Boxing: Hatton aims to bounce back
Ricky Hatton insists he will bounce back a stronger fighter from his first career defeat to Floyd Mayweather when he faces Mexican Juan Lazcano in front of 55,000 fans at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24.
The 'Hit man' admits he struggled to get over the shock of his knockout loss but says he quickly became intent on learning the lessons and returning to cement his status as an all-time great.
Hatton said: "I think this is the biggest fight of my career and I think I've improved since my last fight. Because of what happened against Mayweather, I had to. Losing again is not an option.
"My pride's hurt but my ego isn't. It was really hard for me to swallow and I couldn't watch the Mayweather fight at first because it upset me too much. But after a holiday I stopped feeling sorry for myself.
"There were so many good things to take from that fight that I buried the defeat well and truly. There is nothing more reassuring than when you come back from a defeat and you're firing straight away."
Hatton banked around £15million from his showdown against Mayweather but says the prospect of following the Marvin Hagler route into retirement after his first defeat did not cross his mind for a moment.
"If you look at all the fighters over the years, if all of them had finished after their first defeat there would be no all-time greats," Hatton added. "Only Rocky Marciano retired undefeated.
"Fighters are remembered as all-time greats by the manner in which they bounce back.
"I like to think I've established a little bit of a legacy for myself and I feel my legacy would be severely tarnished and I wouldn't be the man or the fighter I am today if the first time I got knocked on my arse I threw the towel in. My previous 44 wins would mean nothing in my mind if I did that."