Boxing: Warrior Hatton confident of victory.

RICKY HATTON is adamant his warrior instinct will prevail when the hype stops and the battle to be crowned undisputed pound-for-pound world champion finally starts at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas in the early hours.

After months of unprecedented hype, Hatton, roared on by 3,000 fans at the venue and 15,000 others watching on closed-circuit TV around the Strip, will seek to score a victory which will reverberate across generations.

Like Lloyd Honeyghan, who travelled across the Atlantic to dethrone the peerless Donald Curry 21 years ago for the same WBC welterweight title, Hatton is intent on steamrollering a proud unbeaten champion to defeat.

All week Hatton has held the upper-hand in the inevitable mind games and as the storm clouds began rolling in above this desert city yesterday morning, so the odds on a thunderous victory for the 'Hit Man' continued to shorten.

Hatton said: "This is what it's been all about from day one.

Nerves are obviously going to kick in but if Floyd thinks I'm going to crumble on the biggest stage of my career so far, it's not going to happen.

"I have more respect for Floyd than any other fighter I've fought. He's the fastest fighter in the world and the pound for pound number one.

There's a lot to admire but nothing to say I should step back and be scared.

"I think I know what he's up to. He'll try to stay out of the way and when he gets tired he'll try to sit inside and make me miss and get a breather. But I don't think he particularly thinks I'm as good as I am."

Hatton has cut a strikingly relaxed and confident figure since arriving in Las Vegas and remains completely unchanged by the fame and fortune - he can expect to earn pounds 10million for this fight alone - which has come his way. And he is convinced that confidence has got under the skin of Mayweather, who thrives on the ability to beat many of his opponents before they have even laced on the gloves, and seemed rattled by Hatton's refusal to back down in their pre-fight shoving match.

Mayweather, reasons Hatton, is a back-foot fighter whose two closest challenges have come from opponents who have sought to press forward at every opportunity, and pushed him to close points verdicts.

"I think he's a lot of show and no substance," added Hatton.

"It's a corny example, but when Apollo Creed fought Rocky, Apollo's cornerman told him, 'you're here for the show, and this guy's here to fight'.

"A couple of times he's just crept over the finish line.

"Floyd may be one of the most talented fighters the world has ever seen but you've got five minutes to watch one of your fight videos, you'll watch a Duran or Chavez or a Gatti fight. Not one of his."

I have more respect for Floyd than any other fighter I've fought

RICKY HATTON THE FATHER OF BOXING - SEE DAY SIX

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Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather square up to each other at the weigh-in last night. Hatton weighed in at 145lbs, with Mayweather at 147lbs Picture: PETER BYRNE/PA