Boxing: Hatton Gets a Little Help From His Friends

Ricky Hatton described his successful defence of the IBO welterweight title against Mexic's José Luis Castillo as "one of the most satisfying of my career" after he ended the fight with a left hook to the body two minutes and 16 seconds into the fourth round in front of a crowd of 15,000 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

"I had been a bit disappointed by my last two performances," he said. "That was more like it. Castillo was a wonderful fighter and to take him out with a body shot like that was fantastic.

"I was fitter and stronger than ever before. It certainly showed. I was pushing him around like a rag doll. Perhaps I tried a little too hard to start with and Billy [Graham, his trainer] told me to take my time, take it easy and concentrate on my boxing. It worked a treat.

"To be honest, I was ready for it to go longer and I had trained for 12 rounds, but I know how good I felt and felt confident I could do something spectacular. Now, at last, the Americans have seen what I can do. I really had the bit between my teeth and he brought out the best in me."

Hatton, 28, said he had been inspired in this defence of his title by the presence of his friends Wayne Rooney and the Mexican boxing legend Marco Antonio Barrera who carried two of his belts into the ring. He also paid tribute to the huge vocal support given to him by around 8,000 British fans.