RSSJose Luis Castillo
Monday, February 19, 2007
Hatton-Castillo Officially Announced for June 23
It was officially announced earlier today at a press conference in London that Ricky Hatton will defend his WBO Junior Welterweight belt against Jose Luis Castillo at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on June 23.
Both fighters are coming off of lackluster performances in which they both fought on the same card against Juan Urango and Herman Ngoudjo respectively.
Hatton made it known that he was very much looking forward to this bout:
“A lot has been said about our last performances but when you are involved in so many big fights you raise your game for a challenge—and this is a challenge to say the least,” Hatton said Monday. “When I beat Kostya Tszyu I beat one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and Jose undoubtedly falls into that category as well,” Hatton said. “You become a great fighter by fighting great fighters and Jose is one of them.”
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Saturday, February 10, 2007
Hatton Relinquishes IBF Title; Ndou to be Named Champ and Defend Against Hopkins?
Ricky Hatton was forced to give up his IBF Junior Welterweight Title after deciding to go ahead and face Jose Luis Castillo on June 23rd rather than defending his belt against the IBF’s mandatory challenger, Lovemore N’dou.
The June 23rd date is not yet set in stone as June 2nd is the other possible date that HBO has available to televise the bout…
The decision was made once one of Hatton’s promoters announced that his client would be fighting Castillo this summer:
“We had an agreement in place to fight Castillo next on June 23 on HBO, and after the fight with Urango we announced that fight at the press conference,” said Artie Pelullo, Hatton’s American co-promoter.
The decision was officially announced to the IBF yesterday…
Said Dennis Hobson, Hatton’s British co-promoter: “We informed the IBF by letter Friday night that we are moving on to the super fight with Castillo in June without the IBF title. Ricky is very proud to be a two-time IBF champion, and, speaking as a promoter, the IBF have always been great to work with. This is a decision we’d have preferred not to have had to make, but, having thought long and hard about it, I believe this is the best way forward for Ricky.”
While it hasn’t been actually announced yet, various reports are coming out of Australia saying that N’dou will be given the belt and then be forced to fight mandatory challenger Demetrius Hopkins providing that Hopkins defeats Contender alumni Steve Forbes on March 17th.
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
EEC - January 23, 2007
More on the whole Mayweather-De La Hoya training situation and what the recently victorious Valuev may be up to next…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Freddie Roach has come up as a strong possibility to be De La Hoya’s trainer for his fight against Mayweather Jr.
We all know that Mayweather Sr. wants $2 Million in order to train Oscar to defeat his son and De La Hoya’s camp isn’t prepared to give him anything close to that. Apparently De La Hoya offered Mayweather Sr. $500,000 to train him and another $500,000 if they won last year but Mayweather Sr. rejected the offer.
Roach has informed The Boston Herald that he has been approached by De La Hoya to train him for this fight. He didn’t sound very confident that he would be training him however…
“Oscar did approach me about training him for the Mayweather fight,” Roach said. “But then he’s spoken to me about training him for his last three fights before that, too, and nothing ever came of it.”
Roach then went on to blast Mayweather Sr. for his recent behavior:
“Exactly who did he ever train?” Roach asked. “Oscar was already a finished product when Floyd got him, and the whole time Floyd Jr. was developing as a boxer, his uncle Roger (Mayweather) trained him because Floyd was in jail.”
- Mikkel Kessler’s WBC and WBA Super Middleweight title defenses against Librado Andrade on March 24th may actually have to be rescheduled in the coming weeks. Denmark, where the fight is supposed to be held, plays Spain in a soccer game that same night on live TV. Officials are speculating that because of this the bout may be pushed back…
- It is almost certain that WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev will have to make his mandatory defense against Ruslan Chagaev in his next fight.
Some Good Reads:
FOX Sports: Hatton, Castillo revive 140, Hatton figures to have a tougher time in next Vegas visit
The Sweet Science: Very Superstitious…..
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Sunday, January 21, 2007
Hatton, Castillo Win in Lackluster Fashion
Both Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo were victorious on Saturday night but they both backed into their wins, showing rust and a lack of drive on their way towards victory. Despite their sub-par performances, the two will most likely meet each other in a June showdown.
Hatton was easily on all three scorecards to win back the belt he vacated last year when he decided to move up to welterweight for a fight against Luis Collazo. He won in a controversial decision in that fight and wasn’t impressive in this bout. Are people now going to be calling Hatton a fluke?
Hatton did say his performance was his own fault…
“The first six rounds felt too comfortable, maybe I took my foot off the gas,” Hatton said.
How about a little ESPN blow-by-blow action?
Hatton won the fight with one punch, a lead right hand he landed all night. Hatton often followed that by going into a clinch with Urango, then repeating the same scenario when the two were separated.
