LAS VEGAS - Ricky Hatton has warned Jose Luis Castillo he will walk away from their Saturday super-fight in Las Vegas if the Mexican fails to hit the 140-pound light-welterweight limit. Castillo has been dogged by weight problems in the past, most notably when he failed to make the weight for two projected showdowns against lightweight rival Diego Corrales. This content is protected And with worries about Castillo's weight still uppermost in many minds despite his move up a division, Hatton vowed: "If he doesn't get down to 140 pounds then the fight is off." Hatton does not want to make the same mistake as Corrales, who rashly agreed to go ahead with his second fight against the overweight Castillo in October 2005, only to suffer a fourth-round knockout. "His track record is struggling to make the weight but at the end of the day he has got to do it this time or promoters and television companies won't want to know him," Hatton said. "For all the great fights he has been in, and the reputation he has built for being such a great fighter, if he doesn't make the weight he'll only be remembered for what he did on the scales." Castillo looked in good shape as he performed his final public workout at the Top Rank gym on Wednesday, indicating he was currently a comfortable three pounds over the limit. Hatton would be wiser to shut out Castillo's imminent meeting with the scales and concentrate on his own final preparations in this baking desert city. After scraping home in what were by his own admission unimpressive performances against Luis Collazo and Juan Urango, he knows he can ill afford to be anything but dazzling this weekend. "I'm not saying I took Collazo or Urango lightly but with all due respect they were not big names and perhaps without realizing it I got a bit complacent," Hatton said. "But because I am fighting the guy who I am fighting, I think without realizing it I will find a bit extra. I've been walking around snarling for two weeks and I didn't have that for my last two fights." Hatton's trainer, Billy Graham, certainly subscribes to the view that his charge's extra work will enable him to enter the ring for his biggest test in the best shape of his career. "He is faster and sharper and I am convinced this is the kind of fight that will bring out the best of both of them," Graham said. "Their styles are going to gel and I have a feeling it is going to be a really special night." http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=txhattonopponent&prov=st&type=lgns
so is he now admitting he handpicked a couple of weak beltholders? There's a contradiction in there. also, first it was that he had a cold for Urango, now this excuse.
anyone who knows anything about boxing , or in fact richard hatton knows that the LAST THING that his camp wanted was loui collazo... your a hater and rarely have anything sensible to say about hatton, and before you call me a nut hugger, i happen to know that ricky is looking fine in camp, and this is a no excuses fight, i think castillo might be to good for rick, ill be very supprised if rick wins. i will however be over the moon. see the thing is if rick wins you will come out and say castillo was shot, or past it. you dont catch me saying the same about oscar do you? when PBF beat oscar he gets all the props in the world no matter how old or shop worn oscar is, cause its a case of having a little respect even if you dont like the fighter in question.
Sounds like Hatton is just trying to wind Castillo up and play a bit of mind games. I'm sure Castillo doesn't like being reminded about his past failures and if he's struggling at all then he might try drastic measures to make sure he makes weight so that he won't lose millions of dollars.
Sounds about right to me. And Hatton is exactly right too - if Castillo can't make the weight yet again, the networks will go ballistic.
SCRAPING HOME? Where does this nonsense come from? Just to remind those with revisionist tendancies, here are the scores for his last two fights Collazo- 115/112 115/112 114/113 Unanimous for Hatton Urango- 119/109 119/109 119/109 Unanimous for Hatton
I'm not dealing in opinions, just plain facts. Such scores are not 'scraping home'. Sure, he wasn't at his best against either, but you could select fights from all the great fighters which fall into that category
I don't blame Hatton a bit. What Castillo did in the second Corrales fight was horrible and far worse than the mouthpiece spitting incident. This is a 140 title fight, you either make the weight or take a ****ing hike.
His management are not competent. Frank Warren would have go him some easy fights that would have made him look great. He is a fool for leaving Frank.
