Hatton is ready to press issue

LAS VEGAS -- Before the British invasion of fans arrived and started narrowing the odds by swarming the sports books, Floyd Mayweather Jr. stood as more than a 3-1 favorite to defeat England’s Ricky Hatton on Saturday night.

The thinking by the majority of astute boxing observers is that Mayweather is too fast for Hatton in all aspects, notably counter-punching, footwork and defense.

Members of the Mayweather camp have listened to Hatton (43-0, 31 knockouts) talk confidently about his plans to corral the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, to pound Mayweather’s body and defuse his speed by cornering him and forcing him into a slugfest.

“How’s Floyd going to keep Ricky out?” Hatton’s trainer, Billy Graham, asked. “Ricky is going to get in there and land hurtful shots in vital areas.”

Team Mayweather says they’ve heard it before, from Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Arturo Gatti . . . essentially all of those fallen victims who have made up Mayweather’s 38-0 record by either failing to repeatedly penetrate his defense, or being too exhausted in the later rounds to win a decision.

“Ricky Hatton ain’t nothing but a . . . club fighter,” Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather, said. “The only thing Ricky Hatton’s got is this [pointing to his heart]. But this ain’t no . . . Rocky Balboa movie. You can make movies of bull, but you can’t make a movie about my nephew.”

Roger Mayweather said Hatton lacks a meaningful jab, and predicts the challenger -- a two-division champion -- will “bum rush” his nephew. The flaw in that strategy? “He has to be willing to take that whipping to keep that pressure on.”

And boxer Mayweather agrees: “It don’t matter how much pressure he applies. Intelligence wins fights.”

So how can Hatton win?

“Floyd’s a fighter who likes to sit back and make his opponents miss. He’s very good at that,” Hatton said. “But to be honest, against fighters like De La Hoya and Zab Judah, he didn’t take the bull by the horns and win those fights convincingly. They lost that fight as much as Floyd won it by letting their foot off the gas.

“Still, I know the people who’ve come closest to beating him are the ones who’ve put pressure on him.”

Hatton said he’s encouraged by two outcomes: Mayweather’s hard-fought lightweight title victory by decision over Jose Luis Castillo in April 2002, and Hatton’s 11th-round technical knockout of talented former junior-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu in 2005.

“Jose was not as good of a puncher or body puncher as me . . . Floyd dealt with that pressure badly . . . I suffocated Tszyu, and knew when to conserve my energy,” Hatton said. “The pressure [Mayweather’s] dealt with in his career is not my pressure. It’s vital that I leave a bit [of energy] for the end, but that I put [early] rounds in the bank. It’s about judging it perfect from start to finish.”

Hatton also believes Mayweather has underestimated his speed and fitness by making continued remarks about Hatton’s penchant for drinking Guinness beer and eating a lot when he’s not in training.

“I don’t think he thinks I’m any good,” Hatton said. “He’s not seeing the bigger picture. I’ve been waiting for this fight for four years. It’s a fight I’ve always fancied.

“I’m fired up by what’s on the line. It’s the biggest fight I’ve ever been in. It’s absolutely massive.”

Hatton’s friend and former super-featherweight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera says he has seen Hatton’s training sessions in person, and describes the fighter as “extremely dedicated. [Mayweather] will be surprised.

“I never play one coin in the slot machine, but I will bet some money on the hands of Hatton in this fight,” Barrera said.

Former three-division champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley said Hatton’s awkward, bouncing fighting stance could dizzy Mayweather, and alter the champion’s counter-punching accuracy that has contributed to 24 knockouts.

Furthermore, in the pre-fight battle for a mental edge, Hatton is claiming victory by refusing to get ruffled by insults Mayweather has hurled at the challenger since their first news conference three months ago at Universal City Walk.

“After listening to Floyd, I can’t believe [the odds aren’t] 10-1 against this out-of-shape, beer-drinking, fought-has-beens fighter,” Hatton said, deprecating himself at the final pre-fight news conference Wednesday.

The pair nudged each other at the end of the session, with Hatton making a slashing motion across his neck, telling Mayweather, “You’re . . . dead.”

And Thursday, the odds of Mayweather’s winning had shrunk closer to 2-1.

“I stood my ground, winked at him and smiled,” Hatton said. “My blinders are on, my eyes are on the prize.

“Twelve weeks ago, he would’ve jumped at me, but he didn’t. Read into it what you want. What’s changed? Maybe he’s saying, ‘Wow, I’m in for a fight.’ ”

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com