While Hatton failed most of the time to back up the lead right with any combinations, Urango did even less himself.
There were no knockdowns and neither fighter was in any trouble, but the rounds had such a sameness to them that there was little singing among the normally boisterous British contingent who followed Hatton here for the fight.
Urango apparently thought he was doing better than the judges did, raising his arms in triumph at the end of each round as he went back to his corner. But the rounds went to Hatton, mostly because he was quicker getting off.
Ringside punch stats showed Hatton landing 258 of 755 punches to 153 of 570 for Urango.
Castillo didn’t win his fight as handily, barely escaping with a close split decision over Herman Ngoudjo.
The crowd was obviously for Ngoudjo who booed for almost five minutes straight after the decision was announced. Despite losing, Ngoudjo raised his arms in victory as the bout was obviously at least a moral victory for himself.
“I thought I outworked him on the outside and I roughed him up on the inside,” Ngoudjo said. “I thought I won this fight by four rounds.”
It was obvious that Castilloo hadn’t fought in a while - the ring rust was at an all-time high.
“I did the best I could,” Castillo (55-7-1) said. “I’ve been away from the ring for a long time. It wasn’t one of my greatest performances.”
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Monday, January 15, 2007
Will Castillo Make Weight This Friday?
It’s the million dollar question - Will Jose Luis Castillo make weight for his upcoming fight this weekend?
We all recall this past June when Castillo weighed in four pounds over the 135 lb weight limit for his title bout against Diego Corrales, the second time in as many attempts to face Corrales. (They did fight last October but the two sides agreed to fight despite the difference in weight - Corrales’ camp decided against it in June.)
Castillo was subsequently fined, suspended, and pretty much on the bad side of everyone who followed boxing around the world.
He is trying to shake that image when he takes on Herman Ngoudjo this Saturday in Las Vegas on the undercard of Ricky Hatton’s titel bout against Juan Urango. It will be Castillo’s first bout since moving up to junior welterweight, but even with moving up a weight class, Castillo still faces questions concerning whether or not he is going to make the weight…
“I feel less pressure to make the weight. There’s been a lot of pressure the last couple of fights to make 135, Castillo said. I think making 140 should be a lot easier and I feel very comfortable that I can make it.”
Castillo was subject to a mandatory weight-in last week because his fight against Ngoudjo is a title eliminator - Castillo weight in at 146 lbs which is within the required range. With only six and a half pounds to lose by Friday, is he going to be able to do it?
I guess we will find out shortly…
EEC: January 15, 2007
As you probably noticed by the lack of posts yesterday, it was a pretty slow day in the boxing world. Even so, I still think I found some interesting tidbits to share with everyone…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Floyd Mayweather Sr. told the Grand Rapids Press this past weekend that there still isn’t a deal in place for him to train Oscar De La Hoya for the May 5th mega-fight against his son, Floyd Jr.
What’s the most amazing thing about all of this? Mayweather Sr. hasn’t signed a deal to train Oscar yet not because his is unsure whether or not he wants to train De La Hoya against his own son, but rather because he wants $2 Million because the figh purse is so high. Remarkable…
- This weekend is highlighted by three big fights, one of which isn’t being televised. It’s a heavyweight title bout of all things. I realize that Nikolai Valuev and Jameel McCline might not put on that great of a fight, but the ramifications are still huge for the division and boxing itself.
- Joel Casamayor’s next opponent is said to be down to two canidates: Juan Diaz and Acelino Freitas
- Jermain Taylor’s next title defense may happen on the weekend of April 21 in Atlantic City to coincide with the annual Boxing Writers Association of America dinner which always has a big boxing match take place the day after. So far no possible opponents have been thrown out there…
- Rising Star Delvin Rodriguez has signed with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing according to ESPN. Rodriguez’s manager says the contract is a three-year deal with has multiple extension options based on Rodriguez’s performance in the ring. Rodriguez became a free agent last week after voiding his contract with Northeast Promotions. Don King and Golden Boy Promotions also made offers but were turned down surprisingly.
Some Good Reads:
Some pimpage is in order for The Sweet Science and their daily This Day in History post which has become a daily routine for me.
So what did happen today in history?
On this day in 1983, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) declared that boxing should be banned in all civilized countries.
The notion of banning boxing was discussed even during the sport’s golden age. However, this was the first occasion that the American Medical Association (AMA) had made such a statement. George D. Lundberg, the editor of JAMA, cited the high prevalence of brain damage in professional boxers who have had a substantial number of fights as part of the basis of the AMA’s position.
