BRITAIN?S Ricky Hatton will concentrate hitting the body of Manny Pacquiao during their ?East Battles West? showdown in Las Vegas on May 2.

Speaking to www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports from the gym where Hatton works out in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lee Beard, who is the International Boxing Organization light welterweight champion?s British trainer, said that his ward is known for being a body puncher.

?A lot of his wins have come with shots to the body. It doesn?t take a lot for the champ to hurt somebody. He doesn?t need to unleash an accumulation of punches to the body to take an opponent out,? said Beard, accentuating what is regarded as the strongest facet of Hatton?s offensive arsenal.

He conceded that Hatton is not the biggest puncher in the world. ?But he is a really, really heavy-handed, strong puncher. The one thing is he finds an opening to the body and he sets up his shots well so he doesn?t need to hit you nine or 10 times to the body. Ricky only needs to hit you once or twice before it starts to take effect.?

Although he conceded that Hatton?s hand-speed is not as fast as Pacquiao, Beard noted that the British champion is also a fast-handed fighter. ?Both fighters are very fast on their feet.?

Beard said Hatton had been working out in the gym prior to taking a family vacation on a Caribbean cruise. ?Upon his return, he came up to the gym on Monday. This is the first stage of the training so he?s just settling himself into it, running and just warming his body back into it.?

He downplayed concern over Hatton?s tendency to bloat in-between fights because of his penchant for an excessive intake of junk food.

?This time around, Hatton had kept an eye on his junk food and kept on top of his weight because Ricky knows this is a massive fight for him.?

He said that Hatton looks a bit lighter when he reported to the gym compared to when he did prior to his last fight against Paulie Malignaggi. ?I am not sure of his exact weight, but Ricky looks good.? Ronnie Nathanielsz