By Ant Evans: Fans exiting the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 12, 2005, following Jermain Taylor's second points over Bernard Hopkins were unaware that they'd nearly witnessed an even bigger fight. Just minutes before Hopkins made his ring walk, a pair of pound-for-pound talents very nearly 'got into it' at ringside.

The fighters in question were Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Junior.


By Ant Evans: Fans exiting the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 12, 2005, following Jermain Taylor's second points over Bernard Hopkins were unaware that they'd nearly witnessed an even bigger fight. Just minutes before Hopkins made his ring walk, a pair of pound-for-pound talents very nearly 'got into it' at ringside.

The fighters in question were Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Junior.

Both junior welterweight king Hatton and pound-for-pound prince Mayweather were at ringside for the fight and, as Hatton told the British press recently, their meeting was an acerbic one.

"I only said two words to him, really," Hatton began."I was sitting at ringside on my own and I saw him walking down my row. I'd never met him in my life so I stood up thinking 'Well, this will be interesting'. I went to shake his hand and said "Nice to meet you Floyd" but instead of taking my hand he started pointing at me going 'I'm gonna get you! Outta my way!'

"I said, 'Get out of the way? Fuck off!'.

Hatton claims he then sat back down in his fourth row seat and put his feet up on the chair in front and folded his arms, blatantly blocking the pound-for-pounder's path. However, a HBO rep ushered Mayweather in the other direction before fans could be treated to a fight which would have made up for the average 12 rounds between Taylor and Hopkins.

Hatton continued: "As he walked away I thought 'It isn't just for the cameras, is it? You're a proper dick, aren't ya?' I mean, there was no-one around us at all so he didn't have to act tough at all but. I also heard he went up to Sugar Ray Leonard and told him that he would have knocked Sugar Ray out. The guy's got no class."