Ricky Hatton produced a dominant performance in the early hours of this morning at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he overpowered and outclassed the pacifistic challenger for The Ring light welterweight title, Paulie Malignaggi, from Brooklyn, New York, whose corner threw in the towel after 48 seconds of the 11th round. In truth, Malignaggi had given up all hopes of winning many rounds earlier.

For 30-year-old Hatton, it was a revitalising display after his career had reached a nadir, a 10th-round stoppage by then pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr in December at the same venue, which was followed by an unconvincing points win against Juan Lazcano, of California, in May at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Hatton put into practice some of the work he has been doing with his new trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr, having been trained previously throughout his career by Billy Graham. There was widespread feeling that Hatton’s best days could be over but now he could be headed into a superfight next year at Wembley against the winner of Oscar De La Hoya’s encounter against Manny Pacquiao on December 6 in Las Vegas.

“Bring it on, I’d definitely like to do it,” said Hatton. “I’ve had 46 fights and I’ve only lost one against Floyd Mayweather Jr, who was the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world. That fight was at welterweight but no one will ever beat me at junior welterweight and I want bigger challenges. That’s what Ricky Hatton’s all about.”

Referring to the Mayweather defeat, Hatton insisted that he laid ghosts to rest. “I enjoyed it better than I did last time,” he said, smiling. “I’ve been working on new things with Floyd and I showed glimpses of the stuff I can do. Maybe I hurt him too early in the fight and I tried too hard then but I showed more patience.

"Even though I was my usual, aggressive self, I was picking my shots better and moving my head more. You would probably have said that Paulie’s style would trouble me the most but I dominated the fight all the way.”

Hatton’s 45th career victory was among his easiest. Malignaggi, who had won 25 of his previous bouts, losing only once against the tough Miguel Cotto, lacked the firepower to hurt Hatton and hold him off. The 27-year-old Italian American had stopped only five opponents in his seven-year career and his brittle hands proved no match for Hatton’s power punching.

Malignaggi showed a sharp accurate jab early in the first round as Hatton looked in vain for a place to land his left hook. When Hatton got in close he landed a few short hooks but Malignaggi went back to boxing at long range and he landed a long right hand to the head. By the end of the round, Hatton sported a bruise on his left cheek but this would be the only round of the fight that he lost.

From round two onwards, it was one-way traffic. His timing was still off at the start of round two and Malignaggi continued to dictate terms with his jab. But in the final 30 seconds of the round Hatton found his range and shook Malignaggi to his boots with an overhand right to the jaw. The New Yorker almost fell to the canvas before Hatton shook him again with another right hand and two left hooks. The bell intervened to save Malignaggi, who was hanging on for dear life at the end of the round. His continued holding blighted much of the action thereafter.

Malignaggi continued to look ragged in round three and Hatton hurt him again with a straight left to the face and a left hook to the chin just before the bell. Malignaggi’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, urged him to relax between rounds but he was unable to gain a foothold and he became locked in a close-quarters confrontation, which he could only lose. He continued to get caught, too, as Hatton rocked him again with a left to the jaw and another overhand right. Outgunned by Hatton, Malignaggi resorted to excessive holding and his face was beginning to show the wears of battle. Malignaggi’s lack of firepower made it straightforward for Hatton to march in and nail him.

The New Yorker’s negative tactics continued into the fifth. He ought to have been warned by Kenny Bayless, the referee, and points might have been deducted but the Las Vegas official did nothing.

Hatton landed two hard lefts at the start of round six and his strength was a decisive factor, for Malignaggi was simply unable to hold him off. A couple of left hooks to the jaw rocked Malignaggi a minute into round seven and the referee’s continued refusal to warn Malignaggi for holding became increasingly baffling. Malignaggi landed a right to Hatton’s jaw at the start of round eight but the Mancunian walked right through it. Hatton’s jab carried more weight than Malignaggi’s right hand. He hurt Malignaggi with a straight left in the final minute of the round and followed it up with a right uppercut to the jaw. Hatton’s power was just overwhelming for Malignaggi, who was staggered again in the ninth by a hard left hook to the jaw.

Discouraged and beaten up, Malignaggi’s sole objective was his survival and it was all he could do to maul his way through. He appeared to have little strength left as the fight progressed into the final three rounds in which Hatton, almost effortlessly, continued to stalk and outwork him. “You’re not punching and I’m not going to watch you continue to take shots,” McGirt told his fighter before the start of the 11th but Malignaggi did not pick up the pace. With nothing coming from his man, McGirt threw in the towel, prompting Bayless to halt the action.

“I understand I was behind in the fight and Ricky fought a great fight but I’m better than being stopped,” said an aggrieved Malignaggi, who might reflect that he could have no complaints once he gets a chance to review his effort. “I was hurt worse in the Cotto fight two years ago and they didn’t stop that one. I just can’t understand why they stopped the fight.”

Malignaggi’s manager, Lou DiBella, explained McGirt’s decision. “Paulie Malignaggi is the bravest kid you’ll ever see but tonight wasn’t his night. He wasn’t going to win,” DiBella said. “Ricky was brilliant. That was the best Ricky Hatton since the Kostya Tszyu fight [when Hatton won the world light welterweight title] and maybe he was better than in the Tszyu fight. I thought he was brilliant.”

That assessment was excessive but today’s party in Vegas for Hatton will be joyous and his mood will only improve in two weeks if De La Hoya can overcome Pacquiao to set up a megabucks showdown at Wembley.