Ricky Hatton vs Jose Luis Castillo - Something that shouldn’t be missed
 By Rob Scott (June 22, 2007) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © HBO)
Nothing in life is guaranteed, and in a boxing ring, the chance of having a two way gritty performance can definitely never be written in stone. Admittedly, to think that a fighter will, or for that matter, can, put on that much sought after night after night true gritty performance, can probably only be achieved through divine intervention. The thing with divine intervention though, is there is a need for a great deal of faith. Whether justified or not, faith is something that many viewers have lost in the sport in the last few years.
This Saturday, prayers are sure to be answered when Manchester, England’s Ricky Hatton, 42-0, 30, takes on Mexican superstar, Jose Luis Castillo, 55-7-1, 47, in the Main event of a fight card aptly titled, “Gladiators,” live from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The action will be brought to you by Banner Promotions, along with Fight Academy, in association with Top Rank, Inc., and broadcast live on HBO starting at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
In a company, the customer service department is the place to turn when needed change is to take effect, but boxing is a whole sport, full of many companies that don’t all have the same agenda. The best way of creating performance improvement in this sport is to match fighters that are sure to excite the boxing senses. The meshing of the styles of ‘The Hitman’ and ‘El Terrible’ is something in which the chance of an explosion taking place moves from maybe, straight to the inevitable. The problem is, the inevitable, while as vivid as HDTV to some, is as hard to see by others, as that old TV that needed that good whack.
More and more, whether it’s relationship, jobs or just life, many people tend to seek out so many things; not realizing or embracing what they have right in front of their faces. Boxing fans are no different in a sense, especially as of late with many jumping the boxing boat and boarding and embracing the Mixed Martial Arts ship. Again, they’re just not realizing what they have right in front of their faces.
Match-ups like Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vasquez, Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah, Kelly Pavlik vs. Edison Miranda, etc., have been right in our faces, but there is still that nonsensical talk of the demise of this sweetest of sciences.
On Saturday night, two time Jr. welterweight and former WBA welterweight champion, Ricky Hatton vs. former two time lightweight champion, Jose Luis Castillo, will be added to that list of fights that prove that boxing not only has life,
but still is indeed, the life, of the combat game.
It was June of 2005 when Hatton truly had his coming out party, when he faced Kostya Tszyu for the IBF junior welterweight title. Going toe-to-toe with Tszyu and eventually making him quit on his stool at the end of the 11th round, Hatton not only took Tszyu’s crown, but he took the respect of many who up until that time failed to acknowledge the British star.
Just one month prior, Castillo faced Diego Corrales in what was hailed as an instant all-time classic. Even though coming up short on the end of that stick, Castillo came out on top in the rematch five months later. These battles, along with others have placed Castillo as one of the very best in the game in any weight class.
Now fans can site bad fights, bad decision, and in some cases, the turn off to certain styles that some fighters have, as their reasoning for their mental move away from boxing; but this Saturday night, fans should indeed take a good look, because these two will be right in front of their faces, as their right to a quality fight hasn’t been overlooked.
But…while viewers flock to see the so called mega fights, this fight in it’s self is of huge proportion; and if by chance they don’t flock to this one, yes they will have rights, but they will be similar to their Miranda rights. They will forever have the right to remain silent, and anything they say can and should be used against them.
They say seek and you shall find, well both Hatton and Castillo have been in search of more meaningful fights and challenges to further add on to their legacies. If viewers truly seek, they will find this match up is what they have been looking for; they will find that this is one that shouldn’t be missed.
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