By Cliff Rold
How will they be remembered? Whether they admit it or not, that question has to cross the minds of World jr. welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (42-0, 30 KO) of Manchester, England and former World lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (55-7-1, 47 KO, Ring Magazine #1 contender at 140) of Mexicali, Mexico.
Two issues seek immediate resolution in the search for answers.
For Hatton, the issue is his legitimacy as one of boxing’s best. His sensational 2005 effort in ripping the crown from the head of Kostya Tszyu was swallowed up in a failure to capture the momentum of his accomplishment. One of the games perceived bright new stars has become, since his signature win, one of its perceived questionable subjects.
For Castillo, the issue is an enhanced career legacy. The stain of fan disappointment in his past struggles with weight is levied against the remarkable depth of quality wins on his ledger. This opportunity to capture his second true world championship, if seized, could erase any doubts about Castillo’s stature in history. It would also make once large controversies a time-absolved blip on the radar.
Those issues are all the better for broadcaster HBO. Obviously knowing his network to be much maligned for a noticeable drop in the quality of non-Pay Per View matches on their World Championship Boxing telecasts, HBO’s head honcho for boxing Kery Davis is excited.
“It’s a great matchup…an extremely important fight,” Davis stated to me backstage following the Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah bout, also airing his desire to see more of these type matches live on the network. A great rating Saturday, and a certain ecstatic crowd, would be a compelling impetus. In that context as well, legitimacy and legacy make for tantalizing questions. To the betterment of boxing, HBO, and the fighters, answers appear forthcoming in Las Vegas.
Castillo should be farther removed from questions but two errant trips to the scale seem still a heavy weight on the scale of history. Castillo’s October 2005 failure to make weigh for his rematch victory over the late Diego Corrales might have been forgiven if not for his repeating that sin in June 2006, forcing the cancellation of a much anticipated rubber match.
Since then, Castillo has posted only a single tepid win in January of this year against fringe contender Herman Ngoudjo. He appeared to some that night to still be struggling to find a comfortable weight to fight at. A few pounds have created a hefty shadow for the Mexican warrior.
Time will likely erase that shadow no matter what Castillo does against Hatton. His record this decade speaks for itself. Castillo began his career in 1990, working as a sparring partner for the great Julio Cesar Chavez while perfecting his own craft. Since winning his first alphabelt in 2000, Castillo has proven to be a sparring partner in the mold of Larry Holmes.
His first title win (WBC) over a near-great in Stevie Johnston, nationally televised on ABC the same day as Oscar De la Hoya-Shane Mosley I, set a tone for Castillo and the entire 135 lb. division that has lasted throughout the decade. It was a trench war fought on even terms. At the final bell, the crowd knew that either man could fairly have his hand raised.
Castillo was that man that day.
He’s been ‘that’ man many times since. In a belt-retaining rematch draw with Johnston; in a forgotten six-round war against former titlist Cesar Bazan; in capturing the vacant World lightweight title against Juan Lazcano in 2004; in defenses against top contenders Julio Diaz and current World lightweight champion Joel Casamayor. Castillo, quality win for quality win, has posted a resume as deep as anyone in boxing over the last seven years.
In speaking with HBO analyst Max Kellerman this week, the issue of Castillo’s depth of opposition couldn’t be missed. “His depth is at the highest possible level. It’s not like he beat ten straight guys who were the fifth or tenth best guy in the world. It’s depth like the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff of the 1970s.”
There was also the brief rivalry with Floyd Mayweather. Their April 2002 collision completed the legitimization of Castillo even in a unanimous decision defeat. It also remains a source of debate, with a sizable community of fans and pundits having scored the bout for Castillo (including myself by a single point). Castillo clearly lost their return later in the year, seemingly solved by the “Pretty Boy” after an even first eight rounds, but that has never erased what so many felt he accomplished in their first bout.
And then there was Chico.
No one needs a recap. Castillo-Diego Corrales I in May 2005 was arguably the greatest championship contest in the history of the lightweight division. Their epic saw both men take the measure of each other. Castillo looked the part of certain victor with two knockdowns in the tenth round, only to taste the shock of defeat (and the sight of a twice spit mouthpiece) in the same round.
As mentioned above, weight controversies surrounded the remainder of the Castillo-Corrales saga. Those controversies harmed Castillo’s image in the sport. Winning though, especially big winning, changes everything. Twenty years from now, Castillo is likely to be looked back on as the best of his day at 135 lbs. Whether most historians admit it or not, a win over Hatton, five pounds higher and at age 33, would enhance that claim.
It would also make an already likely bust in Canastota undeniable.
