The long-awaited bout between fan-favourite Arturo "Thunder" Gatti and "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. becomes a reality Saturday night at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey.

There has been no shortage of trash-talk - most of it supplied by Mayweather - in the months leading up to the fight. Mayweather has stated that he doesn't respect Gatti and plans to carry on conversations with ringside viewers before embarrassing and eventually knocking out the Italian-Canadian in front of his adopted hometown crowd. It is precisely because of brash statements like this that many fairweather boxing fans - and hardcore ones - want to see Mayweather on the receiving end of a one-sided beating. This, however, is unlikely.

Mayweather, 33-0 (22), is an elite-level fighter, arguably the best in the world pound-for-pound, with an ego the size of Roy Jones Jr.'s. He is in a class of his own, a class the likes of which Gatti will never be a member of. Mayweather, often described as Pernell Whitaker with power, has hand speed, footwork, and ring generalship that even the best fighters would envy. It's hard to imagine Gatti beating a fighter of this caliber.

But what about Gatti's power, you ask? Well Mayweather has stopped Diego Corrales, Phillip N'dou, and decisioned Jose Luis Castillo (twice) - and those guys can bang. Ok, you're thinking, but Gatti is a warrior with the heart of a lion. If Mayweather knocks him down, he will keep getting back up - and he'll never quit. This is true, but Mayweather is an extremely accurate puncher, and if Gatti cuts he may not have a say in the matter if the ringside physician decides to halt the bout.

Gatti, 39-6 (30), does have a couple of things going for him, though. First, he has Buddy McGirt in his corner, the man who helped Antonio Tarver dethrone Roy Jones Jr. If McGirt says he sees a weakness in Mayweather, he should be taken at face value. Whether or not Gatti can expose that weakness is another issue altogether. Second, if Mayweather is to be believed, he plans on boxing flat-footed and taking the fight to Gatti. It has been stated that the only person that can beat Floyd Mayweather is himself; and this is a perfect example. Mayweather can win this fight relatively easy if he boxes Gatti the way he boxed in the second Castillo fight, but by attempting to fight a crowd-pleasing style, he makes it a little more dangerous for himself. Mayweather was rocked by Demarcus Corley in his second-last fight, and Corley is by no means a big puncher. He does, however, have faster hands than Gatti.

Mayweather is using this fight as a launching pad to rocket him to superstardom - regardless of his talent this is only Mayweather's first HBO pay-per-view fight - and HE'S not the reason this one's on PPV. In his last fight Gatti stopped and retired a shot Jesse James Leija, and come Saturday night Boardwalk Hall will be packed with Gatti loyalists.

Gatti has been described, perhaps unfairly, as a glorified club fighter. His trilogy with Mickey Ward was exhilirating, but the punishment he took in those fights and in others during his career will take a toll eventually. We all remember what happened to Gatti when he moved up to 147 pounds to take on Oscar De La Hoya - a 5th round stoppage at the hands of the "Golden Boy". And Mayweather is in the same class as De La Hoya.

What makes this junior welterweight fight exciting, other than the trash-talking hype, is the fact that Gatti gives new meaning to the term "live underdog". He has good power, he has heart, and he'll have a sold out crowd chanting his name in what will be the biggest fight of his career.

Unfortunately, this is also the biggest fight of Mayweather's career, and he has what it takes to win it.

Look for Gatti to drop Mayweather for the first time in his career before being dropped twice himself and before the accumulation of Mayweather's pin-point accurate combinations force the referee to stop the fight late.

Prediction: Mayweather KO 10