The Preacher on the American's opinion of Hatton

Billy Graham is happy America is writing off Ricky Hatton ahead of his huge clash with Floyd Mayweather. Most experts on the other side of the Atlantic believe P4P king Mayweather will have too much for the Hitman when they finally get it on in the MGM Grand ring in Las Vegas on December 8. But Graham remains confident ahead of the superfight, and says his man will produce one of the best ever victories by a British fighter. Graham said: "People writing off Ricky takes an awful lot of pressure off me, victory will be sweeter when Ricky beats him. I don't bother too much about it, but if I'd written some of it I'd be embarrassed by my lack of knowledge." Graham believes that after years of waiting for this moment, his man is ready for the biggest test of his fighting life. "I wish it had happened sooner. I think Ricky would have been a world star sooner." Many experts believe Mayweather's speed will be too much for Ricky, but Graham disagrees. He added: "Ricky relishes fighting movers because he's been trained since he was a little boy to hunt people down. Because most people run away from him. "Floyd much prefers people to come to him, which is why I think their styles will mesh and it will be a great fight. "I don't think Floyd's ever faced a more skilful pressure fighter in his life. I know that because there isn't one." Mayweather's constant jibes at Hatton during their trans-Atlantic press tour became a feature of the build-up to the fight of the year. But Graham says all that talk is cheap, and doesn't worry the Hitman. "It makes no difference to me and it makes no difference to Ricky. I find it quite amusing. I just think he's wasting his breath. If Floyd was affecting him I'd tell him to get another job." Despite his bad-boy reputation, Graham doesn't believe the criticism Mayweather receives in some quarters is totally justified. "He is disrespectful to people at times but I think if me and Floyd sat down after this fight together and talked boxing we'd probably get on, but I don't think at this time we'd get on." Team Mayweather have dismissed Hatton as a one-dimenstional pressure fighter. But Graham knows strength alone won't be enough to win this one. "It's going to be everything put together. Endurance will come into it but the skill factor will be massive and so will tactics. You can't just be strong in the same way you can't just be a clever boxer. You need both together, all the ingredients." Roger Mayweather believes Hatton's career-defining win over Kostya Tszyu in 2005 was aided by a referee who allowed him to get away with too much. But Graham played down fears that officiating will play a big part on December 8. "A lot of people seem to be concerned about that. I expect him to get a fair shake, that's all we want. They're the two best fighters on the planet. We don't want to stop Floyd doing what he wants to do, so hopefully they won't stop Ricky doing what he wants to do." Mayweather, like Hatton, remains undefeated and Graham believes both men are now at their physical peaks. "I actually think Floyd won both of the Castillo fights, but Castillo gave him a fair workout. Oscar (de la Hoya), until he stepped off the gas, was giving Floyd problems. "He's completely at the top of his game now, at his absolute peak. So is Ricky Hatton - that's what makes this fight so intriguing." Hatton's only previous fight at welterweight almost ended in disaster as he faded badly during a points victory over Luis Collazo in 2006. But Graham says there were valid reasons for that performance, and adds it won't happen again. He said: "Ricky is a true light-welterweight but if anybody is judging him on the Collazo fight then wow, fantastic. I've got inside information. He was sluggish, carrying too much surplus weight. And he was fighting a big southpaw. I know the reasons for it." When Hatton stepped on the scales in front of the media last week he weighed only 143lbs, four pounds below the welterweight limit. But his nutritionist Kerry Kayes says again there were reasons, and it isn't a worry. "The British Boxing Board of Control that day were doing a test weigh-in, and Ricky psychologically probably wasn't drinking enough water. He really went onto the scales to appease the British Board. I don't believe that was a true weight - I think he was a little dry. If he'd got weighed an hour or two later I reckon he'd have been about 150. We want him at a weight he's comfortable at, so he'll probably be about 150."