Castillo: Don’t count me out just yet

Sitting next to his interpreter, Jose Luis Castillo heard the question about being over the hill and on the downside of his career. He smiled, and his answer sidestepped the issue.

But when asked if Ricky Hatton is looking past him to a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Castillo stared straight ahead and offered a serious response.

"Maybe he is looking at me as a steppingstone to bigger and better things, but we'll have to fight and find out," he said Wednesday.

Hatton defends his IBO super lightweight title against Castillo on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The HBO-televised event will begin at 7 p.m.

As important as the bout is for Hatton, it could be critical to Castillo's career. The 33-year-old is hearing a lot about being on the decline, and he cannot ignore the question.

"If he was to lose to me, it would be a long road back for him," said Hatton, a 2-1 favorite. "I think Castillo is more under pressure to win than me."

Castillo was born into boxing, the son of a professional fighter who also worked on the railroad. Growing up in Mexico, the son began fighting as an amateur at age 12. He went 30-3 before turning pro at 16.

After 63 pro fights, Castillo (55-7-1, 47 knockouts) is showing wear and tear.

"Hopefully, I'll fight two or three more years and be on top of my game," he said.

Castillo has plenty of experience against top opposition, beating Juan Lazcano, Joel Casamayor, Julio Diaz and the late Diego Corrales in the past three years.

Since a loss to Mayweather in 2002, Castillo is 9-1. The loss was to Corrales, who came back after two 10th-round knockdowns. That bout in May 2005 was considered a classic, and Castillo won the rematch five months later.

But in January, Castillo scored a lackluster split-decision victory over Herman Ngoudjo, and the questions started.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said his fighter has something to prove.

"When a guy is 33 and he's a Mexican -- which means that they start fighting a lot earlier than American kids do -- they tend to burn out at an earlier age," Arum said. "There's a limit how many punches you can take. And he wasn't a guy who was a dancer; he's a fighter.

"So the possibility that he's on the downside is something that's not to be discounted. If he loses this fight and it's a one-way fight, there's not very much further that he can go. This is a real do-or-die fight for him."

Castillo is predicting a physically taxing fight with Hatton, the undefeated 28-year-old from Manchester, England.

Members of the British press successfully coaxed Castillo into saying Hatton uses "dirty tricks" in his fighting style.

"If he comes dirty, he's going to get it back," Castillo said. "Hatton is very reckless. He comes out of everywhere throwing punches, and when he's not throwing punches, he's holding you. If he's going to be punching two or three times and then holding me, nobody is going to like that.

"He's a real rough guy, and he tends to throw elbows and throw everything at you. There's no rhythm to the way he attacks. If he comes with a style that matches my style, I think it will be a classic fight."

Castillo said his struggles with Ngoudjo were due to overconfidence. He said he thought Ngoudjo would be a pushover and did not take the challenge seriously.

Hatton has his attention, so Castillo's focus will not be an issue, especially while hearing his career is near the end.

"I think it is going to be a long fight. I really expect there to be a decision," Castillo said. "He's got a huge heart. We'll both do whatever we have to do to win."