Body Blows: Ricky Hatton, Jose Luis Castillo, and Nicolai Valuev in action

Results

The WBA Heavyweight Title was on the line last weekend as Nicolai Valuev traveled to Switzerland to face American Jameel McCline. The IBF Light Welterweight Title was also on the line as Ricky Hatton returned to the 140-pound weight class to reclaim the title he never lost in the ring. Jose Luis Castillo was also in action and surprisingly made weight for his light welterweight contest.

Jose Luis Castillo vs. Herman Ngoudjo

Maybe this should have been breaking news at Inside Fights but Jose Luis Castillo managed to make weight for a fight. Castillo moved up to a higher weight class when he realized that 140 pounds was more than 135 pounds. Seems like common sense to most people but Castillo seemed set on weighing in at 140 for his fights at 135. Now that Castillo has moved up to light welterweight, the 140-pound weigh-in is perfectly acceptable.

Herman Ngoudjo hails from Cameroon. He had the flag painted on the back of his head as a reminder to those standing behind him. It also looks like Ngoudjo is wearing shin guards. Herman has great conditioning as he has run in ten marathons. He shows his quickness in the early rounds but isn’t utilizing a stick-and-move gameplan. Castillo is fighting inside as he tries to land short uppercuts and also works over the body in an attempt to slow Ngoudjo down.

Castillo receives a second warning in the fifth round for low blows. That sort of thing is expected from Castillo with the frequency of body punches. Ngoudjo slowed down in the sixth round but was getting the better of Castillo at Castillo’s own game. Castillo’s corner sensed their man wasn’t taking Ngoudjo seriously and they urged him to win rounds. Castillo disagreed with their opinion but he just needed that thought put into his head. He became more active in rounds seven through ten and it became clear the final rounds would decide this fight. Ngoudjo had only fought 15 times as a professional whereas Castillo had 62 career fights coming into this contest. The experience factor was certainly in Castillo’s favor.

Both corners told their fighter that he needed to win the 12th and final round. Ngoudjo’s punch output dropped significantly in the second half of the fight and that can be credited to Castillo’s early body work. The fight ended with no knockdowns and a split decision victory for Jose Luis Castillo. The crowd booed the decision and I like to think it’s because no one likes Jose Luis Castillo.

Juan Urango vs. Ricky Hatton – IBF Light Welterweight Title

Larry Merchant is a bumbling fool. His stream of consciousness flows at half-speed and I think he said that David Beckham was a boxer. I wonder if Merchant’s brain can keep up with Hatton’s intensity in the ring or if it will just cause his mind to implode? Merchant was alive at the end of the fight so it seems the former holds true.

Juan Urango is the champion here as Hatton vacated the title when he moved up to welterweight last year. The Hitman felt the added weight hindered his performance so he’s back down to reclaim the title he left behind. Urango is a Tyson-esque brawler and Hatton is getting the better of the champion with his superior movement. Urango is staying in the center of the ring and missing power shots while Hatton peppers him with combinations and backs out in time for Urango to miss another hook.

Ricky Hatton has put on a boxing clinic through four rounds. He’s getting in, landing his shots, and getting right back out. Urango lands a hook to the body in the fifth round that hurts Hatton. Body punches are the toughest to recover from and the bell to end the round couldn’t have come soon enough for Hatton. Urango decides to let his momentum slip away and allows Hatton to continue his domination in round six.

The fans for this fight were great. The majority of the Las Vegas crowd came from the UK to support Hatton. They were loud throughout the fight and entertaining with their chants and harmonious melodies. This was all there was to entertain the viewer as Hatton moved into auto pilot after the fight was in the bag. Urango opened the final round with a nice combination but Hatton wouldn’t allow any more punches to land as he fought in punch-clinch mode. All three judges scored the fight 119-109 for Ricky Hatton.

The card served its purpose in setting up a fight between Jose Luis Castillo and Ricky Hatton although Castillo almost ruined it with his split decision. It’s a big fight for Castillo especially as he needs to pay off all the fines he’s accumulated for consistently missing weight. Hatton and Castillo compliment each other’s styles very well and it will make an excellent fight.

Nicolai Valuev vs. Jameel McCline – WBA Heavyweight Title

Not only was this the first heavyweight title fight to take place in Switzerland, it was also billed as the heaviest title fight. You know Valuev as the 7-foot Russian with back hair and knee braces. He weighed in at 322 lbs. His American challenger, Jameel “Big” McCline, stands 6’6″ and weighed in at 268 lbs. McCline isn’t used to being the smaller man in the ring, let alone giving up over fifty pounds.

This fight was short but not so sweet. McCline whiffed at the Russian in the third round and fell to the canvas, unable to get back to his feet. McCline tore ligaments in his knee and wasn’t able to continue. The fight was stopped and Valuev was declared the victor by TKO in the third round. For whatever it’s worth, Valuev was leading 20-18 on two scorecards while the third has the fight 19-19.

The champ rubs it in after the fight by showing off his ability to sit down and stand up under his own strength. As every heavyweight does after a win, Valuev said he wanted to fight Wladimir Klitschko. It appears that Klitschko is well on his way to becoming prom king. If that fight doesn’t materialize, Valuev has Ruslan Chagaev waiting in the wings as his mandatory challenger.

Other Results From the Week

– Darnell “Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson won his cruiserweight contest with Dale Brown by TKO in the second round.

– Fringe light welterweight contender Henry Bruseles defeated Wilfredo Negron by unanimous decision.

– Randall Bailey made quick work of Harrison Cuello in the main event of ESPN Friday Night Fights. The light welterweight bout was called in the second round.

– Prince Badi Ajamu rebounded from his loss to Roy Jones Jr by scoring a second round stoppage of Craig Cummings.

– Junior Witter successfully defended his WBC Light Welterweight Title with a ninth round TKO of Arturo Morua.

– Australian light heavyweight Danny Green beat Paul Murdoch by second round TKO.