LAS VEGAS ? The British invasion is underway.
Fans of Ricky Hatton came in droves on Friday afternoon to support their compatriot during the official weigh-in held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao squares off with Hatton on Saturday night.
The entire 16,000-seat arena was not utilized for the event but the space provided for the weigh-in was fully occupied with estimates ranging between 5,000 to 6,000 people witnessing the pre-fight ritual.
While there was a sizeable Filipino presence, the British could not be denied the bragging rights of having the most number of people in attendance, some of them waving Union Jacks and other costumes, singing ?God Save The Queen? and ?There?s Only One Ricky Hatton.?
Their collective voices was so loud that the voices of Hollywood celebrity Mario Lopez and ring announcer Michael Buffer, who both served as emcees, were often drowned by the pro-Hatton chants that cascaded from the Himalayan seats down to the floor seats.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, called on the Filipinos to make their presence felt, shouting ?Mabuhay!?
The Filipino crowd, some of them kids, reacted strongly but the response of the British was so ear-splitting that the venue sounded and appeared as though a World Cup final was being played and England was up against either Argentina or Brazil and the Wembley Arena in London as venue.
Then, Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions, whose company has Hatton under its banner, called on the British to make some more noise.
?There?s only one Ricky Hatton,? said Schaefer, sending the crowd in a frenzy as if England had scored on a goal.
The British were so excited about the actual weigh-in ? which lasted just under a minute ? that everytime Lopez or Arum or even one of their own, lightweight star Amir Khan, took the microphone to say a few words, they would boo and shout.
When the time finally came for the two men to strip down to their underwear, the crowd became wilder and as soon as Pacquiao emerged from the curtain behind on his way up the makeshift stage, he was roundly booed.
Hatton then appeared to the delight of the British but it was Pacquiao, wearing boxer shorts, who stepped on the scales first, registering 138 lbs.
Hatton, clad in boxer-briefs, tipped in at the limit of 140 lbs.
Moments later, Pacquiao and Hatton were asked to pose for the photographers for the traditional staredown.
After a handshake, Pacquiao and Hatton struck a fighting pose then faced each other with Hatton looking like a cougar about to pounce on an unsuspecting deer.
Pacquiao tried to contain the smile on his face as he did his best to appear stoic but he gave in and laughed, while Hatton?s expression remained the same.
As in Hatton?s previous appearances here in Sin City, a horde of British booked airline tickets and hotel accommodations along the Strip to show their support.
There?s been a rough estimate that 25,000 British are in town for the fight.
