days, and Tyson is very proud of James Toback's new movie. It was good to hear Crocodile also say that Mike has tucked away some money for his children. Crocodile and Mike are both big, big Ricky Hatton fans.

Shocked

Early sparring in the camp was tricky; Ricky wasn't particularly happy, but he steadily got used to that problematic southpaw speed and footwork. Pacquiao clones are obviously tough to find, but Ricky has had good, hard rounds with several fighters like Cuba's former world amateur champion Erislandy Lara, Detroit's Cornelius Lock and Marvin 'Cachorro' Quintero. Dominic Salcido and Timothy Coleman have also been helping out. I had a chat with Cleotis 'Mookie' Pendarvis, who had been in Oscar De La Hoya's camp before the Pacquiao fight. He told me that Hatton will win this, and he made it clear that he wasn't just saying it because they had sparred together. He believes Pacquiao will be shocked on the night. Lee Beard has been instrumental in this camp. He doesn't get enough media coverage, but he has an astute tactical brain, and talks for hours on the stylistic problems that lie ahead here. Floyd has been doing rounds and rounds on orthodox pads, but Lee wanted to introduce southpaw pads, and has. He believes Hatton needs the type of aggressive physical performance that he used against Jose Luis Castillo. He is calling for bodyshots from different angles, especially when Hatton backs up Pacquiao on the ropes. I like what I see in Lee. The gym is fairly quiet and low key; it's tucked away from The Strip, and is a far cry from the buzz of the old Phoenix camp, when Hatton would bounce off his stablemates like Anthony Farnell, Michael Gomez, Paul Smith, Matthew Macklin, Stevie Bell, and of course former trainer Billy Graham. And it is a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Wild Card Gym over in Hollywood. But Ricky knows his business. He is a seasoned, intelligent professional who is getting on with this job perfectly. He's assisted by his long-time right-hand man Paul Speak who organizes everything. Friendly security assistant Kuggan also makes sure the day-to-day routine runs smoothly - and is great to be around.

Monk-like

Mickey Cantwell's son Sam has been sprinting with Ricky, while brother Matthew has joined them. Ray and the rest of the Hatton clan will be on their way out at the weekend. Ricky desperately misses his young son Campbell, and his fiancée Jennifer. Socially, Ricky has been getting up early to watch Manchester City, and spends quiet evenings playing cards. It's a temporary monk-like existence for one of the most fun-loving sportsman out there. Ever the fight fan, Ricky was at the recent Paul Williams victory over Ronald Winky Wright; the next time he's ringside, he will be getting in to the squared circle, to try and achieve his goal. Meanwhile fight promos and glitzy advertising are gently rolling around the big Vegas billboards. The day has almost arrived. I have visited both camps now. I was extremely impressed by Pacquiao's work ethic, dedication and of course his speed. Yet I'm not sure Manny realises how tough it will be to tackle Ricky Hatton up close. I don't know for definite if Ricky will win. I think he will, he thinks he will, and when he gave me his last answer in our interview - the message to his legion of fans was: "Put your house on it, empty the bank, everything on it, Ricky Hatton's going to bring that pound-for-pound title back home to Britain," he said. "Not up for discussion, it's happening." He then got up, took his mike off and added: "And I mean that, I f***ing mean that. I'm not just saying it for the camera." Hatton literally oozes confidence. He believes people are badly under-estimating his skills too. He just thinks he's better than Pacquiao. So does his entire team. Floyd Mayweather can't stop shouting and firing out his bizarre poems. American promoter Richard Schaefer has been very outspoken too in his views that Hatton will win this fight. I've got a sneaky feeling that Hatton will walk through walls to beat Pacquiao, like he did almost four years ago against Kostya Tszyu. He knows he'll need something of that magnitude to win this. It's a risky gamble - but this is a risky business. Hatton's rolling the dice in Vegas and I for one, think it might just land very well for him...