The possible future meeting between Ricky Hatton and Louis Castillo overshadowed their fights against the lesser named opponents. It was one of those nights where Hatton fans cheered for Castillo and Castillo fans rooted for Hatton. Both men had to win to clear the way for a future meeting later this year. Thus the most nervous moments for each boxer came in their locker rooms where they watched each other’s fights. In a way this was a disservice to their opponents who came ready to fight and in Ngoudjo’s case to almost win. However, like it or not, to Castillo and Hatton these fights were of minor significance, although it is often during bouts just like these that shocking losses occur.

In the first bout between Castillo and Ngoudjo it seemed as if the overwhelming favorite was not ready for a serious fight. To Castillo’s credit he faced a very tough opponent and managed to squeeze out a victory. It is true that he did not look impressive, but part of this has to be attributed to his opponent who truly proved himself a capable boxer that could challenge even the best in the division.

This fight was very close throughout with Ngoudjo landing the cleaner, more flashy punches. In the end the main difference seemed to be Castillo’s tremendous body work which he sustained throughout the entire bout. The unrelenting body attack slowed Ngoudjo just enough to give Castillo a slight edge in connect percentage and kept him from being overwhelmed by the younger and quicker boxer. Ultimately Castillo did just enough to squeeze out a narrow split decision victory with a 115-113 lead on two cards, with one judge giving the same edge to Ngoudjo.

The Hatton vs. Urango bout was much more decisive as the “Hitman” chose not to fight fire with fire. Instead Hatton chose to outbox Urango who appeared to be the more heavy-handed of the two boxers. Hatton was able to effectively use his foot work and quicker hands to easily confuse Urango. The key in the fight was Hatton’s ability to get off first and then hold when he was within Urango’s punching range. While at times this strategy was not very pretty to watch it nonetheless proved very effective. In the end the charismatic Brit cruised to an easy unanimous decision victory with a score of 119-109 on all three scorecards.

While these two bouts were supposed to be only preliminary promotional stages for the future main event, they nevertheless did manage to reveal a few things. First, they revealed a true prospect in Ngoudjo, who looked tremendous against an all time great like Castillo. This fight will also raise questions as to whether Castillo has gotten old overnight after a pair of unimpressive wins.

The main event showcased Hatton’s boxing ability, which may not be that of a well polished boxer, but which can still get the job done. Most importantly, it showed that Ricky Hatton can fight on more than just one gear, which is usually coming straight forward with an unprecedented volume of punches. It will be interesting to see what strategy each boxer will adopt for their future fight. One thing is for sure, both boxers got what they wanted and as boxing goes one of them will surely regret that decision.

Questions and Comments can be emailed to Oleg Bershadsky