Ricky Hatton celebrated his 30th birthday today with a gruelling training session and a declaration that he was right to leave Billy Graham and join forces with Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Hatton will return to the scene of his only defeat, which came against Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, to take on Paulie Malignaggi, the IBF world light-welterweight champion, on November 22.

The Mancunian has enlisted the help of Mayweather Snr as he seeks to reap the benefits of the American's wealth of world-title experience, which has seen him train the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Chad Dawson and Joan Guzman.

The move follows Hatton's split with Graham after 11 years, and Hatton has been hugely impressed with Mayweather Sr after just two training sessions - despite being forced to shelve his birthday celebrations today.

Hatton will spend two weeks training with Mayweather Sr in Manchester before flying to Vegas with him on October 16 in preparation for the Malignaggi fight.

"Floyd has come in and given me a new lease of life," Hatton said. "He's slowed me down and given me a more subtle approach.

"I was up at 6am this morning, Floyd came to my house and I ran five miles around Gee Cross in Hyde with dumb bells in my hands. Floyd was side by side with me all the way - in a Range Rover I might add - saying, 'Come on, jab, jab, step off, one-two!'. It was hard because it's very hilly where I live but because it was new I got a buzz from it.

"As soon as we got back to my house he jumped out the car and we did a little bit of sparring.

"I've got to get used to him calling the shots and the different combinations, plus I need to get to know him as a person and as a coach. I took him with me to the Manchester City versus Liverpool game yesterday, we had a meal and I think he enjoyed himself."

Hatton admitted he should have changed trainers sooner, and revealed that only his friendship with Graham preventing him from doing so. "Billy thought he could continue training me but I had to be man enough to say no because it just wasn't possible," he said. "A lot of the lads have left his gym - including our Matthew [Hatton's brother] - because of Billy's injuries.

"There was only me left and he couldn't even do that in the end. It was the toughest decision of my life to leave Billy but it was the best one. They were putting needles in his hands to numb the pain so he could take a training session.

"When I hit him he would say, 'You're hitting too hard', but in my mind I was thinking, 'Well you don't know because you can't feel your hands'. He was deluding himself and didn't want to admit to himself that the time had come to finish.

"Everyone was telling me to leave him earlier and I think it's clear because, slowly but surely, everyone else left him. I couldn't do it because of how I had such a close relationship with him but when Matthew left I knew I had to be a man and leave as well."

Hatton hopes to beat Malignaggi next month and then take on the winner of the fight between De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao, which takes place a fortnight later on December 6. He admitted he could even retire next year and a rematch with Mayweather Jr - currently in retirement - has not been discounted. "For now I just need to beat Malignaggi and then hopefully get a big opponent in my next fight, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Floyd Jr coming out of retirement at some point."

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