In sauna-like heat in a congested downtown gym, Jose Luis Castillo subjects
himself to a familiar and torturous regime. “I like to suffer,” he says
through an interpreter, smiling. “This prepares me for war, which is what it
will be when I face Ricky Hatton.” The comparison is apt, for his sparring
sessions are sometimes difficult to distinguish from the real thing, and
against the world’s leading light welterweight he knows he will be engaged
in furious frontline fighting from the first bell. “This is the way we
fight, both of us, and I am ready,” Castillo says. “I have the heart of a
lion. This fight will end in a small death for Hatton.”
The phrase used by Mexicans to describe boxing’s most stunning climax, the
knockout, which Castillo predicts he will inflict next weekend at the Thomas
and Mack Center in Las Vegas, is chillingly enhanced by close observation of
the veteran warrior at work. But at 33, Castillo has begun to show signs
that he is no longer the same fighter who harassed and hurt Floyd Mayweather
before losing a controversial decision on points against the best
practitioner of his trade on the planet five years ago.
In his most recent performance in January he was sluggish against a fringe
contender from Cameroon, Herman Ngoudjo, prevailing only by a split points
decision that was disputed by many. Juan Lazcano, a compatriot and former
opponent, described Castillo as “an ageing gunfighter down to his last
bullets” and he is no longer in the top 10 of The Ring’s pound-for-pound
rankings. Yet in training, Castillo is punching with speed and authority.
His combinations are delivered with surgeon-like precision and the body
assault he learnt in his five years as chief sparring partner for Julio
Cesar Chavez, Mexico’s most cherished and iconic fighter, induces
expressions of pain even among the young aspirants gathered on the safe side
of the ropes.
Castillo’s weight, which was an issue even before he failed to make the
lightweight limit of 9st 9lb for his rematch against the late Diego Corrales
in October 2005, is good. At light welterweight (10st), he claims he is
“much stronger” and he was comfortably inside the 11st limit stipulated by
the World Boxing Council (WBC) for the 30-day check weigh-in, scaling 10st
7lb. His performance against Ngoudjo was an aberration, he insists, a
consequence of having been out of the ring for 11 months before the bout and
not being stimulated by an opponent whom he did not consider to be in his
league. “This fight will be very different because I knew from the day the
match was made that I would need to be focused against a guy like Hatton,”
he declares at the end of his final spar.
“Mentally, I am so tuned in to this fight. I couldn’t find the right distance
against Ngoudjo and I felt slow. He hit me with punches I should never have
had to take. But look at my record. I have been in the ring with Mayweather
[former two-weight titleholder], Corrales, Joel Casamayor [a gold medallist
at the 1992 Olympics and the WBC world lightweight champion]. I challenged
Cesar Soto [a former WBC featherweight titleholder who went the distance
with Naseem Hamed] for the Mexican title when I was 19. Hatton’s record just
does not compare. He beat Kostya Tszyu to win the [world light welterweight]
title, but Tszyu was there to be beaten, and what has Hatton done since?
Carlos Maussa [whom Hatton stopped in the ninth round in November 2005],
Luis Collazo [a southpaw who pushed the 28-year-old Manchester boxer in a
close fight for the WBA welterweight belt] and Juan Urango [Hatton’s
opponent in January when he laboured through 12 rounds for a second
consecutive fight] are not elite-level fighters.
“Hatton would have no chance of beating Mayweather because he would be too
fast for him. I pushed Mayweather all the way twice and I should have won
the decision [in their first encounter]. These are the points that are
important, not my last fight.”
Money concerns are also driving Castillo. After being stopped by Corrales in
the 10th round of a classic toe-to-toe battle in May 2005 – “Corrales won
because I celebrated after knocking him down for the second time in the
10th; I thought the fight was over, and emotionally, this drained me” –
Castillo was unable to get down to the contracted weight limit in two
subsequent meetings against his nemesis. Corrales agreed to an
over-the-weight nontitle fight on the first occasion and was knocked out in
the fourth round, but he refused do the same when Castillo came in too heavy
again for what should have been their third and decisive showdown. The
Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Castillo and fined him $250,000,
an outstanding $100,000 of which he must pay before he fights next weekend.
