By Mark Vester

Floyd Mayweather Sr., new trainer of junior welterweight Ricky Hatton, has made Ricky cut down on the drinking and promises that everyone will see an improved Hatton when he steps in the ring against Paulie Malignaggi on November 22. Ricky says that he can't afford to lose to Malignaggi. If he loses the fight, he will probably retire and walk away from the sport.

''Floyd's told me to curb the drinking. I'd teach any youngster to train and prepare exactly like me, but not do the other things. That could have been better. I think that will be it if I lose against Malignaggi. I'd be an absolute idiot to look past Malignaggi. If I was fighting Mr Bean I couldn't afford to look past him," Hatton said to The Telegraph.

''I was knocked out by Mayweather, I wasn't great last time out, against Juan Lazcano, so I don't think I'm in a position to look past anybody. You'll definitely see a slicker Ricky Hatton against Malignaggi. I'd like to think I'll out-box him and ideally I'd like to knock him out."

Floyd Sr. is so high on Ricky that he says the Manchester star would do a lot better in a rematch with the man who knocked him out last December, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Sr. has been at odds with his son for several years. He says if a rematch comes up, he would train Hatton and show him all of the necessary tricks to beat his son. 

''Ricky will have a better chance against my kid if I'm working with him. He'll be a much smarter, slicker, better fighter. Ricky would never have taken a beating like that with me. I'm not saying he'd win, I'm saying he'd have a chance and when you have a chance, anything can happen," Floyd Sr. told The Telegraph.

''He's my kid and at the end of the day I don't want to see him turn on his daddy. 'But it's one of those things that can happen. That's boxing. This is my job and this is what I do for a living. I don't train my son anymore. If I'm going to get paid I'm not going to stand back from my son, so that's the end of it.''

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