Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao:

Verdict from Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton had been in and out of a Las Vegas ring just a few months before the emotional walk to face Floyd Mayweather there. That night in December 2007 Ricky was back in Vegas and he loved it.On that previous occasion, a short deadly hook to the sweet spot, just under the elbow, sent Juan Luis Castillo down for the full count and led directly to the fight with the man he was about to meet once he had sucked in the atmosphere on the long, long walk to the ring's steps. All fighters admit that the lonely walk takes a toll."I had spent a lot of time with him [Mayweather] on the road during the tour," says Hatton. "I was sick and tired of him, I just wanted to get in there and go to work. I never liked him."

The tour had started in Hollywood, gone to Mayweather's old high school, then New York before the O2 in London and ended on a wet day in September outdoors in Manchester. "I just want to get home and have a bath and get him out of my head," the British fighter said at the time. Hatton, it turns out, tried too hard on a bad night, pushed too often and allowed Mayweather to counter him with ease until his face was swollen, his legs tired and the fight drained from his heart. Mayweather put a chilling end to it in round 10 and it was his last legitimate stoppage win.

"No loss is easy and that was my first," says Hatton when we catch up in his Manchester gym. "I really thought that I could win, never thought that I would get stopped - I knew it would be hard, I knew I would have to be at my best. On the night, nothing worked."

It is thought that 33,000 travelling British fans altered the landscape in Las Vegas for a three-day binge that saw bars in the MGM close as their stocks of booze vanished down the necks of Hatton's army.

"I wish I could have been there for that!" he says. I was and it was not always pretty.A period of exile after the Mayweather loss was difficult for Hatton and six months later 56,000 people watched his tentative win over Juan Lazcano in Manchester. Most had no idea that his confidence was ruined. "It was a test getting hit again,"

Hatton flinching

Hatton admits, and from ringside it was obvious that his mind was not right as he flinched to avoid punches that he had previously walked through.Just under a year after facing Mayweather, he was back in Las Vegas, stopped Paulie Malignaggi, a noted soft puncher, looked relaxed and the fight with Manny Pacquiao was signed and sealed for the MGM once again. Hatton was also a lover of the Las Vegas way, a VIP guest in the casinos' secret rooms where men and women can conjure any gift on earth.

Tickets for sold-out Tom Jones concerts were never a problem and a plush box for the Spice Girls, who had been kicked out of the MGM to make way for Mayweather v Hatton, was a given. Hatton was a Las Vegas player and he was on his way back for another big fight.

There was no animosity, no hidden agenda with the Pacquiao fight, but the preparation was ruined by Floyd Mayweather Sr, the boxer's estranged father, who had taken over Hatton's coaching duties from Billy Graham. The mood inside the splintered Hatton group was toxic and, frankly, he should have been spared the fight. However, in May 2009 he was knocked out by Pacquiao in round two and that was the end.

The Las Vegas dream was over, now he would only ever be a tourist and when Mayweather fights Pacquiao next Saturday he will be back, a lot happier than the last two times that he was anywhere near the MGM rings at the same time as the pair."I will be in Las Vegas from about the Wednesday and I might see Manny - I don't think there is a big chance of me seeing Floyd. He lives in his own little world and that suits him. I spent enough time with him when I fought him. To be honest, I'm hoping that Manny can sort me out with a ticket," adds Hatton - and he is not joking about that.

It's on and that is a relief, but as a fighter I just can't see why they didn't swallow their pride and just f***** go for it," says Hatton. "I would have liked it a few years ago when they were both red hot but in some ways it is more interesting now.

It would have been a disgrace if it never happened."Manny was brilliant the night he beat me and Floyd was brilliant the night he beat [Saul] Alvarez.. They have each had their time as the best boxer in the world. It's a fight that just had to happen because they are two of the greatest fighters ever and they still have enough left, they are not finished yet.

Floyd slight advantage

"They are both about the same age but Floyd has not taken as many punches.. Manny has been in some real wars and that gives Floyd the slight advantage," continues Hatton. "Manny has lost, but he knows how to start winning again and to be honest, Manny has looked a little bit better since losing to [Juan Manuel] Marquez."In December 2012 Pacquiao was knocked out by Marquez in their fourth fight and at that moment the chances of facing Mayweather seemed to vanish forever until, in a comical sequence of events, the money started to increase with every denial that it was being discussed.

"Manny can win the fight with speed, the fight will be won by speed," says Hatton. "Manny can do his thing where he shuffles in and throws fast punches. Manny can use different angles to get in and out. He must use his speed. He needs to be clever and he is fast." Hatton was shocked by Pacquiao's speed on that dreadful night in 2009 and the knockout left him as confused as he was concussed. "I never saw that, never thought he could do that," he admitted the day after the fight.

"Manny has to think and not just jump straight down the pipe - let's be honest. Floyd can handle fighters putting that type of pressure on him with ease. I tried it, I thought it would work and that is what everybody believes will work but it doesn't. That is what Floyd likes and I know how well he adjusts - running straight at him is not the way.

"If Manny is cagey, boxing smart, it will make Floyd fight the same way," warns Hatton. "If that happens they will show too much respect for each other and it will be an anti-climax. That is a big risk, if it is a great fight there could be a second. I will have to go back to Vegas!" Hatton remembers the first time he saw his name up in lights, spelled out in the famous neon on the Strip. "It gave me the popcorn," he said in January 2007 - utilising his own brand of rhyming slang - before his first Las Vegas fight, a solid 12-rounder against Juan Urango for the IBF light-welterweight title. He adds now: "It's not changed, I still love the place." It probably still loves him.

The Independent