LAS VEGAS: US star Floyd Mayweather stopped England's Ricky Hatton in the 10th round to win a showdown of unbeaten fighters on Saturday and keep the World Boxing Council welterweight crown.

Floyd Mayweather (left) punches England's Ricky Hatton during their WBC welterweight boxing title fight at the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas on Saturday. Mayweather won by 10th-round knockout. [Agencies]

Mayweather improved to 39-0 with his 25th victory inside the distance when referee Joe Cortez halted a bout filled with clinching and bumping after 1:45 of the 10th round.

"I already knew coming into the ring it was going to be tough, that he was going to try to rough me up," Mayweather said. "I took my time. I fought on the inside and the outside. A true champion can adapt to anything."

Mayweather knocked Hatton down with a damaging left to the chin as the British fighter was swinging a punch of his own.

"I threw the 'check hook' and he walked right into it. He never saw it coming," Mayweather said. "I wanted to show the fans I could punch with power."

Hatton rose but "Pretty Boy Floyd" followed with a hammering left and a dazed Hatton was barely on his feet.

"I thought I was doing well in the fight until then," Hatton said.

The end came moments later with Hatton flat on his back by the ropes as Mayweather jumped for joy to celebrate victory.

"I'll be back. Don't worry," Hatton said. "I'm sorry everybody."

"Hitman" Hatton suffered his first loss after 43 triumphs but earned respect for a gutty effort.

"He was definitely the toughest competitor I've ever faced," Mayweather said. "I threw a lot of body shots, and he still kept coming. I can see why they call him the 'Hitman'."

In the sixth round, Cortez deducted a point from Hatton for hitting Mayweather behind the head, a punch that left the American doubled over the middle rope from the waist up.

An already-bloodied Hatton responded by turning his rear to Cortez and Mayweather and bending over. When the fighting resumed, Hatton battled back, forcing an up-close and against-the-ropes fight.

"I didn't quite stick to my game plan," Hatton said. "He's not the biggest welterweight I've ever fought, but he was strong. I don't think he was the hardest puncher here, but he was a lot cleverer than I thought."

Mayweather slammed a devastating right punch that snapped back Hatton's head one minute into the eighth round and landed a flurry late in the ninth.

While the gutty Englishman battled back both times, he was clearly tiring and the end was near.

"I felt really strong," Hatton said. "I left myself open and he's better inside than I thought he was, using all of his elbows, shoulders and forearms."

Hatton had staggered Mayweather with a hard left hand in a furious first round, each man landing well, and then pressed the attack upon elusive Mayweather at the start of the second, cornering the champion time and again.

Mayweather answered with a straight right to the head and the fighters clinched time and again, prompting Cortez to twice halt the round to caution them about grappling and improper punches.

Mayweather opened a cut above Hatton's right eye in the third round with a powerful right and followed with two punishing rights in a fourth-round flurry, inflicting a toll on Hatton's head and body.

Hatton's popularity as an aggressive fighter and fun-loving pub personality helped draw thousands of vocal British supporters to the US gambling mecca for the biggest fight of his career.

They cheered locker-room video of Hatton, booed Mayweather lustily and began several rounds of singing "Hatton Wonderland" with 1 1/2 undercard fights to go before their man entered the ring - a replay of Friday's rowdy weigh-in mood.