LONDON (AFP) — Ricky Hatton has vowed to turn on the style on his return to Las Vegas on Saturday in what could be a prelude to a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather, the only man to have beaten him.
England's Hatton takes on New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi in an IBF light-welterweight fight in the MGM Grand and he is determined to eradicate bitter memories of his defeat by Mayweather at the same venue in their WBC title fight in December 2007.
Hatton, whose IBO and Ring Magazine belts are to be carried into the ring by Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, pledged: "I'm going to be all over him like a rash. I won't be taking any backward steps. It will be the same old Ricky Hatton.
"The day Ricky Hatton fans leave a fight without being entertained is the day I hang up my gloves."
Hatton is now being coached by Mayweather's father, Floyd Mayweather Snr. And after intensive training at altitude in Nevada, he believes he can prove a point to those who argued he should have called it quits after last year's defeat.
"The new training camp has made me into a better fighter," added Hatton, who turned 30 last month.
"If I am shadow boxing then Floyd is around me. He's on the punch bags with me, always around me.
"I'm still going to be the same old aggressive Ricky Hatton but I have polished my performance a bit in some areas and I expect that to be the difference come Saturday.
"I can understand why people have maybe said in the past that Ricky Hatton is past his best but I think they might be writing a new script come Saturday."
Hatton's defeat by Mayweather in a WBC title fight that was one of last year's biggest fights was the Englishman's first in 44 professional bouts.
He has since retained his IBO light-welterweight title with a unanimous points victory over Juan Lazcano in his home city of Manchester in May. Hatton subsequently split with former trainer Billy Graham in order to work with Mayweather snr.
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