New-style Hatton confident about Malignaggi bout

By Kieran Mulvaney

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 realising 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."

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