Boxing Beat: Hatton says he'll beat long odds in Las Vegas

Ricky Hatton seems to relish his huge underdog role against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather in their Dec. 8 showdown of unbeatens in Las Vegas.

"It wouldn't bother me if everyone in Las Vegas picked Floyd to win because it will make it that much sweeter when I beat him," the challenger from England (43-0, 31 knockouts) said during an international conference call Tuesday. "I made Kostya Tszyu quit, and I'll make Floyd (38-0, 24 knockouts) quit."

Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs) was thought to be boxing's best junior welterweight until he took a one-sided beating from Hatton in 2005 and promptly retired. Tszyu, now 38, might have been past his prime in that fight. That won't be true of Mayweather. Hatton, 29, is preparing to face a 30-year champion considered the best in all of boxing.

Other tidbits from Hatton's interview:

• He admits to gaining 30 or more pounds between fights but says, "It worked for Roberto Duran, and it works for me. Every fighter is different. That's what makes it a unique sport."

• A conditioning zealot, Hatton sounds amused that former WBC welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir, a brawler who looked pudgy and struggled to outpoint a less-experienced opponent last week, is a Mayweather sparring partner. "(Baldomir) is trying to emulate me. No disrespect. I don't know what shape he is in, but he won't be like me."

• Hatton wants a no-excuses fight. He promises not to alibi and wants the same from Mayweather. "I know he has (hurt) his hands in fights, but if he loses to me, I don't want him blaming it on his hands."

Meanwhile, the fight has been announced as a sellout, but of the more than 15,000 seats at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, only 3,800 tickets are said to have been allotted for British fans. Scalpers will be busy.

Et cetera

Jon Schorle of El Dorado Hills refereed his fifth world championship fight since August when he served as the man in the middle for Saturday night's International Boxing Federation welterweight title match at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Kermit Cintron (29-1) of Puerto Rico retained his belt with a 10th-round stoppage of American challenger Jesse Feliciano (15-6-3). The main event was Ricardo Mayorga (28-6-1), on the strength of two knockdowns, winning a majority 12-round decision over Fernando Vargas (26-5) in a meeting of ex-champions from lighter divisions fighting as super middleweights. Later, Vargas, 29, said he would retire.

• It also might be time for Virgil Hill to pack it in. The 43-year-old from North Dakota (50-7) has lost three of his past four fights, including his World Boxing Association cruiserweight title by unanimous decision Saturday to Firat Arslan (28-3-1) in the latter's home country of Germany.