Fighters calm before their storm

A boxing news conference was held Thursday and a tea party broke out, as Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo traded pleasantries instead of insults.

Hatton and Castillo will square off for the IBO super lightweight title Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. It has the potential to be one of the year's most exciting fights.

The fighters' final meeting with the media at Wynn Las Vegas was the calm before the storm. Everyone adhered to etiquette and behaved properly -- so much so that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mike Tyson would have been ashamed of the sport.

"We have so much respect for each other," Hatton said. "I don't feel we need to be bad-mouthing or eye-balling or staring each other down. I think we do it the way professionals should do it. We both know we're going to knock the living daylights out of each other. We know what's going to happen when the bell rings."

Hatton (42-0, 30 knockouts) holds the title and is about a 2-1 favorite. Castillo (55-7-1, 47 KOs) has won nine of his past 10 fights.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the elements are in place for a memorable bout.

"We have two fighters who fight, not dance. We need fighters who mix it up and the best guy wins," Arum said. "That's what boxing needs, and that's what boxing is going to get."

Neither boxer predicted a knockout.

"We're both big punchers, so the fight could be over before it begins. But having said that, we've both got fantastic chins as well, so there's every chance it could be 12 rounds," Hatton said. "Either way, it won't be boring."

Hatton is the main attraction for the HBO-televised event and is guaranteed a reported $2.5 million, though his take could end up being close to $5 million. Castillo's camp is earning $1.5 million, with a third going to Arum and the other third to Fernando Beltran, Castillo's Mexican promoter.

Because of problems making weight, and a fine he incurred as a result, Castillo needs the payday. He twice failed to make weight for fights with the late Diego Corrales, and after he missed the 135-pound limit by 4 pounds on June 2, 2006, the Nevada Athletic Commission fined him $250,000 and suspended him for the remainder of the year.

To pay the fine, Arum said, $150,000 was taken from Castillo's purse for his previous fight in January against Herman Ngoudjo and the other $100,000 will come from his purse for Saturday's fight.

"It's very hard when you have to give up those big amounts of money and not gain anything from it," Castillo said.

Castillo promised he will have no problem making 140 pounds at 2:30 p.m. today at Caesars Palace, where the weigh-in is open to the public. Hatton has threatened to call off the fight if Castillo is too heavy.