Give Hatton some credit.

[Shake]

It's not his fault Castillo couldn't make it competitive -- we all loved the match-up at the time it was made. Hatton came in great shape and fought well. It turned out thoroughly worn Jose Luis is not top ten material anymore, but why blame Hatton for that? He did what he had to do -- win against the guy he was put in with, and do so convincingly. No matter which way you slice it -- Castillo knocked out in four is an impressive result for any fighter, even if he has faded.

Hatton is 28 now and should be in the prime of his life -- since he doesn't have the frame to fight at 147 and looked bad against Collazo, he should attempt to clean up 140 by making matches with every single fighter of note, starting by unifying the alphabet titles.

I believe that 'exciting' Ricky Hatton and his management will at least attempt to do that -- if he succeeds and HBO takes notice, makes a big deal out of it, it might set an example.

For now, this was a fine performance. Let's not make any less of it.

[MancMexican]

Exactly. A 4 round stoppage against a past-prime Castillo is a result. A hard fought 12 round desicion would deserve the criticism. I think the usual suspects are out in force though with the hate, the reasonable posters, hatton fans or not, see the win for what it was.

[knockout]

I agree with that good thread:good :smoke

[Melo]

I agree with this...

[fatcity]

The win gives Hatton braaging rights over a fighter with a reputation.Thats good for his PR but does not mean a whole lot in the scheme of things.Time for Hatton to fight a younger dude who is in their prime.

[Beatboxer]

He deserves alot of credit after the way people were ragging on him since the Collazo fight on this site

i said in a post a few months ago if Hatton defeated Castillo in impressive fashion everyone would be on his jock again

we shall wait and see if this comes to pass...

[1boricua]

Giving Hatton credit for holding and holding and other dirty things, no way.

[jkid]

Hatton beat a past his prime Castillo. I can't make it seem like a great victory but he beat the fighter that was in front of him. A fitght with Witter, Harris or Mallgeini may be intresting. I would like hime and Mayweather to stop talking crap about each other and meat at 147. Hatton grab and hold style may give mayweather problems at leat early in the fight

[Nokstar]

castillo is not really shot...hatton MADE him look more shot than he really is.

I think hatton should get major props cuz he beat castillo in 4 rounds...a person that went 12 with mayweather what..twice? One of the fights castillo got robbed imo. Yea it was awhile ago but he can't be THT much different of a fighter.

Yall only scream this shot fighter stuff when they get beat once by a fighter....NO..the fighter just made him look shot

[Boyd]

it was a great performance no doubt. stopping a warrior like Castillo in 4. just not as great as some of the big Hatton fans are trying to make it.

[Shake]

It's not a career-defining match that secures a legacy, no. It's a solid one, won in impressive fashion.

I'd love to see Hatton fight a capable fleet-footed fighter. See how he deals with someone that avoids and pot-shots.

[codeman99998]

If Hatton fought Mayweather I'm sure Mayweather would insist on Nady.

[Lar Janus]

I like Ricky Hatton, think he's a stand-up guy, trains his ass off, shows much love to his fans, is pretty clever, and respectful. That said, its hard to overlook his grappling style of boxing (in his two biggest fights, KT & JLC) and the FACT that he's gotten favorable treatment from the refs in BOTH of the above-mentioned fights.

I was VERY disappointed w/last night's fight! JLC looked a little wobbly, the first couple of rounds, but when he DOES start working his way into the fight, in the third, Joe "I'm fair but firm" [BULLSHIT!] Cortez--after having said in front of EVERYONE that Hatton's shorts were high--starts warning JLC for phantom low blows! There were shades of Manchester and KT, when Hatton looked over at Cortez, after getting hit with a shot clearly NOT low, as if to say, "Hey, mate, you're not gonna let him hit me with body shots, are you?" . Then, at the beginning of the fourth he IMMEDIATELY deducts a point for a shot that wasn't even close to being low! Hatton, meanwhile, contrary to BOXING rules, uses non-stop grappling to maul JLC--with ZERO warnings from Joe "I'm a tool" Cortez. So, we have a fight where one fighter (JLC) is not allowed to throw body-shots, while the other can hold/hit, at will.