Questions about Hatton, age 28, are of a different variety. His record has nowhere near the depth of Castillo’s. His legacy to date is the one fight against Tszyu. His place on pound-for-pound lists and as one of the sports truly elite fighters since that one fight has been the subject of violent discussion. Like Jermain Taylor at middleweight, Hatton is learning that unseating a great champion is not the same as being seen as a great champion.
Perhaps that has been the result of a lack of sustained violence in his three starts since Tszyu. To his aesthetic detriment, Hatton has picked up a penchant for constant clinching in these recent affairs and has evoked in some fans the nightmares of John Ruiz bouts past. Title defenses against marginal contenders Carlos Maussa and Juan Urango, bookended around a controversial win at welterweight against Luis Collazo, have all shown off too much of this unappealing skill.
Hatton doesn’t just need a win. He needs his third title defense to generate excitement in victory, to leave the crowd begging for more. “A brawler with Hatton’s style needs to be moving his hands to be exciting and effective and he’s gotten away from that in his last couple fights. His lifestyle has been frequently discussed,” Kellerman offered, alluding to Hatton’s well-rumored reputation as a good-time guy, “and his lack of effectiveness…might be a result of that. You’d think that a guy like Jose Luis Castillo will bring back the…best version of the brawling Hatton, the pressure fighter that fought Kostya Tszyu. I expect that’s what we’re going to get.”
Hatton’s career before Tszyu was as carefully maneuvered and expertly managed as any fighter’s in recent memory. It was an old-school building of a champion. He beat a steady tutorial against dead men and fringe contenders while building a rabid fan base in his native Manchester. Then he faced off with fellow regional draws like Eamon Magee before moving on to lower level top-ten guys like Ben Tackie, Ray Olivera and Vince Phillips.
With a dominant champion atop his weight class, it was a textbook search for the perfect moment to challenge the king. I wasn’t the least surprised when Hatton unseated Tszyu, having picked him to do so but I’ve been surprised by the days since. Like the Tszyu fight, the challenge from Castillo arrives at the perfect moment to return his star to the boxing stratosphere.
The clock is ticking to the opening bell and fans everywhere, from Vegas to Mexicali to Manchester and beyond, can anticipate this battle for everything it is in the ring and outside of it. Monday morning will then arrive and we can all ponder whatever new questions have arisen in the fights wake.
New Stage for Max: Not all of the drama will be in the ring. Behind the scenes and in the headlines, the negotiations process that kept Larry Merchant on HBO, in a split role with Max Kellerman as lead color analyst, has been one of boxing’s most talked about political dramas in recent weeks. Undoubtedly, all eyes will be on the action in the ring but a great number of ears are likely to be focused on Max in his first regular assignment on World Championship Boxing.
Putting aside the controversies and focusing on Saturday night itself, I asked Max how he felt heading into this weekend and whether this was the biggest fight he’d ever called. “Without question this is the biggest fight I’ve ever called ringside. It is working with Jim Lampley and Emanuel Steward on World Championship Boxing and promises to be an exciting fight between two top fighters of their era in what should be a good styles matchup. Let’s put it this way…exactly as you would suppose I would feel doing this fight is exactly how I feel. Very excited, and honored, and really looking forward to it.”
Who Got Next?: There will of course be a number of interested parties watching Castillo-Hatton and hoping to cash in on the winner. Chief among them is promoter Lou Dibella whose young charge from Brooklyn, Paulie Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KO), picked up a jr. welterweight belt (IBF) last Saturday in Connecticut. Malignaggi put on a masterful performance against veteran Lovemore N’Ddou (45-9-1, 30 KO, #6) moving himself into the #4 slot in the Ring ratings and perhaps placing himself first in the ‘who got next’ sweepstakes for Hatton-Castillo.
That Malignaggi’s win was magnified by the abortion that was Andre Dirrell-Curtis Stevens on the HBO undercard wasn’t lost on Lou either. “Paulie came out and saved the night,” he stated. Malignaggi reminded everyone that, for a guy without much pop, he can be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Prior to last weekend, Malignaggi was a question mark, a guy whose only trip to the world-class level against Miguel Cotto led to a competitive loss. He had to prove that he was more than just, like say a Razor Ruddock, a guy who can look good in defeat against a star. He did just that, looking the part of, and bringing himself closer to being, a star in the process.
DiBella was optimistic about the future. “I think there are a lot of potentially big fights down the road for Paulie…There are fights that I think, stylewise, people don’t want to see. Demtrius Hopkins, Kendall Holt, anyone who is a real counter puncher, the styles aren’t going to mesh very well but for any guy who will press the fight and come forward, Paulie’s a great matchup.”
The winner of Hatton-Castillo though is first and foremost. Lou sees Hatton-Malignaggi as an easy big-ticket draw at Madison Square Garden. The drawing power of a bout with Castillo, in his opinion, would depend somewhat on the venue but “Castillo and Paulie at the right venue is an event. Castillo and Paulie is a great HBO fight and it’s a fight where the outcome is in doubt.”
