Mad, bad or just misunderstood. Few people know the real Floyd Mayweather Jr, few people want to anyway. Cocky, self-assured, but capable of being a real charmer, Mayweather defies expectations. Could it be that there will be two nice guys in the ring when he defends his WBC welterweight title against Ricky Hatton here at the MGM Grand on Saturday night? That just does not seem right.

“He doesn’t play the bad guy, he is the bad guy,” Oscar De La Hoya said before his defeat by Mayweather in May, after being taunted most of the way round the United States on a multi-city media tour. Damned by his upbringing, damned by his press cuttings, Mayweather says that people have to take him as he is, but he resembles a man who wants to be loved. The cartoon villain just needs a hug.

“I put my family in a hell of a position, I fought my way from the bottom to the top,” the five-weight world champion said. “I’ve seen everything. I don’t think Ricky Hatton’s ever seen his father shot, I don’t think Ricky Hatton’s mother’s ever been on drugs, I don’t think his dad’s been to prison. I come from a neighbourhood where people dying is normal. To come from that life and fight my way to the top, I think that’s one hell of an accomplishment.”

In 24/7, the television series going behind the scenes in the build-up to the superbout, Mayweather tries to show his softer side, but when he appears nice, some accuse him of putting on a show. Having proved himself the world’s No 1 pound-for-pound boxer, being judged against Hatton as a person does not sit easily with him. He has always been happy to play the bad guy in his career until now, but the boos seem to be growing wearisome.

“Are you judging me by what you see on TV, or what you hear through hearsay, or do you really want to get a chance to see the real Floyd Mayweather?” he said. “They didn’t talk about the 600 families I fed on Thanksgiving, or the toy drive I’m having for the families that are less fortunate - they don’t talk about that, do they?

“Sometimes people portray you the way they want to - the pen and the mouth are strong weapons. I know who I am as a person. If I can afford ten cars, then I’ll buy ten cars. Just because I’m fighting a guy who may have one car, does that mean I’m saying I’m better than him? No, not at all. I live my life the way I live it and he lives his life the way he wants to live it.

“If he wants to buy one car, that’s up to him. If he wants to drink beer and throw darts, that’s his life - my life’s a little bit different. Just because we live our lives two different ways, that doesn’t mean one is better than the other. I feel that everybody is equal and I live my life the way I live my life.”

Having put the case for the defence, Mayweather, 30, turned his attack on Hatton, who he says has been doing the trash talking. “In the US, guys who talk trash on camera, we call camera thugs - he’s a camera thug,” Mayweather said. “I say it in your face, I don’t say it behind your back. When he was over in the US and we did a tour, he didn’t say nothing. When we went to England [London], he didn’t say nothing.

“Finally, when he gets to Manchester, he gets comfortable, he wants to say something. He’s going to come out and fight his heart out, but I’ve been in this game a long time. He’s got a weakness and, come night of the fight, I’m going to show you his weakness. He’s going to be easy to hit. We know he’s going to swell and cut. I’ve been here so many times, so many champions. Every fighter that I possibly face, they all say the same thing: ‘We’re gonna apply pressure, we’re gonna apply pressure.’ Apply pressure, that’s what I like.

“If you all call hitting and holding exciting, I guess he’s exciting. He hasn’t put the time and dedication into the sport of boxing that I have. Fighters are going to respect me and if I feel they don’t respect me, I’ll beat the respect out of them.”

Success in the ring has brought wealth and celebrity to Mayweather, but he yearns to be viewed as more than a boxer. He also wants international appeal. “I respect the UK fans, you’re all diehard, fight fans. You are going to root for Ricky Hatton even when Ricky Hatton gets his ass beat, you’re still going to love him - I wish we had fans like that,” Mayweather said. “Since I always wanted to fight in the UK, but never did, I said let’s bring him over here and we’ll do it one more time. The UK fans come here to get part of the Floyd Mayweather experience. He never had this many fans here before, so it’s part of the Mayweather experience.

“You must analyse certain things. If the US soccer team was to play the Brazilian soccer team, of course I would want the US to win, but what do I think? I think Brazil will win. We’re in the same situation here. You all want him to win, you are all going to cheer and want to go out after the fight and drink Guinness beer and have a ball. You are still going to be able to do that, but he’s just going to come up short. That’s how the ball is rolled, how the game is played.”

Saturday could be the end of an illustrious career. Having retired twice, there would be little surprise if Mayweather decided to call time for good. “The future holds a long vacation,” he said. “I just want to take a vacation and spend a lot of time with my kids, a lot of time helping kids and families that are less fortunate and give back to my community. That’s what I always do.”

That is the cartoon villain - your friendly, neighbourhood Pretty Boy.

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