You are in > manchester.com  > News > Hatton lines up Castillo

Boxing

Hatton lines up Castillo

19/02/2007

It has been confirmed that British boxer Ricky Hatton will fight Mexico's Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in June.

The Manchester fighter has been gunning for the Central American for months and the news that the pair will top the bill in the championship boxing mecca of Las Vegas has been greeted with much praise from Hatton's camp.

"I am so excited about this fight," Hatton said. "I am living my dreams by topping the bill in Las Vegas again.

"You become a great fighter by fighting great fighters and Jose is one of them. This fight does not need anyone to sell it."

The scheduled venue for the big fight is the 17,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center in the Nevada metropolis and is expected to generate massive interest from an American audience.

Castillo is a former world lightweight champion and has not backed down from a mouth-watering fight with Hatton that will have promoters falling over themselves for the undercard.

"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 of his opponent.

"I am not going to take a backward step and neither will Jose."

Questions have been raised over both fighters' true pedigree after unconvincing victories in their last outings, but Hatton said he expected both boxers to "raise [our] games".

The 28-year-old Englishman beat Colombia's Juan Urango on points in the IBF light welterweight title fight last month and Castillo, 33, only managed a split-decision victory over Cameroon's Hernan Ngoudjo on the same night.

© Adfero Ltd