MANAGER Steve Bendall says he wants Bournemouth welterweight Joe Hayes to be the new Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton.

Hayes returns to the ring on Saturday having been sidelined for more than a year with an elbow injury.

He is due to fight Latvian Zaurs Sadihovs at York Hall in Bethnal Green and, at the age of 33, has to get his career moving.

Bendall is steering Hayes towards a possible shot at Southern Area honours and is making changes to his boxing.

Bendall said: “Joe is a strong, come-forward fighter, but he needs to throw more punches.

“We need to add a bit of Ricky Hatton to his boxing. He was ferocious, all over his opponents, and that’s what I want to see from Joe.

“He’s fit enough to throw lots of punches and that’s what I want to see from him. We need to get Joe moving this year.

“He lives the life, trains hard and there’s no reason why he can’t challenge for the Southern Area title this year if he gets a few wins under his belt.”

Hayes has been out of the ring since a draw with Kevin McCauley in December 2015, the only blemish on his six-fight record.

Bendall said: “I thought Joe deserved the decision, but I could understand why they gave it as a draw.

“Joe was just standing in range not throwing anything and taking jabs.

“We need to get him throwing more punches.”

Tickets for the show at York Hall are available by telephoning 07969 722768.