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So as we all know by now Ricky Hatton beat Jose Luis Castillo by fourth round knockout following a particularly brutal body shot. But let's try not to let the result overshadow an astounding factor in this fight, especially when compared to some other recent high profile bouts: The respect.
Castillo and Hatton have displayed real championship class in their attitudes to one another. There has been no badmouthing, no personal comments, and certainly no pre-fight circus of money throwing potty-mouthed diatribes a la Floyd and Oscars little jaunt.
The irony is that that hate spewed before the fight by Mayweather mainly, and De La Hoya on occasion led to a largely lackluster technical affair, and yet the obvious admiration between Hatton and Castillo tonight and in the preceding weeks was followed by an intense and brutally short bout.
Boxing is a sport in which the objective is to cause damage to your opponent to the extent that they are no longer able to continue. What makes the sport noble is the sportsmanship, the comradeship, the handshakes before and after that mark the warriors as gentlemen and not just fighters.
Castillo and Hatton have displayed real championship class in their attitudes to one another. There has been no badmouthing, no personal comments, and certainly no pre-fight circus of money throwing potty-mouthed diatribes a la Floyd and Oscars little jaunt.
The irony is that that hate spewed before the fight by Mayweather mainly, and De La Hoya on occasion led to a largely lackluster technical affair, and yet the obvious admiration between Hatton and Castillo tonight and in the preceding weeks was followed by an intense and brutally short bout.
Boxing is a sport in which the objective is to cause damage to your opponent to the extent that they are no longer able to continue. What makes the sport noble is the sportsmanship, the comradeship, the handshakes before and after that mark the warriors as gentlemen and not just fighters.
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