After the receipts are counted from those potential conflicts, Miguel Cotto waits in the wings as big money for anyone coming up from 140 lbs. Kery Davis was thinking just that backstage following Cotto-Zab Judah. “Can you imagine Hatton versus Cotto live in New York? You’d have six or seven thousand Brits over here and twelve thousand Puerto Ricans. It would be an unbelievable scene.” Cotto-Castillo could also be an epic. And certainly a Malignaggi rematch, after and if Paulie can put some more major wins in his pocket, would bring fans back to the Garden again.
Clearly, Hatton-Castillo is a big fight not just for boxing fans this weekend but for the business of boxing in the foreseeable future.
Middle Wars: I couldn’t let Lou off the line without also asking about what progress is being made towards a much-anticipated middleweight title defense for champion and DiBella charge Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KO) against leading American contender Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KO, #3). Rumors have had that fight in Los Angeles or Atlantic City in late September depending on whom one asks.
So how close is the boxing world to seeing this showdown? “Me securing a site deal and then having a couple more conversations (with Taylor and Pavlik promoter Bob Arum),” Lou answered. “To be honest with you, I’m out there searching for sites. That tells you how real (it is). If I were a betting man that’s how I’d bet, that the fight will happen. Jermain wants the fight.”
Taylor-Pavlik is not the only mega-fight looking closer for the fall. All indications are that World super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe and his number one contender, Mikkel Kessler, are also inching closer to a deal. If that fight also lands, as rumored, in September, it’ll be the most joyous September has been for real boxing fans since Earth, Wind and Fire first dropped their classic in celebration of the month.
Proving the depth at both 160 and 168 lbs., super middleweight Lucien Bute (20-0, 16 KO) was successful last Friday night in out-pointing top-ten foe Sakio Bika (22-3-2, 14 KO) in the fight of the week. Bute moved from #6 to #4 in the Ring ratings and, more important for him, drew one hell of a crowd to do it at the Montreal Bell Centre. He looked not only like a guy who can challenge anyone near his weight class, but like a guy who can get his opponents paid for the risk.
I asked Lou how encouraging it is to see three legitimate draws just eight pounds north of his young champion. “I’m encouraged by a lot of things going on in boxing in the last four to five months.” Lou cited the De la Hoya-Mayweather sales and the crowd at Cotto-Judah, along with the big crowds showing up for Kessler, Calzaghe and Bute as positives for a sport showing real life.
Don’t look now folks, but boxing might actually be building momentum.
The Ten Second Bell: Lineal World light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei (27-0, 17 KO) made another defense against Nobo Dycares last Saturday and then called out his WBO mandatory Roy Jones. I actually find that encouraging. Erdei is a good, solid fighter but his lineal title is made meaningless by his invisibility among the division’s elite. I don’t blame anyone who ignores strict history and just says “Bernard Hopkins is that champ.” That said, nothing about Erdei says “Wow!” but he’s no slug either. If it takes a Jones fight to move him closer to finding out how good he actually is, then fans outside his home turf of Germany might finally have reason to care about this unheralded professional…
If Hasim Rahman gets a crack at Wladimir Klitschko off that garbage on Versus last week, HBO should refuse to air it. Utterly unprofessional ought to equal utterly unacceptable and utterly unpaid…
I might be the only one, but I’m psyched about August 25. The signing of Ivan Calderon (28-0, 6 KO) of Puerto Rico, the #1 man at 105 lbs., to challenge World 108 lb. champion Hugo Cazares (25-3-1, 19 KO) of Mexico is great news for the hardcore faithful. This might not be as ‘big’ at the gate as many other bouts this year, but it’s as good a fight as can be made in all of boxing. 2007 has been amazing so far for the number of top-tier matches made and any real fan will find a way to support these two mighty mites. Cazares is an exciting champion; Calderon is one of the game’s best pure boxers. The winner is a pound-for-pound guy. Period. Seriously, anyone that perpetuates the lie (and look around; it’s a lie) that the best don’t fight the best owes these two their full attention…
How does losing a 130 lb. belt at the scales, and then in the ring to Joan Guzman, warrant Jorge Barrios getting a Pay-per-View main event 130 lb. title shot against Juan Manuel Marquez in September?...How come there are some fans that will still pay to be insulted like that?...Call me nuts, but Travis Simms-Joachim Alcine on July 7 could be the most exciting fight of the summer…2004 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell has all the talent in the world and, believe it or not, his ugly win last weekend might have been the best thing for him. He clearly needs more time to develop before he’s ready for a big stage and he just got it.…Finally, no pick from me on Hatton-Castillo until after the weigh-in. Too many variables.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
