Excitement starts early

Given the excitement of Friday's weigh-in, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton will have to step it up a few notches when they meet in the ring tonight for the WBC welterweight title to match the energy generated from merely stepping on a scale.

Nearly 6,000 fans, the vast majority being Hatton supporters, some who got in line at 6 a.m. to get a seat, were going crazy inside the MGM Grand Garden. When they weren't singing for Hatton, they were chanting derisively at Mayweather and all the while having a good time.

And that was before the two fighters appeared on stage.

Hatton weighed in at 145 pounds and said when he enters the ring at 8 tonight, he figures to be at 152. Mayweather, who as of Friday afternoon was a 2-to-1 betting favorite, came in at 147 and said he thought he would be around 150 at fight time.

Many who attended the weigh-in won't be part of the 16,700 that will fill the Grand Garden tonight. They were shut out when tickets went on sale in September and sold out in less than 30 minutes, so this was their only chance to see their hero in the flesh.

Hatton acknowledged them by pumping his fist in the air repeatedly as Mayweather raised their collective ire by mocking them and bringing his two sons, Koraun, 8, and Shamaree, 7, on stage to hold two of his three championship belts and flash them at Hatton.

Hatton's moment for ultimate greatness is at hand, yet he never seemed more relaxed or at peace with himself. The British star is 43-0, but he admits he never has fought anyone with the skill or the magnitude of Mayweather.

"I don't think he respects me as a boxer," Hatton said. "He says he's dealt with pressure. I'd say not very well. He hasn't seen my type of pressure."

Mayweather (38-0) scoffs at the notion he's underestimating Hatton or that he didn't train hard for this fight.

"I never take any opponent lightly," he said. "I expect Ricky Hatton to bring his A game. But come Saturday, you'll see a versatile Floyd Mayweather."

Mayweather claims Hatton has a major flaw in his style and says he plans to exploit it.

"This kid's got a real weakness, I'm telling you," Mayweather said. "I'm not going to tell you what it is now, but I'm going to expose it, and after the fight you'll see what I'm talking about."

It is assumed that Hatton is going to go after Mayweather from the opening bell, try to get inside and rough him up. Hatton said that's not completely accurate.

"I'm going to have to use my boxing ability to beat him," Hatton said. "He's going to see I'm quicker than he thinks and I can box."

But to get to Mayweather, Hatton will have to overcome a 7-inch disadvantage in reach (72 inches to Hatton's 65). He might never get close enough to Mayweather to do any serious damage.

Hatton said in Mayweather's victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Zab Judah, Mayweather came on strong in the second half of each fight to win. Hatton said he has to make sure he has something in reserve to win the late rounds.

"You want to get off to a good start," Hatton said. "Floyd's tactics are to get you in the end. So you have to have both -- you want to put some early rounds in the bank, but you want to save something for the end."

Both fighters are receiving huge paydays. Mayweather will make more than $20 million and will be looking to become the first fighter to have back-to-back pay-per-view audiences of more than 1 million and the first fighter to attract 4 million pay-per-view customers in a calendar year.

Hatton will make $5 million, the most of his career. But for him, it's not as much about making money as it is about making history.

"The money's nice, sure," he said. "But it's always been about glory for me. It's always about the challenge.

"Everything I do is for the benefit of Ricky Hatton. But my blinkers are on. My eyes are on the prize."

It is a prize Mayweather said he has no intention of relinquishing.

"I'll be ready for anything he does," Mayweather said. "We've had a great training camp. We have a great game plan, and you'll see the whole bag of tricks."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.