Dubliner Byrne tips sparring partner Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner Dean Byrne is tipping the pound-for-pound king to be too fast and too explosive for Ricky Hatton tomorrow night.

Unbeaten Irish welterweight Byrne has served as a sparring partner for Filipino superstar Pacquiao at trainer Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in the build-up to both this fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and last December's victory over Oscar De La Hoya.

In training and sparring with Pacquiao (48-3-2, 35 KOs) since moving to California last May, the Dubliner has seen at first hand the devastating speed and power he believes he will dish out to Manchester's Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs).

'It's going to be a great fight and I'm looking forward to it,' Byrne said.

'Manny's going to outwork him. He's going to be too fast and too explosive and I think he's going to take care of Hatton in the later rounds.'

Byrne, who began his professional career in Australia in 2006 and has since moved his record to 10-0 (4 KOs), has a Las Vegas date of his own to keep tonight when he is due to meet Mexican southpaw Jose Reynoso (10-2, 1 KO) in a scheduled eight-round bout at the South Point Hotel Casino.

The 24-year-old believes working under Roach's guidance, and training and sparring with the likes of Pacquiao and British world title challenger Amir Khan is paying great dividends.

'Sparring with Manny Pacquiao is the best sparring you're ever going to get,' Byrne said. 'If you can hold your own with the best pound for pound boxer on the planet then your job's done.

'Amir's been a really good sparring partner for me as well, he keeps me sharp and he's so fast, he's got great hand speed. He fought out of his skin to beat (Marco Antonio) Barrera.'

'You just have to then train hard and take care of the all the guys that get in your way.

'It's unbelievable, walking in that gym every day, like stepping into another world.'