Since then, other medical organizations have supported this position and the AMA and Lundberg have revisited this issue several times since 1983. An argument could be made that the initial report helped lead to some boxing reforms, such as shorter fights and quicker referee stoppages.
However, it is highly unlikely that boxing will ever be banned in the United States.
Some other nice articles for you…
Doghouse Boxing: A View from the Galaxy: The Road Back for Antonio Tarver
Maxboxing: No More in 2007
Boxing Scene: Jose Luis Castillo: Such Is Life
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Sunday, January 14, 2007
EEC - January 14, 2007
Early Eight Count - It’s catchy isn’t it?
Basically this is going to be a daily morning post focusing on a variety of boxing news, gossip, articles, videos, and whatever interesting things myself or David will be able to find.
I’m going to try my best to post it every morning at 8:00 AM, genius I know… However if you don’t see it up one day for some reason, please don’t uppercut me too hard.
We’re doing something similar over on our sister site, MMA on Tap as well.
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Ricky Hatton seems to be taking Floyd Mayweather Jr. off of his radar screen because of Mayweather’s future plans for this year which include a superfight with Oscar De La Hoya in May and possible retirement right after the bout. That didn’t stop Hatton from discussing alternate plans for this year however…
“I have no problem with fighting up at welterweight again. But the only fight I’ll probably look at that might tempt to me to welterweight would be certainly Floyd Mayweather, maybe Miguel Cotto. I’m not soon to be back on the welterweight division even though I’ve made back down to junior welterweight. I have got to put on an exciting performance against Juan Urango. Hopefully win my title back which I’m confident that I can do, and hopefully lead to a fight against José Castillo and then if Floyd is still fighting, if he chooses not to retire then that would another fight I’d love.”
I’m sure that Hatton won’t be the only one voicing their displeasure about Floyd opting to retire soon, crushing the hopes of many welterweights out there that wanted a crack at him.
- Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer will be traveling to Florida next week to visit with Roy Jones Jr. and attempt to get him to sign a contract that will allow him to fight Bernard Hopkins in July. According to Hopkins, he is already signed for the fight and it is now up to Jones Jr. to make the fight happen.
- Just like I reported yesterday, Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent will most likely be Jin Chi as Top Rank’s Bob Arum is supposed to be finalizing the contract for the fight at some point this week.
One thing I’m considering is moving the usual ‘Weekend Fights’ and ‘Weekend Results’ posts to the EEC post for that day. I think it will work out a lot better and allow more time for news and events that occur which deserve more coverage. As always, feel free to leave a comment or contact us with your opinion about this decision or anything else that your little heart desires…
Weekend Results:
- Travis Simms won the WBA Super Welterweight Title on Saturday night, stopping Jose Antonio Rivera in the 9th round. Simms was in control for the entire fight, dominating Rivera in every aspect until the referee halted the bout in the middle of the 9th round after Rivera was knocked to the canvas for a second time.
Simms actually held the WBA Super Welterweight belt from December 2003 until June 2005 when he was stripped of the belt due to inactivity. Simms was holding out because he wanted a fight with Winky Wright who obviously had other plans. However Simms now guarantees that his mind is set on defending his title:
“I’m coming back, and I’m looking to get back in the mix with the top champions in the divison,” Simms said. “I cannot be denied. I stayed in the gym, stayed diligent, stayed focused.”
Don’t believe in newspapers? Don’t worry, I have you covered…
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: Dan Rafael’s January Division Rankings
I actually plan on starting some rankings of our own by next month possibly so stay tuned…
FOX Sports: Unified heavyweight title can save boxing
MaxBoxing: When to Hold and When to Fold: Toney’s March Memorable, but Uphill from Here
The Sweet Science: Looking For More In The New Year
Last but not least, Jim Amato (neverlast on this site) will have a new piece being posted at some point this afternoon for those of you looking to check back in later on for new material…
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Who Wants To Fight Who?
You guys want your potential matchup gossip? You got it…
Grady Brewer/Stevie Forbes News
Contender 2 winner Grady Brewer is attempting to get into the ring on one of two occasions according to a show executive. The choices apparently are: a show in November or the undercard of the juniors - Roy Jones and Peter Manfredo in January.
Steve Forbes, the guy who came in second place on The Contender for those of that don’t watch the show, has signed with HBO and will fight Demetrius Hopkins on Boxing After Dark on November 25th.
If you didn’t watch the show, read this... (Such shameful plugging…)
Jones/Manfredo Fight On Track For January
By the way John, you gave away the fact that this fight was taking place in the last paragraph. Yes I know self, I’m such a bad blogger. :(
Don’t mind me, I’m in an odd mood…
Anyway, Roy Jones Jr. will take on Peter Manfredo Jr. on January 19 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles if everything goes right - The terms of the contract are still being discussed at this time.
