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June 17, 2007
(All bouts subject to change)
Wednesday, June 20 - Mashantucket, Connecticut (ESPN2) - 10 rounds, super middleweights: Peter Manfredo Jr. (27-4, 13 KOs) vs. David Banks (14-1-1, 2 KOs).
Friday, June 22 - Miami (ESPN2) - 10 rounds, light middleweights: Julio Cesar Garcia (40-2, 34 KOs) vs. Troy Browning (19-0-1, 8 KOs); 10 rounds, welterweights: Richard Gutierrez (20-1, 13 KOs) vs. Luciano Perez (15-5-1, 13 KOs).
Friday, June 22 - at Nassau, The Bahamas - 12 rounds, super middleweights: Jermain Mackey (13-1, 10 KOs) vs. Kirt Sinnette (14-0, 11 KOs).
Saturday, June 23 - at Zwickau, Germany - 12 rounds, middleweights: Amin Asikainen (21-0, 15 KOs) vs. Sebastian Sylvester (25-2, 12 KOs).
Saturday, June 23 - at Las Vegas (HBO) - 12 rounds, light welterweights: Ricky Hatton (42-0, 32 KOs) vs. Jose Luis Castillo (55-7-1, 47 KOs); 12 rounds, super middleweights: Victor Oganov (26-0, 26 KOs) vs. Antwun Echols (31-6-3, 27 KOs).
There are some entertaining fights scheduled on Wednesday and Friday on ESPN. However, the fight that most boxing fans are looking forward to is the Saturday bout between Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo. The articles that I have been reading, which come from sports journalists as opposed to boxing writers, tend to take it for granted that Hatton will win. They are already discussing who he will be fighting next. I think there is a strong case to be made for Hatton winning on Saturday. But there is also a strong case to be made for Castillo. More, each of the two has definite flaws that the other is fully capable of exploiting.
Hatton is young and strong. He has the ability to get up for a big fight, and to fight at a pace that few people can hope to maintain. Though not a one-punch knock-out artist, his rough style wears most opponents down. He has good defensive skills, and takes a good punch to the head.
His weaknesses are that he often gains more than 30 lbs between fights (associated with beer); that he has not looked great in his last few fights; that he cuts; that he is hurt by body shots; and that he is beginning to lose the upper-body movement that made him one of the elite in his division.
Castillo is a warrior with a proud history. He was the sparring partner for one of boxing's true all-time greats. He has competed against the best in several divisions, and even two of his loses are among the most important bouts in recent history. He came close to taking a decision from Mayweather, and lost the classic war to Chico.
He is not a one-punch KO artist, but is among the best body-punchers in boxing today. Against Hatton, that body-punching ability is of far more value. He is relaxed in the ring. He tends to look better against people who come towards him, than those who move away. He has very good defensive skills, and can take a good punch.
Castillo is getting on in age, and has moved up in weight. He tends to try to fight more in spots now, and could have trouble with a longer, fast-paced bout. He is beginning to get hit more than he used to, and his punches often are not coming with the same intensity that they used to -- both being the classic signs of age.
Two things stand out to me: First, after the Cotto v Judah match, we have to admit that "dirty tactics" can play a significant role in a fight. In this area, both warriors are fully capable of bending and indeed breaking the rules. Hatton and Castillo are both dirty fighters. Castillo may have a slight edge in his ability to be less obvious with his fouls. Second, both warriors are very likely to be "up" for this fight. It's not a grudge match, but one of mutual respect. These are two smart men, who would not take the other lightly.
I think we are in for a hell of a fight.
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