Lazcano in top shape ahead of Hatton bout
Juan Lazcano's trainer Ronnie Shields insists his man will send Ricky Hatton spinning to a second consecutive defeat in their light-welterweight clash at the City of Manchester Stadium. Shields, who works with 'The Hispanic Causing Panic', believes his man has all the necessary qualities to shock Hatton and the majority of the 55,000 home crowd.
Hatton, who is making his first appearance since his welterweight defeat by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December, has dropped back down to light-welterweight as he looks to re-launch his career.
But Shields says he is yet to see Lazcano in such great shape ahead of a fight and is tipping his man to come out on top on Saturday.
"Juan is a veteran of the boxing game, one of the best fighters I've seen in a long time," he said. "I've never seen him more hyped for a fight and I've been around him for 20 years."
"I used him as a sparring partner for Pernell Whitaker and Zab Judah and he has always been able to handle himself."
But Lazcano has praised Hatton ahead of the bout, claiming he has been impressed by the Manchester man's resilience after the painful nature of defeat.
"I tip my hat to Ricky," the Mexican told the BBC. "He's stepping out so soon after his last fight and I really have to commend him for that.
"He's not your ordinary fighter. He's proved he's got a lot of 'cojones' to do what he's doing."
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Posted by MVP2008 – 24 May 2008, 4:10 AM
Ricky Hatton isn't the only one who knows what is at stake, and Jaun Lazcano knows that the outcome may hurt or improve his reputation in boxing. I honestly am expecting a very close fight, and if it's close enough, people may not even care about who actually won or not.