By Mark Vester
Trainer Freddie Roach appears confident that Ricky Hatton will come out of his unofficial retirement to challenge his close friend Amir Khan. Roach will be working Khan's corner on Saturday night when he challenges WBA junior welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Roach says it all depends on how well Khan does against Kotelnik.
“We expect Hatton to come out of the woodwork if Amir has a good fight with Kotelnik and wins convincingly. There are a lot of big fights out there for Amir. Including the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez," Roach told The Daily Telegraph.
Roach plans to have Khan target Kotelnik's body. He says Kotelnik holds a tight defense on top but the body is open.
“Kotelnik is very good at what he does. He has a great defence, he’s a good boxer. But he doesn’t vary his style too much, and is very repetitive. What he does not have is Amir’s speed. I will hold Amir back, and then unleash him when the time is right," Roach said.
“We are definitely going to the body early, Kotelnik protects his face well but not his body. He really hasn’t changed his style that much since his amateur days. He moves in straight lines, so Amir will be going in looking for angles, looking to turn him.”
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