New-style Hatton confident about Malignaggi bout

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - IBO light-welterweight champion Ricky Hatton returns to the scene of his only professional defeat on Saturday confident an improved style will help him retain his title against American Paulie Malignaggi.

"If you don't do new things in the gym, you're not going to do new things in the ring," the Briton told reporters at a news conference at the MGM Grand on Thursday.

Manchester-born Hatton parted from long-term trainer Billy Graham in May, replacing him with Floyd Mayweather Sr, father of the man who inflicted his only career loss in a WBC welterweight championship fight in December at Saturday's venue.

"No disrespect to Billy (Graham), but his injuries got in the way," said Hatton, 44-1, with 31 knockouts. "He was having (injections) in his hands, in his elbows, so that training sessions were not what they were two or three years ago."

Hatton credits Mayweather, a respected trainer best known in recent years for working with multiple world champion Oscar De La Hoya, for introducing extra layers to a fighting style that, he said, had become too one-dimensional.

"In so many fights, since I bulldozed Kostya Tszyu (to win the IBF title in 2005), maybe without realizing it I thought I had this little invisible shield around me where I had this little bit of invincibility," he said.

"But you can't do that at this level. You're not going to see me boxing and moving; I'm not, I'm going to jump all over Paulie. But I'm going to do it in a way I set up my attacks, jab as I go in, throw combinations to set up my body shots."

CONFIDENCE BOOST

Hatton said his new trainer had also restored some much-needed confidence.

"He would say things like, 'You've picked things up quicker than anyone I've ever worked with'. And then in sparring, he'd say to me, 'You handled that guy better than Oscar did.'

"I needed to hear that. After the Mayweather fight, I was down in the dumps. I needed a confidence builder against (Juan) Lazcano and I didn't get it. I needed to hear things like that from someone like Floyd."

Hatton retained his IBO title in May but only after a hard-fought points win over Mexican Lazcano in Manchester.

Malignaggi, 25-1 (5 KOs), a slick-boxing, fast-talking former IBF titleholder from New York, contends that no amount of instruction from Mayweather can correct what he sees as Hatton's fundamental flaws.

"Listen, the guy has never shielded away from being punched in the face," he told reporters after the pre-fight news conference.

"He has never been a good defensive fighter. Floyd (Mayweather) can do whatever he wants. You have to be born with a natural defensive radar. Ricky doesn't have it. So no matter what they teach him, Ricky's going to get hit."

"The bell's going to ring, I'm going to punch him right in the mouth, and we're going to take it from there. We'll see what he does. I know what I'm going to do."

(Writing by Neil Maidment, editing by Ken Ferris)