Ricky Hatton: Inside training camp for my exhibition against Marco Antonio Barrera

In his latest column, the British boxing legend offers a glimpse into training camp ahead of his exhibition fight against Marco Antonio Barrera after showing off his incredible weight loss.

We are now just a month away from my exhibition fight against Marco Antonio Barrera on 2 July and the hard work is well underway. I’m pleased with the work that’s been put in having lost two stone in about seven weeks.

As I have always been in fight camps, I have been very strict with my diet. I have been eating the right things at the right time, doing the right things, the sensible things, with my body.

But I have been very strict on myself. At 43, I did wonder if the weight would be harder to come off and it has been harder, but I have been able to move up levels with my own discipline. That is what it is all about. I’m enjoying being able to walk down the street and people saying: ‘God Ricky how have you done that! It has taken years off you.’

I like to have a night out here and there, I like to have a pint or a meal out so I am never going to be wafer thin or walk around with a 6 pack 24-7! But I think this is going to be a lifestyle change for me. I do intend for this to be the norm for me going forward.

I expect to put a little bit back on after the fight. I was 14 stone 6lbs before all this and now I’m 12 stone 3lbs. Come the fight, I hope to be a bit under that. After the fight, if I can keep that discipline and walk around the 12 stone mark, that is another goal for me. It is one thing going down in weight but there is no point in it if I go straight back up straight after.

We have done a bit of everything with Blaine Younis putting me through the paces and there has been lots of sparring too. It is four weeks on Saturday