By Ben Dirs

Welcome to Las Vegas - boxing mecca, graveyard of British champions.

Frank Bruno (right) was beaten twice by Mike Tyson in Vegas

Overnight this Saturday, Ricky Hatton will attempt to become only the third fighter from these shores to win a world title in Sin City when he takes on Colombia's Juan Urango for the IBF light welterweight crown.

Alan Minter was the first, outpointing Vito Antuofermo to claim the world middleweight crown in 1980, while Lennox Lewis became WBC heavyweight champion when he beat Tony Tucker in 1993.

Others have not fared so well. BBC Sport looks at some of the big British hitters who perished in the Nevada Desert.

"The Battersea Bomber", who came into the fight as British, European and Commonwealth middleweight champion, lost a controversial majority decision to Joppy.

Eastman landed the heavier punches throughout and floored his opponent in the final round - but two of the judges decided in favour of the American and the Brit is still searching for a world title.

The bombastic "Prince" Naseem was undefeated going into the fight but was given a lesson in boxing basics by his wily Mexican opponent.

606 DEBATE: British boxing nightmares

Hamed entered the ring on a circus swing and left it a broken fighter. He had only one more bout before hanging up his gloves at the age of 28.

Folk hero Bruno rocked the reigning heavyweight king with a huge left hook in the first round of their first meeting before being stopped in the fifth.

Bruno went into the rematch as WBC title-holder - but was dethroned by Tyson inside three rounds and never fought again.

Honeyghan pulled off one of the biggest shocks in British boxing history when he dethroned welterweight king Don Curry in Atlantic City in 1986.

He defended his titles four times before losing to Jorge Vaca, regaining his throne and then being dismantled by Starling on his Vegas debut.

McGuigan was somehow persuaded to make his Vegas debut over 15 rounds in a car park in June in the middle of the afternoon.

McGuigan lost to the unheralded Cruz on points, had to be treated in hospital for dehydration and was never the same fighter again.

European champion Jones, who had drawn with Detroit's McCrory in Reno five months earlier, was floored in the first round of their rematch.

The Welshman spent the rest of the fight playing catch-up and dropped a split decision. He had one more world title shot, losing in four rounds to Don Curry in Birmingham in 1985.

Hope knocked out Italy's Rocky Mattioli for the WBC light middleweight belt in 1979 and defended three times before heading to the States to face Puerto Rican phenom Wilfred Benitez.