Angelo's verdict

Hatton v Mayweather
Date: Sunday, 9 December
Starts from: 0100 GMT
Location: Las Vegas
Watch: Sky pay-per-view
Listen: BBC Radio 5 Live and online (UK only) Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile

Venerable trainer Angelo Dundee guided 15 fighters to world titles, including 'The Greatest', Muhammad Ali.

Also among the 86-year-old's champions were four of The Ring magazine's top 20 welterweights of all-time.

So who better to talk to about this weekend's eagerly-anticipated clash between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather for the latter's WBC welterweight crown?

BBC Sport saw him sitting in the MGM Grand media centre, grabbed him, bent his ear - and this is what he had to say.

"I'm enthralled with the English fans - they're honest and they go for their guy, which is magnificent.

"I've been to many English weigh-ins, I know what the fans are like, they're tremendous. The best fight fans in the world are English.

"I've been going to England since 1944, I went over with all my fighters - [former light-heavyweight world champion] Willie Pastrano, Muhammad, [former welterweight world champion] Luis Rodriguez. [Former light-heavyweight world champion] Jimmy Ellis knocked out a couple of guys there.

"And they said it took an American fighter to teach the English how to box, because Willie Pastrano was that great a boxer.

"You know they published the best 20 welterweights ever in The Ring magazine last week, and I trained four of them: Luis Rodriguez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jose Napoles and Carmen Basilio.

"So I've been around with the greats and I've had fun seeing it - but I'm looking forward to seeing a great fight.

"It's the kind of fight that's gonna keep everyone on the edge of their seats, and I'm sticking around to see it.

"The atmosphere here brings the old days back. The fans are going to eat it up, this fight's getting the right kind of press and they've done a good job selling it.

"Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter around today, he's got so much going for him.

"You know what's funny about the kid? He gives a false impression of himself. I've interviewed him and he was sweet as he could be."

"He put his arm round me and was very nice. I think what he's doing is hyping the fight - I think he really wants to hug Hatton, but he wants to keep the pretence up.

"Ricky Hatton is a blessing to boxing and I hope he wins. He's the best 140lb fighter for a long, long time and he will beat everything at light-welterweight.

"But he's stepping up to a heavier class and it's a little too much for him to chew. Hatton's strength is not going to be prevalent, his strength won't work with this guy.

"Before Marvin Hagler fought Tommy Hearns, I said Hearns will lose because he's fighting a bigger man.

"He's fighting against a very awkward human being - slick, smart, quick, and I think the bigger man will win.

"It will be a tremendous fight, because you can't get a gamer, tougher guy than Ricky Hatton, I love him.

"But Mayweather won't be there to trade with, he's gonna slip and slide and he's not gonna be foolish and stick his chin out.

"He's a very, very technical fighter. Ricky Hatton will put a lot of pressure on him, but it's 'small' pressure, it's not 'big' pressure and this is the whole key.

"Ricky is not a big man, he's smaller height-wise and in every other department. The other guy is quicker, and Ricky's not gonna find the guy.

"Ricky's not gonna fight head-to-head with the guy because he ain't gonna be there. Mayweather's gonna slide on him and 'bing', hit him with counters.

"It's gonna be a great fight to look at and it could go the route. But I see Ricky Hatton getting busted up and I see him maybe losing the fight on cuts.

"But they could do it again - it's going to be that kind of fight."

Source: BBC Sport