ROUND TEN: Oliveira appears to have problems with his left ear and Hatton continues to rattle it with some big right hands before sending the challenger to the deck. Oliveira, down on one knee, clutches his ear with his glove, winks to his corner and the fight is stopped after 1 minute 38 seconds of the round.

ROUND NINE: Oliveira continues firing blows - but Hatton still looks bouncy as he takes yet another round.

ROUND EIGHT: Once again Oliveira looks floppy as Hatton - who had thrown nearly 600 punches before the start of the round - carries on his relentless way.

ROUND SEVEN: Oliveira starts to look unsteady on his legs and his nose looks to be broken. Referee Micky Vann - or indeed the American's corner - may want to consider how much more he has to give.

ROUND SIX: Complacency seems to be the only problem now for Hatton as shots continue to rain down on Oliveira. But Oliveira - who has never been stopped - refuses to budge, soaking up the blows like some proud oak.

ROUND FIVE: More of the same from Hatton while the proud Oliveira continues to land with the odd reminder - including one a split second after the bell.

ROUND FOUR: Hatton shows no sign of let-up, the Mancunian still sending out some sharp inside combinations, while his opponent starts to look tired and somewhat dispirited.

ROUND THREE: While Hatton keeps up his work-rate, Oliveira shows signs of resistence, connecting with a couple of big right hands as Hatton wades in. But Hatton takes the round, continuing to land with clubbing right hands, sickening body shots and sharp shots down the pipe.

ROUND TWO: Hatton continues at a blistering pace, landing accurate shots from every angle - while Oliveira seems resigned to his role as a punchbag.

ROUND ONE: Hatton starts purposefully, moving from the body to the head with some crisp shots before flooring Oliveira with a clubbing right hand with 40 seconds left in the round. The American weathers the storm, while Hatton is dabbing at a swollen right eye at the bell.

As usual, Hatton comes into the ring to a punk version of Blue Moon - and the London crowd are almost as receptive as Hatton's Manchester following.

The 36-year-old Oliveira makes his way into the ring to the strains of Frank Sinatra's My Way - to the jeers of the London crowd.

Hatton, 26, will be hoping a successful 15th defence will lead to a shot at Kostya Tszyu's IBF title - while it could be the challenger's final crack at the big time.

Indeed, the "Hitman" could be in for a tough night as Oliveira has some good wins on his record, including one over WBA champion Vivian Harris.

The bout is the first act of a potentially huge night for British boxing, with Danny Williams fighting for Vitali Klitschko's WBC heavyweight crown in Las Vegas later today.