Undefeated English fighter Ricky Hatton expects to be in the best form of his career today for his 12-round light welterweight showdown with Mexico's Jose Luis Castillo.
Hatton, 42-0 with 32 knockouts, has been excited about the bout against the two-time lightweight champion since it was announced and is confident of victory over Castillo, 55-7 with one draw and 47 knockouts.
"When you fight someone who has done what he has, you get a little more spring in your step," Hatton said.
PHOTO: AP
"That just shows by the way I have performed in training camp," he said. "It's the best I've ever been by a country mile and it's because of the man I've got in front of me."
The 28-year-old former super lightweight champion from Manchester was unsatisfied with his form in his pas two triumphs and wants to stage an impressive show for US fans.
"Perhaps without realizing it I got a bit complacent," Hatton said.
"But because I am fighting the guy who I am fighting, I think without realizing it I will find a bit extra. I've been walking around snarling for two weeks and I didn't have that for my last two fights," he said.
Castillo, 33, respects Hatton's ability but knows a loss could end his chance at meaningful fights, especially in light of his failure to make weight a year ago to wipe out a third fight against Diego Corrales.
"He seems to come at you from all angles and he is very reckless," Castillo said.
"If he comes out and uses his elbows and holds then people won't like it. He knows how to be a real rough guy and there is no rhythm to what he does," he said.
"But Ricky has great heart and great courage. He has to do what he has to do to win," Castillo said. "He is a fighter who commands great respect and he has the heart that many Mexican fans and fighters love to see."
Castillo's failure to make weight last year cost him a US$900,000 payday and a US$250,000 fine.
"It was a huge hit financially. I let a lot of people down. It didn't make me feel good. I'm glad I'm getting this opportunity to make it up to them. I just hope to get some big fights before I retire," Castillo said.
"This fight is like a new beginning," he said. "The motivation of facing Hatton has brought out the best in me. Hatton will not have seen anything like me."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later