New diet leaves Hitman hungry for success

Ricky Hatton insists his brand new dietary regime has made him more hungry than ever for success.

The Manchester Hitman has been polishing off platefuls of whatever takes his fancy ahead of his big WBU light-welterweight title scrap with Ben Tackie at the MEN Arena on Saturday night.

Hatton has linked up with top nutritionist Kerry Kayes and believes the results have made him fitter than ever ahead of the hardest bout of his career to date.

Hatton said: “Since I’ve been on this diet I feel better ten-fold.

“My physique is a lot better, I feel quicker and stronger and I’ve never been eating or drinking so much.

“I wish I’d met Kerry years ago because I’ve never felt fitter. He has made a whole lot of difference.”

Hatton knows he needs to be in top shape to repel the advances of Tackie, who has gone the distance with former world champions Kostya Tszyu and Sharmba Mitchell.

His reward for a fine victory will be a higher profile across the Atlantic courtesy of the Showtime network who are broadcasting the fight.

And his promoter Frank Warren will have his eyes on a super-fight against the likes of Tszyu, Mitchell or Arturo Gatti.

But Hatton himself is wisely not looking beyond Tackie whose team exuded a quiet confidence at the first head-to-head press conference today.

Tackie had previously attempted to inflame Manchester City fan Hatton by claiming he would “cut him up like a chicken” and professing his admiration for Manchester United.

But today he merely insisted: “I proved myself in the fight with Kostya Tszyu and on Saturday night I will prove myself again.”

And Tackie’s manager Michael Tetteh added: “You’re all making a big mistake looking at future fights for Hatton.

“It is going to be World War Three. Ben will go toe to toe and at the end of 12 rounds he will be the winner.”