Ricky Hatton and Floyd
Mayweather traded early insults at a Los Angeles media
conference to promote their world welterweight title
fight.
The pair, who meet at the Las Vegas MGM
Grand on 8 December, both claim they are the best
pound-for-pound fighter.
Hatton stirred up the rivalry saying:
"He is doing the show 'Dancing with the Stars' and that's
how he's boxing."
Mayweather retorted by calling the
Manchester boxer "Vicky Fatten" and suggesting he should
be a wrestler.
Hatton arrived at the media conference
wearing a crown, which showman Mayweather immediately
snatched off.
The prize on offer in Las Vegas is
Mayweather's WBC belt, and Hatton, 28, is confident he can
get the job done.
"I was delighted when I won my British
title, then I got more and more and the world title," said
Hatton, who is unbeaten in 43 fights.
"Now, this is going to be another
stage. I have the toes to do this job, and I will do this
job and become the new best pound-for-pound champion in
the world."
Mayweather, who is unbeaten in 38
fights, spoke straight into an impervious Hatton's face
during the event, saying: "Talk to me, talk to me."
The 30-year-old American said: "You'll
get a big paycheck, and when I am done with you I'll
collect more and more in the future because I am the best
in the world."
Mayweather is a six-time world champion
in five weight divisions, including super featherweight,
lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and super
welterweight.
Hatton has also been successful across
the weight divisions winning multiple world titles at
light welterweight and welterweight.
The Manchester boxer enhanced his
reputation as a ruthless boxer with victories over Kostya
Tszyu (for the IBF light welterweight crown in 2005) and
Jose Luis Castillo in 2007, when he became the first
fighter to put the Mexican down.
Tickets for the fight, which range from
$150 (£75) to $1000 (£500), sold out within minutes when
they went on sale on Monday.
"A quick sale was expected but it is,
even so, an indicator of the scale of the interest within
the boxing world and beyond for this fight," said 5live
boxing commentator Mike Costello.
The bad news for Hatton fans hoping to
watch the bout live is that they have been allocated only
3,900 of the 17,000 tickets available.
And Costello added the Hatton camp had
already had more than 30,000 requests for those tickets.
"I am proud of this, but very sorry for
all my fans - 10,000 people always follow my fights and
most of them won't get a ticket," said Hatton. But for
those without the MGM will set up 50,000 seats for
big-screen coverage throughout their other Las Vegas
hotels.
