The IBO Light Welterweight title will be on the line Saturday night when titleholder Ricky Hatton takes on challenger Jose Luis Castillo at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
"The Hitman" Hatton, from Manchester, England, is the favorite since he's the champ, and his undefeated record of 42-0 with 30 knockouts looks pretty good too. In his last bout Hatton won the IBO Light Welterweight title with an impressive 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Urango. That was Hatton's first fight after retuning to the Light Welterweight division after trying his hand at the Welterweight title. Oddly enough, Hatton won his Welterweight title fight against Luis Collazo to claim the WBA Welterweight title, but relinquished the belt four months later after deciding to return to Light Welterweight.
Castillo, nicknamed "El Temible," hails from Mexico and is five years older than Hatton, but might make up for it with an extra two inches of height and four inches of reach. With a 54-7-1 record including 47 knockouts, Castillo is the more experienced of the two fighters and is considered by many to be the bigger puncher. After a tumultuous 2006 that included a cancelled second rematch with Diego Corrales due to weight problems and a suspension for the rest of the year, Castillo stepped back in the ring in January to face Herman Ngoudjo. After a tough 12-round battle Castillo barely escaped with a split decision. If Castillo performs down to the level he did versus Ngoudjo when he takes on Hatton, then the Englishman will easily retain the title.
Don't be surprised if this fight goes the distance and ends up in the judge's hands. Both fighters have shown knockout power in the past, but they also both can take a punch and will need to sustain a lot of damage to hit the canvas.
Hatton is listed as a -200 favorite here at WagerWeb, while Castillo is a +150 underdog. If Castillo can work Hatton over early and keep control of the fight in the later rounds, he could come away with the upset. Hatton knows how to win a fight (obviously, he is 42-0 for a reason) so it won't be a walk in the park for Castillo to steal the title. Hatton likes to work the body, but he'll need to give Castillo a full going over to ensure he walks away with his boxing belt.
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