"UNDEFEATED"— World welterweight champion "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather will meet British icon and world junior welterweight champion Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton for the world welterweight championship Saturday, Dec. 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, and sponsored by Rock Star Energy Drink, Tecate Beer and Southwest Airlines, the fight will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:  "Well we're very excited to hear that Ricky Hatton is right on schedule.  When we did the press tour, I've never seen him in better shape this early before a fight, so that's obviously an indication that this fight is, to him, everything.  And this is an indication of how big this event can be.  The fight is sold out.  I believe it's the fastest selling fight in history, including my fight with Floyd Mayweather, so that goes to show you the star power that Ricky Hatton brings to the table.  We are over 10,000 seats sold on close circuit in Los Vegas alone.  Again, that shows you the people that will be coming and traveling from England to support Ricky Hatton.

 The fight will be live on HBO pay-per-view December 8th.  The fight is billed as undefeated.  You have two undefeated fighters and we're going to see that night whose 0 is going to go.  So without any further ado, I would like to introduce to you the reigning Ring Magazine junior welterweight world champion, two time IBF junior welterweight world champion.  He's ranked number 10 by the "The Ring" pound for pound list.  He's the former WBA welterweight world champion, "The Ring" 2005 fighter of the year, Ricky Hatton."

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RICKY HATTON:  "Thank you, Oscar.  Yes, just great to touch base with obviously all the reporters in the press, you know, over in the United States.  And I'll just start, besides me training camp goals.  It's been a long training camp for this fight.  By the time fight night comes it would have been a 13-week training camp.

"And as Oscar mentioned earlier, that, you know, about that British fight, you know, normally, as everybody knows, I can tend to put on a pound or two in between fights, but for this particular fight though I was nowhere near as heavy as what I normally am.  And, but I think that's balanced itself off.

"I've already had two fights this year, obviously beating Juan Urango in January and recently Jose Luis Castillo, so yes, you prepare at that time really.  I mean I've come off one of the best performance against Castillo.  Floyd has come off one of the best wins of his career against, obviously, Oscar, and because I've kept busy, I've kept in great shape, you know, I've had the best performance, one of the best performances of my career.  And I think it was about that time to get this fight, and I just can't wait really.  I mean everything from the ticket sales have gone well, the coverage in the press in Great Britain is massive.  It's been labeled as one of the, you know, the best, biggest British fights to involve a British fighter.  And it's probably been said that  should I win, which I intend to do so, it'll be, it'll go down in history as Britain's greatest boxer to  win in a boxing match, which, so I don't think it needs me to underline how important this fight is for me.

"Floyd Mayweather being at the top of his game for such a long time now and different weight world championships he's captured.  I think I probably know more about Floyd's style and his career and his world fights than probably most fighters out there that are, if any.  So I've constantly had the tapes and studying the tapes.  I know what his strengths are.  I know what his weaknesses are.  I know - I've been watching fights where these, fights where he's been least comfortable, and very pleasing for me I think those are fights where it shows him at his least most comfortable was the first fight against Jose Luis Castillo who was able to bully him to the ropes a lot and, you know, bearing in mind I don't think Castillo has got as good or faster footwork and just footwork as me and physically as strong as me and as quick as me.  You know, and Castillo is still able to do that lightweight (ph) Oscar.  You know, put the pressure on, you know, and Floyd didn't seem to like it.  I think he's when he's got less time to think about what he can, what he's got to do.

"So I understand I'm an underdog in this fight with obviously everything that Floyd has done, but, you know, you look at Oscar's fights and you look at the Castillo fights and the fights against people who have put the pressure on him, he's looking a little bit less comfortable.  And actually I would consider myself Mr. Pressure if you like, you know, so I intend to set a high pace, don't waste too many punches, you know.  He is - and just, and just not leaving him alone, similar to what I did in the fight to Kostya Tszyu , but obviously with tweaking my tactics a little bit here and a little bit there with obviously the covenant speed of me opponent.

