stevieb_8006 wrote:stujones wrote:Castillo was NOT considered shot at the time he signed to fight Ricky. The fight was already agreed in principle BEFORE he fought Ngoudjo. Two fights before that he had his career best win over Castillo and the fight before Ngougdjo he looked pretty impressive dominating the decent Reyes.
I thought he did enough against Ngoudjo - but he did look poor. At the time he cited a lack of motivation and I think there was nothing in his previous performances to suggest that he couldn't get it right against Hatton.
He was still in many people's P4P top ten when he stepped into the ring to face Hatton. But after Hatton won, the nay sayers were describing him as completely shot for years.
Beg to differ respectfully. He squeaked past an average fighter and most were saying neither him or corrales would ever be the same fighters. Plus his whole weight making dramas....
No one expected rick to lose that fight.
He didn't look good against Ngoudjo granted and Ricky was the deserving favourite, but he was still considered the major Light Welter challenge for Ricky at the time.... just aside from Floyd and challenges at Welterweight no one at 140 was expected to beat Ricky.
Castillo didn't look a shot fighter in beating Corrales and in his victory against Reyes. Many people thought he would be better at 140 having his struggles to make Lightweight before.
All the fighters you mention in your previous thread, with the exception of Cotto, Corrales and Gatti were campaigning at 147 lbs since Hatton beat Tszyu. In Castillo, he beat the man who KO'd Corrales so not sure what he would have gained beating Diego. Gatti - yeah maybe, but then he had just been outclassed by Mayweather and had moved up to 147 in early 2006 - just a few months after Hatton beat the best at 140.
Cotto yeah they should have fough, but again was struggling to make 140 by 2005.