Manfredo is currently scheduled to fight Joey Spina in November and I don’t think that he will get a shot at Roy unless he is victorious against Spina.
Just lay out your plans for the future, it’s apparently the new fad.
According to the UK Mirror, Hatton is attempting to take Mayweather’s title as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today…
“That’s my aim now, to climb the pound-for-pound ratings and be regarded as the No.1 in the world,” Hatton said. I’m disappointed I won’t fight again this year, but HBO has guaranteed me three fights in 2007.
“I’m going back down to 140 pounds and I don’t think anybody can live with me at that weight from a physical strength point of view. First up is Urango and my old IBF belt. That’s no foregone conclusion and he’s a southpaw, who’s like a mini-Mike Tyson. But I expect to win and should I win, then I’ll make my first defense against Castillo. He’s above me in the pound-for-pound ratings so that would boost me if I could beat him.
“Then the obvious step forward for me will be Mayweather, who is recognized as the best operator in the world pound for pound.” Although I accept that Mayweather is massively talented, he’s never been tested by someone like me,” he said to the Mirror. “If he’s going to beat me, he’s got to have some serious firepower to keep me off and I don’t think he could do that for all his talent. Mayweather wouldn’t like my body shots, no-one in the world does, and they are what I would have to bring into play.
“He’s got some great hand speed and some brilliant combinations, but I stand by my belief that if anyone can beat him, it’s me. He may be ranked by all the best judges as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, but when I beat him they will have to think again. Maybe it will be the Hitman at the top of the pile!’’
Hatton better hope that some of these fighters win their upcoming bouts so his plan can work. If Hatton is even able to get past Juan Urango, he has to pray that Luis Castillo beats Vivian Harris in January and that Mayweather can defeat Carlos Baldomir in November, let alone that Floyd will win another fight after that…
B-Hop is serious about this, yo…
In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Hopkins confirmed that he is still considering coming out of retirement and challenging WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev.
We already talked about all of this - I just wanted to share my favorite quote from that article:
“I’m going to come in like Apollo Creed, with red, white and blue trunks, red, white and blue shoes and a red, white and blue robe,” Hopkins said to Fernandez. “It’ll be just like ‘Rocky IV,’ with me beating a giant Russian.
Awesome…
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Hatton, Wright Find Opponents
The search for a opponent is finally over for Ricky Hatton and Winky Wright…
Both fighters have had a tumultuous last few months: Hatton was robbed while visiting China, was forced to relinquish his WBA Welterweight Title in order to pursue other chances to find an opponent, and had to deal with Luis Collazo asking for a rematch every five minutes.
Wright on the other hand has had opponents dodge him left and right. He sent out open challenges to both Jermain Taylor and Antonio Margarito. What happened? Taylor opted to defend his belts against Kassim Ouma; Margarito and his camp completely ignored Wright, deciding to instead take on Joshua Clottey.
The two have finally found matches however:
Wright will take on the recently victorious Ike Quartey who defeated Vernon Forrest in an extremely controversial decision on August 5th.
Wright hasn’t fought in Florida in four years, so the bout against Quartey will be a homecoming of sorts. “Finally,” Winky told the St. Pete Times, “I get to come home.”
Hatton will be fighting Juan Urango in January of 2007. It was speculated for months that this fight might happen, especially with Hatton dropping his belt so he could move down in weight to try and grab Urango.
“I’ll be fighting Juan Urango on January 13,” Hatton told Sky Sports, “which is a little bit of a disappointment because I was hoping to fight in October or November, but that’s the only date HBO had available.”
The system is keeping Hatton down!
Junior Witter called out Hatton after his victory over DeMarcus Corley this past weekend but Hatton says that there are a few things that need to happen before that becomes a reality…
“I’m contracted to HBO for my next two fights,” said Hatton in response to Junior’s challenge, “and they’re practically done deals now. I don’t see why a little bit further down the line that if Junior makes a couple of defenses I can fight him.
“On the undercard will be Castillo. Should I get past Urango they’re lining up Castillo for me. If Junior can hold onto his belt and make a few defenses the fight against me will be even bigger.”
The consenus is right - It’s good that Hatton is being honest about his contract with HBO and the fact that he can’t take on whoever calls him out because of that. It’s better than lying about it to try and make yourself look better…
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Thursday, August 24, 2006
Castillo Suspended
The Nevada State Athletic Comission has suspended Jose Luis Castillo until 2007 and has fined him $250,000 for his failure to make weight for a scheduled June matchup with Diego Corrales. Also, Castillo is no longer permitted to fight in any weight class below 140 lbs. The suspension means that Castillo is banned from fighting in the United States until next year.