Hatton Agrees to Fight Mayweather

Ricky Hatton's eagerly awaited fight against Floyd Mayweather will go ahead in Las Vegas on December 8 after Hatton's father and manager Ray revealed contracts had been signed by both sides.

The undefeated Manchester light welterweight will step up to welterweight for the contest for only the second time in his career and will be paid his highest purse, believed to be about $10m (£5m) with the American, who is also unbeaten, understood to be receiving $15m.

No venue has been announced but the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino is favourite to get the fight. Oscar De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy Promotions, has put together the deal to stage the fight and Ray Hatton said: "The contract provided what we wanted and we are officially signed up. Our lawyers have told us that the Mayweather camp have also signed. Now we are just waiting for the date and venue to be made official."

Hatton's last fight, which brought a fourth-round knockout against the Mexican José Luis Castillo in June, received unprecedented support from British fans. Between 8,000-10,000 fans were estimated to have made the trip, which eclipsed numbers who followed Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and Naseem Hamed.

It seems likely that more might travel to support Hatton in December. Despite his brilliance, Mayweather cannot match Hatton's ticket-selling prowess but he is a master at the pre-fight hype game.

The ink on the contract had barely dried when Mayweather said: "Hatton is in for a rude awakening when we meet. He is in for a shock if he thinks I'm like any fighter he has ever faced. I'm in the business of blood, sweat and tears."