"But no, I mean this fight can't come quicker for me now.  As far as this training camp is probably halfway through.  Now I don't mean it couldn't be a better operation.  They're a little bit ahead of schedule really, but I'm experienced enough now, I know not to overcook it.  But it can't come fast enough really, and I think, I understand nobody is picking me to win this fight, which is, which I'm proving it because everyone did the same against Kostya Tszyu in the Kostya Tszyu fight, and we all know what happened there.  And I think Kostya Tszyu because he is such a formidable champion, and I think pain and tiredness didn't even come into the equation that night.  I didn't feel any of it.  I mean, and I intend to do the same against Floyd.  In fact, I think my heart will explode before I leave him alone for one second.

"And just that's how I feel about things, and that's how my preparation has gone so far.  That's been for a couple week, everything is right on track, and it's going to be a sensational night.  I think the winners are obviously the boxing fans, you know, one of many, you know, probably one of many big events of Golden Boy and putting on the fight coming up with Mosley and Cotto so, you know, and my fight coming up.  I think there's a lot of big matches being made now and it's nice for many people to consider this one of the biggest, if not the biggest, so look forward to your questions.  And just can't wait.  Thanks guys.

"I think, I think I know what Floyd is up to tactically.  He's got wonderful defense, you know, and defense has been the first after the fight, you know, you know, usually speed, and his defense and making you miss and, you know, and I think it's like, would like his opponents to punch themselves out or try and punch themselves out.  He likes them to waste as many punches, and he tends to try and come on a little bit down the final straight, that type of thing, but I think I know what he's up to tactically.  I intend to put the pressure on him right from the start.  Don't waste a great deal of punches in the first six rounds, you know, leave plenty of gas in the tank for the last six rounds.  But I think with me being, you know, the smaller man, if you like a little bit, you know, I think me speed will, and me footwork - I'm very fast at moving in on me opponents.  I have no doubt, you know, as fast he goes back I'll move forward just as fast.  But, and he likes to drop the shoulder and show you, you know, show you the shoulder.  So I think what you've got to do, you've got to come at him at different angles, you know, to, you know, because he goes at his side and drops his shoulder and tries to give you nothing to punch at.  And I think to counter that, his movement and angles and moving in quick, speed, lots of left hand work.  I think I know what he's up to, but, you know, I won't be leaving him alone from start to finish.  That's my tactics.

"I think for the last, I don't know, maybe for the last eight, nine, probably about the last seven years of me career, I don't think I've boxed under a crowd in 8,000, and I mean, you know, there's was a massive crowd and a massive turnout for Floyd and Oscar's fight, but, you know, again, that was down to Oscar De La Hoya and not Mayweather to be honest.  You know, Mayweather turns down and says that, you know, he takes less punches and makes the most money, I mean well I feel like saying, well that's why no one comes to watch you, you know, because, you know, nobody likes to get, take a punch and get hit, but I think, you know, until the Oscar De La Hoya fight, I think you'd be lucky to catch, you know, maybe four or 5,000, 6,000 at Floyd's fights because his style is obviously different, the crowd pleasing style of all the fighters, but no, I mean Floyd is a number one fighter pound for pound on the face of the earth, and I respect him, and I've never said anything other than that.  But, if, you know, I don't, I still, even with all his titles and everything he's won and everything he's achieved, I still don't think he's the draw in this fight.  I think if, I think, I think this will be an exceptional fight.  It'll be hugely exceptional and exciting fight, but I only think because I'm in it.  I think I make the fight.

"You could easily put this event in a bigger stadium where you hold, 30, 40, even 25,000 people, but I believe that when you're a fighter, when you're a world class fighter, you want to fight on that big stage.  You want to fight in that big Las Vegas arena like the MGM.  And I believe, I believe this is Ricky Hatton's perfect opportunity to be on that stage and shine.  And, you know, there's no fighter that would want to miss that opportunity, I mean, because it's a stage where, you know, when you fight on that stage you know you've made it.  So, you know, to fairness to the fighters, obviously you, we wanted to make it there at the MGM.  But at the same time, we know that you're going to have more than 10,000 Brits coming down and, you know, it was, is was a difficult decision, but obviously we know that now with 10,000 seats being sold, I'm sure the majority of them are going to be Brits..."

Publicist extraordinaire KELLY SWANSON added:  And just to be clear too, there are still about 10,000 closed circuit seats in Las Vegas available to fans so at various MGM Mirage properties.