Ricky Hatton's bid for greatness ends in the tenth round in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Jnr retaining his welterweight title with a fine stoppage.

A stunning display from the champion Mayweather, who takes the plaudits from the crowd. The two fighters embrace, even kiss on the cheeks, in the ring at the end; a nice touch.

TENTH ROUND: MAYWEATHER WINS! HATTON IS DOWN! A clean hook from the champ sends Hatton stumbling in to the corner post - he takes an eight count. Seconds later, Mayweather goes for the kill, flooring Hatton for the second time - and the referee steps in, just as the towel comes in from the Hatton corner.

NINTH ROUND: More slick defence from Mayweather, who is jabbing and moving, keeping Hatton well at bay. The Brit can't get near him in this round; it isn't thrilling stuff from the champion, but he has barely taken a shot for two rounds. Still Hatton pours forward; amazing fitness and determination.

EIGHTH ROUND: Mayweather lands two crunching blows, one to the body and one to the chin that has Hatton stumbling forward, holding on to the champion. Two left-hooks as Hatton jumps in has the Brit hurt; Mayweather opens up, landing several crisp blows as Hatton tries to duck-and-weave against the ropes. Amazingly, Hatton recovers - and then goes back on the attack! Great spirit from the Brit.

SEVENTH ROUND: Mayweather is operating with single-punches, snapping out hooks before drawing Hatton in close. For all the pre-fight talk of Hatton being a punch-and-hold boxer, that has been exactly the style the American has employed this evening. Very messy; Hatton hasn't been able to get in to any sort of rhythm; Mayweather is grabbing and holding, not allowing the Brit any space to attack. I reckon the champ is two rounds-up.

SIXTH ROUND: Hatton almost wrestles Mayweather out of the ring, earning a one-point deduction from the referee for striking the champion on the back of the head. Hatton is furious, tauning Mayweather by turning his backside to him before the re-start. Very ugly round, a lot of holding from both fighters.

FIFTH ROUND: Much better from Hatton, who has Mayweather stuck in his own corner for much of the round; the Brit doesn't land too many clean shots, but gets through with a couple of hooks to the body. Very scrappy round, Mayweather was happy to hold and stick his chin behind his shoulder, but Hatton's work-rate got him through.

FOURTH ROUND: A small cut has opened over the top above the right eye of Hatton; replays suggest it was a smart right from Mayweather as Hatton jumped in for a hook back in the third. Hatton has his opponent trapped in the corner, but Mayweather just turns his shoulder to the Brit, who looks frustrated at not being able to land any clean shots. Hatton takes two clean shots in a fine combination from the champ, forcing him back for the first time in the fight. Best round for Mayweather, who is beginning to pick Hatton off.

THIRD ROUND: Hatton is getting a lot of attention from the referee, who isn't happy with his holding. On the occasions Cortez does allow the fighters to get close, Mayweather is more than holding his own. At this stage, the crisper, cleaner shots have been landed by Mayweather, and his defence has been typically slick. Another round for the American, I reckon.

2ND ROUND: Another fast start from Hatton; nice right-hook from Hatton and Mayweather is forced to hold on on the ropes. Any thoughts of PBF standing toe-to-toe have gone out of the window; he is going backwards. It has all got a bit scrappy in the second. Hatton takes a couple of stiff shots as he jumps in. Referee Cortez calls a time-out to warn the fighters to get clean; there was a lot of clinching in that one.

1ST ROUND: As predicted, Hatton pours forward relentlessly in the opener. There is plenty of retreating footwork from Mayweather, who lands the shot of the round with a left-hook to the head. A jab from the Brit catches the champion off guard late in the round and sends him stumbling across the ring. Referee Joe Cortez allows the fighters to work on the inside. Lively first round, very even.

05.50 - OFF WE GO! THE TALK IS OVER - THE BELL HAS RUNG!

04.47: Mayweather's is a surprisingly low-key entrance, to the Boss's classic Born in the USA. The action is just seconds away now; both fighters have de-robed as MC Michael Buffer goes through the final announcements...

04.44: Hatton enters the ring to his signature song, Blue Moon; he is greeted to a rapturous applause from the crowd. The Mancunian looks so, so determined as he gets some final instructions in his corner. Hatton is wearing a frankly disgusting glittery blue robe, bearing the chrest of his beloved Manchester City.

04.39: The Brits don't exactly greet the American national anthem with great enthusiasm; some nondescript R&B star is roundly booed throughout a ludicrously self-important Star Spangled Banner. All we await now is the entrance of the two fighters...

04.35: The legendary Tom Jones is waiting inside the ring; he will be singing the British national anthem. The Hatton fans beat him to it with a rousing version of God Save the Queen...

04.32: A quick look around the ringside seats, and you can pick out a number of the greatest names in boxing; Sugar Shane Mosely, Bernard Hopkins, Lennox Lewis amongst them. A lot of good judges have predicted a Hatton win tonight...

04.29: "There's only one Ricky Hatton..." rings out throughout this magnificent arena. Officially, Hatton was only given 4,000 tickets for this fight, but there are far, far more fans here supporting the Brit than there are the home fighter.

04.23: Peter Manfredo and Jeff Lacy have just finished a 12-round super-middleweight battle, the last bout before the main event of the evening/morning. Lacy won, on a unanimous points decision.

Alex Sharratt / Eurosport