As a child, he recalls being taken to arenas by his father, who boxed
professionally, and climbing into the ring to shadow-box in between bouts on
the undercard. “I was seven or eight and people would throw money at us as
they watched me and some other kids work out. I liked this a lot,” he says.
“In three of my early fights I got beaten, but I didn’t have the state of
mind needed to be successful. The turning point was the influence of Cesar
Chavez, who became my teacher. I learnt how to throw the hook to the body
and how to be professional and have a strong mentality.”
For years Castillo toiled on the fringes, barely eking out a living for
himself, his wife and their two boys. Finally, a decade after he became a
prizefighter, he outpointed America’s Stevie Johnston to win the WBC
lightweight title, going on to establish himself as one of the most enduring
fighters of his era. “He has a rock-solid chin [Castillo has never been
knocked down in 63 fights],” notes Joe Goossen, who trained Corrales for his
two bouts against Castillo. “He’s very good at manoeuvring his body and
stifling a lot of what his opponent’s trying to do. Defensively, he’s solid
and he has a tremendous punch. As a lightweight, he was very big, and he’s a
big light welterweight. The extra few pounds will do him a lot of good.”
When he and Hatton came together in February in Manchester to publicise
their bout, they interacted like long-time buddies. “I know that Hatton is a
supporter of Manchester City, but I have always been a Manchester United
follower, and so are my sons,” Castillo says. “They idolise Wayne Rooney and
I hear he is going to carry Hatton’s belt into the ring. If he does, he
might get stopped by my sons looking for his autograph or to take a picture
with him. So I had a few laughs with Ricky from the short time I was with
him, I think he is a good man.” Hatton even invited Castillo out for drinks,
but he declined because he was with his wife. “Otherwise I would have gone
drinking with him for sure,” Castillo says. “Who would last longer? I hear
that he can drink a lot of beer, but with a few tequilas thrown in, it would
be no contest.”
Castillo’s question also points to the most relevant question about a fight
that could be thrilling in its brutality: who will last longer?
Against Ngoudjo, El Temible from Mexicali had the bearing of a fighter in
decline, worn out by years of battling the scales and too many wars. If
Ngoudjo had gone all out in search of a knockout, Castillo might have been
beaten. “I will not back down, whatever Hatton throws at me,” Castillo vows.
“I know how to suffer and I know how to come through this torture to win.
Does Ricky Hatton?”
If Hatton, who is unbeaten in 42 fights, is to prevail, he will have to endure
as much suffering as he has accumulated in his 10-year career. He should
win, but Castillo could not be more ready for the struggle.
Tale of the tape
Jose Luis Castillo
Age 33
Nickname El Temible
Born Empalme, Mexico
Total fights 63
Wins 55
Wins by KO 47
Losses 7
Draws 1
Reach 69in
Height 5ft 7in
Weight 139lb
Trainer Tiburcio Garcia
Ricky Hatton
Age 28
Nickname The Hitman
Born Manchester
Total fights 42
Wins 42
Wins by KO 30
Losses 0
Draws 0
Reach 65in
Height 5ft 7in
Weight 139lb
Trainer Billy Graham
Hatton’s career On June 5, 2005, Hatton beat Kostya Tszyu, then
widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, after
11 rounds. On November 26, 2005, Hatton won the WBA title when he beat
Carlos Maussa in the ninth round. He moved up a division to meet American
Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight crown in May last year, winning in the
12th round. He beat Juan Urango at light welterweight to win the IBF and IBO
titles but relinquished his IBF title to be able to fight Castillo
Castillo’s career Has struggled to make the weight in recent
fights – having lost a brutal WBC-WBO lightweight title unifi cation fi ght
with Diego Corrales in 2005. The rematch had to be classified as a nontitle
bout when Castillo weighed in almost 5lb over the 135lb limit. He went on to
knock out Corrales. Castillo also failed to make the weight for a third
fight with Corrales in June last year and was fined $250,000, suspended for
the remainder of 2006 and banned from fighting at lightweight again.
In January he returned to action at light welterweight, winning a split
decision over Herman Ngoudjo
TV details
Hatton v Castillo, Las Vegas, Setanta pay-per-view, Saturday, from
midnight
