Ricky Hatton has admitted his lifestyle caught up to him during the big moments in his career, saying his performances against both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could have been better.

The former light-welterweight world champion was knocked out by Mayweather in the 10th round of their December 2007 clash, whilst he lost to Pacquiao in May 2009 after a devastating second-round knockout.

But Hatton, who was a firm fan favourite with thousands of Brits travelling to the United States to support him throughout his career, referred to his 2005 display against Kostya Tszyu as an example of the heights he could have hit.

'Against Kostya Tszyu, with a referee who let the fight flow at a distance and up close, I would have beaten anyone that night, including Floyd,' Hatton told Sky Sports .

Hatton went into that fight against Mayweather with an unbeaten record, but struggled on the night, particularly with the regular interventions of referee Joe Cortez.

After losing to Pacquiao in 2009, Hatton, now 41, went into a three-year hiatus and his comeback in 2012 was a failure as he lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko - his final professional fight.