Ricky Hatton insists he not only has the power to beat Manny Pacquiao, but also the boxing ability.
The Hitman, 45-1 with 32 knockouts, will return to the site of his only defeat to date when he takes on Filipino southpaw Pacquaio on May 2.
Floyd Mayweather Jnr proved the Mancunian's undoing at welterweight on that occasion in December 2007, but he remains the king in his more natural 140 pound division.
And having already talked up the advantage he will have at the weight, Hatton now says his improved speed and skill will prove even more key at the MGM Grand.
Speed
"I strongly believe I will be as fast as Manny. If I'm not as fast as Manny, I'll only be the narrowest of margins behind," Hatton said. "He's going to get a shock. The technical side and the speed will shock him more than anything.
"To say I'm confident would be an understatement. Training is going well. I'm feeling really sharp. Me and Floyd have been doing good work and obviously the speed factor is going to be a big factor.
"I've always said at 140 pounds I believe I'm too strong and too big. With the hand speed and punching, the things I'm learning with Floyd and my boxing ability, Manny has got something else to worry about besides the sheer size. He has got some technical ability to worry about come the night.
"If you can make him miss, he's very open and off balance. If he misses, he's going to have some big shots waiting for him."
Backing
Hatton's trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr is backing up the words of his man as he bids to defeat the world's best pound-for-pound fighter (48 (36KOs)-2-3).
"We're going to bust his ass up," Mayweather Snr said. "Ricky is one of the easiest guys in the world to train. He makes it easy for me and hard for Pac-Man. Ricky surprises me at times. I'm sure he'll surprise Pac. He's an A-1 student.
"Ricky has a very good chance of knocking him out. Pacquiao is fighting a man who has real strength, can keep real pressure on him, bang him to the body and the head and smother him at the same time. That's hard to deal with."
Source: skysports.com
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