Ricky Hatton's indulgent lifestyle "has finally caught up with him" according to Juan Lazcano's trainer Ronnie Shields.

Hatton returns to the ring for the first time since December's 10th-round stoppage defeat by Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas when he faces Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday.

Mexico-born Lazcano, 33, is a live opponent but firm underdog for the 29-year-old 'Hitman', who is dropping back down to light-welterweight to defend his reputation as the world's top 140lb fighter.

Hatton was out of sorts against pound-for-pound non-pareil Mayweather and blamed the defeat largely on his failure to execute his game plan.

Veteran trainer Shields, however, believes there were physical reasons for his performance - namely Hatton's tendency to balloon in weight between fights due to his diet of takeaways and alcohol.

And he backed his charge to exploit them in front of a 55,000 capacity crowd this weekend.

He said: "Ricky has a lot to prove because he got knocked out by Floyd Mayweather.

"I think Ricky's lifestyle has finally caught up with him.

"Floyd's not a puncher, he's never knocked anyone out, he's a decision guy. For him to KO Ricky, it wasn't because of Floyd's punching power, it was because Ricky has gone downhill.

"The Ricky in the Mayweather fight wasn't the Ricky you saw against Kostya Tszyu or the other guys he's beaten.

"I had Ricky ahead after five or six rounds (against Floyd) then all of a sudden he gets hit with shots he normally wouldn't be getting hit with and he gets hurt.

"I think the lifestyle is catching up on him. Whether Ricky realises that or not I don't know."

Shields added: "Juan is a veteran of the boxing game, one of the best fighters I've seen in a long time. I've never seen him more hyped for a fight and I've been around him for 20 years.

"I used him as a sparring partner for Pernell Whitaker and Zab Judah and he has always been able to handle himself."

Although Shields believes the Mayweather loss showed Hatton is past his best, the fighter himself has nothing but praise for Hatton's decision to take this fight so soon.

"I tip my hat to Ricky," added Lazcano.

"He's stepping out so soon after his last fight and I really have to commend him for that. He's not your ordinary fighter. He's proved he's got a lot of 'cojones' to do what he's doing."

Sporting Life / Eurosport