Ricky Hatton would have been better with me as his trainer, says Freddie Roach

Celebrated American trainer Freddie Roach says that Ricky Hatton's trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr was "a poor choice" and insists that the British fighter would have been better served "coming to join me in Los Angeles, with me as his trainer."

Roach, speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph, explained: "I think Floyd Mayweather Senior was a bad choice for Ricky as his new coach after he parted with Billy Graham.

"Floyd doesn't have Ricky's style, and they are a poor mix of styles. I'd have been much better for Ricky than Mayweather. He should have come to me in Los Angeles.

Mayweather's a trainer who teaches a defensive, slick fighting style. That's not Ricky's style. The best way to make Ricky into a better fighter is what we have done with Manny Pacquiao. You can't make Hatton fight like Juan Manuel Marquez. He's different."

Roach is credited with turning Pacquiao, now considered the world's No 1 pound for pound fighter, from a brawler – knocked out twice in his early career – to a non-stop box-fighter, whose defensive attributes are enhanced through his lateral movement.
Roach's comments are likely to fan the flames of a bitter existing rivalry between him and Mayweather Snr. Both men, respected in the trade, were constantly at loggerheads in public during the tour to promote the fight.

Roach also believes the superfight between Hatton and Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2 represents "an old school fans' fight, and one of the most important contests in world boxing right now."

"It is one of the most sought-after fights by the fans. Both are very game fighters. This will not be the taking apart of Oscar De La Hoya that we saw from Manny last December," explained Roach.

"Hatton is strong, confident and has never lost at 140lbs. Hatton has only lost once in 46 fights to one of the great fighters of this era, in Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
"And he fought a great fight for 10 rounds. He made mistakes, he got caught, but he was still in the fight. We know Manny can't afford to stand in front of him, and we are already working on the game plan. It will be a great fight."

Source: telegraph.co.uk