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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton vs. Jose Luis Castillo this Saturday!

On the aftermath of UFC 72 comes HBO Boxing's pay-per-view event slated for June 23, 2007 between undefeated Ricky Hatton and hard-punching, iron-chinned, Jose Luis Castillo. Unlike Pretty Boy Floyd, Ricky Hatton has expressed his desire to fight the current top boxers in his division and plans on establishing a legacy. The current guy on his list is Jose Luis Castillo who, in my opinion, has an outstanding chin and will be very hard to knock out. Although his last fights were against questionable opposition, Juan Urango included, this will be the hardest fight for him since Kostya Tszyu.
Jose Luis Castillo, on the other hand, has had a lot of tough fights. His first war with Diego Corrales was Fight of the Year for 2005 with Pacquiao versus Morales close behind. I thought he would've won his fight with Diego if he hadn't ran out of gas on the last minute. Although he lost by TKO, Diego wasn't able to put him on the canvas. Castillo on the other hand did it twice. This square-jawed fighter will be very hard for Hatton because he is a pressure fighter and is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
My predictions? Jose Luis Castillo is an old fighter while Ricky Hatton is a younger one. I don't see any reason Hatton can knock this guy out, but Castillo might knock Hatton out. Either way, it's going to be a hard fight and I see Jose Luis Castillo coming out by a late round knockout or a decision if he plays his cards right (body punches and make weight!). Otherwise, the younger Hatton might overcome him. More info here.