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'Hattonmania' grips fight fans

British fans cheer boxer Ricky Hatton, not pictured, at the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Hatton fights WBC world welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas tonight. PHOTO: AP

When Ricky Hatton steps into the ring to fight Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas for the WBC world welterweight title tonight, the vast majority of the fans cheering him on will be on the other side of the Atlantic and tuning in at 4am.

Hatton, unbeaten in 43 fights and fighting one of the current greats, has a huge following back home because of his toe-to-toe style and ferocious body shots. He scored a memorable victory over another great, Kostya Tszyu, to capture the IBF light-welterweight title in June 2005.

Now he takes on a champion that is unbeaten in 38 contests and gained a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya in May in boxing's biggest fight in years.

Sky Sports, which is showing the fight, has been plugging it daily for six weeks. With tonight's fight looming, interviews with Hatton and Mayweather are repeated on Sky's sports news channel hourly.

Coverage on other TV channels and in the newspapers has grown steadily in the past few days and even last week's Boxing News, the respected British-based weekly magazine devoted to the sport, had a 12-page pullout on the fight eight days in advance.

"If I got a reception like that in Manchester I'd hang my head in shame."

Ricky Hatton

Bookmakers say that Hatton, who is the 13-8 underdog, is the heaviest backed British individual ever. William Hill expects more than £10 million (US$20.7 million) to be bet on the fight.

"The amount of money being staked on Hatton to win this contest dwarfs the gamble on Lewis Hamilton to win the F1 title, Frank Bruno, Lennox Lewis or Joe Calzaghe winning world [boxing] titles, Tim Henman to win Wimbledon, Colin Montgomerie to win a major or Paula Radcliffe to win Olympic gold," Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.

"We are having to raise our estimate of the amount of money being bet on this fight every day, and the vast majority of it is for Hatton," said Sharpe, whose company rates Mayweather a 1-2 shot.

More than 4,000 British fans are scheduled to fly out to Las Vegas, and Hatton will have plenty more US-based supporters at ringside.

Hatton even believes he is more popular over there. He said he was cheered when he arrived at his hotel in Las Vegas on Tuesday while Mayweather was booed.

"If I got a reception like that in Manchester," the British fighter said, "I'd hang my head in shame."

Hatton is confident of victory in today's showdown.

"It will be the biggest win in British boxing history," Hatton said. "It would mean everything. To be the best fighter in the world in any weight division, it would be massive.

"I believe I'm going to do it. There's not a doubt in my mind. I've spent a lifetime of my career being respectful and not having a bad word to say, but in my eyes this fight is already over," he said.

"I have a fantastic following. It spurs me on," Hatton said. "It makes me feel proud they respect me because of the success I've had. I haven't changed one little bit. My feet are still firmly on the ground."

His style of a hard-charging pressure puncher will be tested by Mayweather, who revels in celebrity by appearing on such shows as Dancing with the Stars.

"He looked to be quite a good dancer," Hatton said. "But I don't think you want to see me on a Saturday night in Manchester after about 10 pints of Guinness."

Hatton's weight rises between fights but that has not cost him victory yet and his co.

"I've called myself `Ricky Fatton.' I do put on a lot of weight between my fights," he said.

"I've won four world titles in two weight divisions. Whatever I'm doing, it's working for me," Hatton said.
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