Las Vegas notes

There was disappointment for Lee Meager, the former British lightweight champion, who boxes Jose Gonzalez on the British Invasion show at the MGM Grand on Friday. The MGM Grand casino is full of signs for the show, which also features John Murray, but instead of a picture of Meager, the poster features a picture of Lenny Daws, Meager's stablemate and the former British light-welterweight champion who is not on the bill.

These things can be touchy. Virgil Hill recently walked out of a press conference in Germany because the poster for his WBA cruiserweight title against Firat Arslan did not have Hill's picture on it. That is often normal practise in Germany. Even when Joe Calzaghe boxed Mario Veit in Braunschweig as few years ago, his picture was not anywhere to be seen

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Christmas is coming, but you wouldn't notice really in most casinos as it is very much life as normal as they try to encourage people not to leave. Anyone who has ventured out onto the Strip will remember the constant stream of Mexicans clicking cards and imploring you to take one. It is usually too late that you realise that the cards are not for restaurant or shopping offers, but cards advertising services like 'Hot babes to your room in 20 minutes' - try explaining that if you leave one of those cards in your wallet. Anyway, one of these companies, whose workers also had to wear T-shirts also advertising their wears, decided to dress their card distributors in Santa hats - very festive, but hardly likely to draw in more customers.

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Anger at BBC Radio 5Live. In the mighty sized media room, one side is set aside for radio firms covering the bout. The wall behind is decorated with signs for any number of jumble of letters, showing the names of the radio stations across the US carrying the fight - but no BBC. A protest may soon be coming.

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No question who Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter this weekend, is backing... the boy from Manchester. "Ricky is a throwback to the great days of the Marvin Haglers and the Roberto Durans who really loved to fight," De La Hoya said. "He is young, hungry and always willing to learn.

"His is the style I prefer because he makes it a much more exciting fight. People like Mayweather are not going to engage and want to fight. I prefer fighters who want to stand in front of you and please the fans."

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Just when you think Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer, has scraped the bottom of the barrel with loony things to say, he goes and excels himself. He spoke yesterday to Craig Slater, Sky Sports News's man on the scene, holding his two=year-old son. "Ricky Hatton  has a son, how old is he?" Roger said. Six was the reply. "My son's two, I bet he could whup his ass."