Gatti, Mayweather gear up for fight

Atlantic City:

Arturo Gatti and Floyd Mayweather will meet for a piece of the 140-pound W.B.C. super lightweight world title bout at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night. They will fight in the town where Arturo Gatti has had 18 fights, and in the hall he's packed for his last five bouts. Gatti was the first to weigh-in, and tipped the scales at 140 pounds. When Gatti has fought top fighters, he has not fared well, getting stopped by Oscar De La Hoya in the fifth round and Angel Manfredy in the eighth. He has also got a tendency to bleed and has suffered from a number of injuries, including a broken hand in his third fight with Mickey Ward. It was not Floyd Mayweather's particular choice of venue, but Gatti, through his grit and blood, has done something in the ring Mayweather has not been able to do with his boxing brilliance, build up a loyal following that will pay big money to see him fight. Mayweather has played the villain in a fight that took only 12 hours to sell out. He had arrived an hour early on Wednesday and interrupted the pre-fight press conference. Not long after his antics began, Gatti walked out. Gatti holds the W.B.C. super lightweight title, but Mayweather, unbeaten as a pro, is a four-to-one favourite. (AP)