Boxing: Hatton must break down wall of denial

To prove just how lonely a boxing ring in Las Vegas can be Ricky Hatton has built a wall of denial and friends to surround him for tonight's crucial fight against Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM in the unforgiving gambling city.

Hatton will walk to the ring buffeted by the fringed sentinels from Oasis, Liam and Noel Gallagher, and will nod from the ring at the men and women in the expensive seats who have placed incredible belief in their boxer. It will be a hugely emotional evening and Hatton must control his heart in a fight that he simply has to win.

Last December in the same MGM ring Hatton lost his unbeaten record, cleared in excess of £12m but left his confidence on the slick canvas that awful night. In the fight's brutal aftermath, with blood oozing from cuts, Hatton admitted mistakes.

In May he returned to the ring just a few miles from his home in Manchester at his beloved City's ground in a fight that was as much about regaining confidence as winning. Hatton had a chest infection, which he has admitted, and he looked nervous, uncertain and hesitant, which he has not fully acknowledged, on his way to a clear win in front of 58,000 people. The little idol barely celebrated the victory and ignored his trainer of 12 years, Billy Graham, when the fight was over.

After the fight Hatton split with Graham and hired the services of Floyd Mayweather Sr, the father of the boxer of the same name who beat him last December. Hatton, so he said, needed to rediscover his love for the sport and moved to a training camp in Las Vegas six weeks ago to search for his long lost love. Hatton insists that he is a changed man and has found a new passion for boxing during his 5am runs with Mayweather through the silent suburbs of the sprawling city.

Mayweather has exploited Hatton's British work ethic and delivered the applied knowledge of previous generations of American trainers, ancient men who walk and talk like relics long before they are old. Mayweather was prepared to not be impressed and has been shocked at just how good Hatton is, and for once in a business knee deep in hype it appears that he is telling the truth.

Hatton is not known for his love-struck looks but there are moments of pure tenderness when he concentrates on Mayweather's face during complicated explanations. They have dismissed with traditional timings during their gym sessions and often a round of supervised pad work can last 12 minutes until Mayweather is satisfied that Hatton has fully understood. "It's like being at school and at night he gives me homework to do before the next day," said Hatton.

However, there is little doubt in my mind that last December's defeat to Mayweather Jr took a terrible toll on Hatton and there is a disturbing shift in the vernacular of denial, from the men and women who are closest to the boxer. Hatton insists that he is fine and that he has no mental scars but the warning signs – the hesitancy in the May fight, the denial and his reaction to critics – suggest that he desperately needs a big win to restore his confidence.

Hatton has lost just once in 45 fights, has sold out venues for his last 18 fights and is one of the most recognisable faces and voices in British sport but he needs to win tonight to get back something he lost last year. He is fighting for his pride and that makes him a dangerous man.