Brits show little respect at fight

United Kingdom icons Tom Jones and David Beckham were caught in the middle of a "really nasty" U.S.-British incident Saturday when British fans booed and whistled during the singing of the U.S. national anthem at the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Ricky Hatton fight at the MGM Grand.

Jones, after singing the British anthem on behalf of Hatton, and Beckham, who, like Jones, lives on U.S. soil, squirmed a bit as the rowdy Brits tried drowning the singing of Tyrese Gibson.

"I've never seen anything like it, not even at the Olympics," said Tim Dahlberg, national sports columnist for The Associated Press.

"I saw a photographer on the ring apron giving the finger to the Brits and American writers yelling at them," said Dahlberg, who is based in Las Vegas and has been covering major fights for AP for almost 30 years.

"It was really nasty," said Dahlberg, who has witnessed numerous nationalistic incidents in the nine Olympics he has covered.

"It's one thing to root against the other guy, but to disrespect a national anthem was in real bad taste," he added.

Anti-Brit sentiments were still running high well after the fight. When Mayweather arrived at Jet nightclub at The Mirage at 2 a.m., Kid Rock had the deejay play Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A.," whipping the club crowd into a frenzy.

CHRISTMAS GIVERS

Boosted by $5,000 donations from local headliners Toni Braxton and Wayne Brady, deejay Chet Buchanan's annual KLUC-FM, 98.5 Christmas toy drive shattered its previous record for gift cards by taking in more than $50,000.

Other celebrity donations came from George Wallace, Ne-Yo, Boyz II Men, Dane Cook, Mosaic, the Chippendales, Zowie Bowie, Jason Giambi and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls.

Joe Montana showed up in person and offered an autographed football to the person who donates the most bikes by today. Brady also chipped in 10 bikes.

Buchanan's 12-day stay atop a 30-foot high scaffolding ends at 10 a.m. today at the Nevada Power building, 6226 W. Sahara Ave.

SIGHTINGS

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, among the fight crowd that included Tiger Woods, Denzel Washington, Helio Castroneves and Sylvester Stallone. ... Beckham, chatting at the bar with Irish dancing legend Michael Flatley on Saturday at Charlie Palmer Steak (Four Seasons). ... At Jet nightclub (Mirage) for Saturday's post-fight after-party hosted by Mayweather: Kid Rock, boxer Winky Wright, Tyrese, Jeremy Piven, and Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli, who recently broke up with Leonardo DiCaprio. ... At LAX nightclub (Luxor) on Saturday: Jude Law, serving as celebrity host to a crowd that included Hatton, with family and friends, including brother/fellow boxer Matthew Hatton, illusionist Criss Angel, retired boxing champion Lennox Lewis, former Olympic star Donovan Bailey, Nicky Hilton and boyfriend David Katzenberg, actor Ben McKenzie, boxer Miguel Cotto, actor/comedian Andy Dick, comedian Russell Peters and mixed-martial artist Frank Trigg. ... At Company American Bistro (Luxor): Law, Hilton and Katzenberg. ... At Social House restaurant (Treasure Island): Dick. ... At the Living Room (Planet Hollywood Resort) on Saturday: Actors Bruce Willis, Stallone and Piven, Pamela Anderson and husband Rick Salomon, illusionist Hans Klok, actor Chuck Zito, former NBA stars Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Mitch Richmond, former NFL star Eric Dickerson, and music stars Akon and Tyrese. ... At N9NE steakhouse (Palms) on Saturday, dining in separate parties: Wayne Newton and wife Kathleen, adult entertainment star Jenna Jameson and boyfriend/UFC fighter Tito Ortiz, actor Mario Lopez and girlfriend Karina Smirnoff of "Dancing With the Stars" and Kid Rock.