By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TRAINER Freddie Roach said he is not concerned over the supposed powerful body shots of Ricky Hatton, who his prized possession Manny Pacquiao faces in a May 3 showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In an interview with Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN, Roach said Hatton?s body shots don?t worry him. ?It?s because Ricky Hatton won?t land one body punch. He will miss every shot.?

Roach revealed that he had watched tapes of 20 of Hatton?s previous fights. ?I studied them extensively and I know how to beat him. Hatton is slow and made-to-order for Manny.?

Asked by Castillejo about Hatton?s reputation to push his opponent, punch and grab, Roach replied: ?If you won?t stand in front of him, then he can?t push you.?

Roach was confident that Pacquiao, who, in his eyes fought perfect fights against David Diaz and Oscar de la Hoya. ?Pacquiao is even better now and I expect at least one more perfect fight. He would knock out Hatton sooner than Floyd Mayweather Jr. because Manny is better than Mayweather.?

Mayweather scored a 10th-round TKO over Hatton in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2007.

In a hectic schedule prior to taking a flight to London on Thursday night for a two-stop promotional tour, Pacquiao signed another major endorsement with Vitwater, a product under the RFM Corp. of Joey Concepcion, after which he visited his former business manager Rod Nazario at his Wild Card gym in Sucat, Para?aque, in recognition of his help in steering Pacquiao?s career to new heights from the time he was a 16-year-old boy.