I think JLC knew the 'fix' was in, and that he was gonna get DQ'd, if he tried to work the body--which HAD to be a big part of his game plan. I believe Hatton landed a great body shot, but that JLC just stayed down. I hate to see that, and even SAY it, but the bias was unmistakable. Boxing is getting to be as bad as pro-wrestling. It's getting harder and harder to support it, and I've lost a TON of respect (like it HAD much left, anyways!) for the sport with shit like PBF/DLH, Spinks/JT, and, now, Hatton/JLC.

For the Hatton fans: again, don't get me wrong, nothing against Hatton--he's just maximizing the advantages he's being given--he's a class act, outside the ring, and does what he has to, to win, inside. Its just a side effect of the crookedness of the sanctioning bodies, networks, promoters, judges, and referees--that have become the norm in boxing.

[BOGART]

Hatton's win last night sits right behind his win against Tyzsu as his two best wins at this point. Coming into the bout I considered Castillo to be the number one contender to Hatton, not a peak Castillo but still a dangerous man. Just what did Castillo actually have left? That might not be known until we see Castillo in the ring again. Maybe he'll look bad his next match or maybe last night had more to do with Hatton. As of now I give Hatton a lot of credit for making a still good fighter look bad, we should know from Castillo's future fights.

The big question should be where does Hatton go next? Welterweight bouts with Cotto, Mosley, or Mayweather are obvious fights everyone wants. If he stays at 140 than there is a lot less for him to choose from. I see Malignaggi is getting some push to meet Hatton. That could be a wise financial move and Malignaggis is a nice contender, but I just can't get excited about it. I think it will be man vs. boy and Hatton will literally maul him to death. I guess the winner of Harris-Witter would make a legitmate challenger as would the winner of Torres-Holt. Both would be competitive but not the dream bouts that the welters offer.

There are some good lightweights that could move up and make nice matches but I don't see any of them beating Hatton. Casamayor is too old, Julio Diaz would see a repeat of his match with Castillo, and I'm not sure Juan Diaz is ready for what Hatton will bring, though I do think that is a very good match-up.

So basically, anything less than a move to welterweight , will be somewhat of a step back for Hatton. There are some good challenges for him at 140 but not one of them would be a 50/50 fight. Hatton would be anywhere from a slight to a solid favorite over anyone at 140. While a move to welter would be 50/50 or worse odds for Hatton. I'd like to see him try that eventually.

[Shake]

I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories. Boxing is as dirty as any sport that's ever been, but I'm not about to suggest Joe Cortez was paid off. I don't believe that based on what I witnessed in the fight.

[Muskyrat]

Theres always somebody's gonna make an excuse for their fighter gettin beat
Hatton did a professional job against a guy a lot of folk on here thought would beat him. Well done to hatton, he needed a performance and responded with one.

[scurlaruntings]

Hatton is a guy who`s had nearly 45 fights.He beat a shot 135lb fighter who`s seen better days.Like i said before and il say again in the grand scheme of things at 140lbs this fight means squat.His not an up an coming contender his a world class champ.If he had any brains he`d unify and stamp his dominance on 140.Id fancy him against any of the current belt holders at 140 Witter,Ndou, Malinaggi and Torres.But i doubt Ricky will go those routes.He prefers easy money.

[Chileno606]

Giving Hatton credit for holding and holding and other dirty things, no way.

shutup you faggot wineyass baby

[Lacyace]

I like how people get on Spinks for not allowing himself to be punched, but Hatton is allowed to clinch someone before they even throw a punch. The double standards kill me.

[Shotgun]

I like how people get on Spinks for not allowing himself to be punched, but Hatton is allowed to clinch someone before they even throw a punch. The double standards kill me.

Where's the double standard? Spinks fights like he's scared shitless of getting hit and doesn't sit down on his punches or even attempt to inflict damage on his opponent. Hatton punches with ferocity and is in there looking to cause damage when he throws, and more times than not he does inflict damage enough to take his opponent out. Spinks would never be able to stop a class opponent like Tszyu or Castillo, he wouldn't even be able to come close to stopping either of them and wouldn't even make an effort to do so

[Shake]

Duran thumbed, used his head, low blows, rubbed ears with the laces on his gloves, and he's quite loved, as well as my favorite fighter.

I'm not about to demonize Ricky Hatton for using what has proven to be a borderline illegal, effective tactic. It's not lik he's biting people's ears off, guys.

If the referee allows it, by all means, do it.