Jose Luis Castillo

Chicago's David Diaz failed to recover the world lightweight title he lost to Manny Pacquiao in 2008, dropping a unanimous decision to Mexico's Humberto Soto Saturday night at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Diaz was knocked down in the first and 12th rounds, and despite a predictable courageous effort, judges gave Soto the WBC lightweight belt by scores of 115-111, 117-109 and 117-109 as a massive crowd of 50,994 looked on. "Very disappointed," Diaz (35-3-1) said afterward. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

Chicago's David Diaz failed to recover the world lightweight title he lost to Manny Pacquiao in 2008, dropping a unanimous decision to Mexico's Humberto Soto Saturday night at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Diaz was knocked down in the first and 12th rounds, and despite a predictable courageous effort, judges gave Soto the WBC lightweight belt by scores of 115-111, 117-109 and 117-109 as a massive crowd of 50,994 looked on. "Very disappointed," Diaz (35-3-1) said afterward. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

It was one small step for Jose Luis Castillo, but one giant leap for his confidence and credibility. When Castillo stepped on the scale in the Palace ballroom at Caesars Palace on Friday afternoon, he weighed in right on the mark at 140 pounds for tonight's International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight title fight against the champion, Ricky Hatton, at the Thomas & Mack Center. A bit more than a year ago, Castillo stepped on a scale in the same hotel and weighed half a pound less.

It took a beat of the heart for the paralyzing pain to set in. In that instant, Jose Luis Castillo took a step back and stared at the man who had just delivered the devastating blow to his rib cage on the right side. But then the agony and the helplessness crept over Castillo as the air was sucked out of his body.

Before a hushed crowd Friday afternoon in the Augustus Ballroom at Caesars Palace, Jose Luis Castillo stepped on a scale, sucked in his breath until his rib cage showed, lifted his heels and stretched his arms high above his head, acting as if minimal contact with the scale beneath him could somehow lower the reading. He didn't fool anybody. "Jose Luis Castillo, 139 1/2 pounds," announced Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

As he stepped off the scales at the Augustus Ballroom in Caesars Palace, Jose Luis Castillo could hear the outrage of the promoters, the derision of the crowd and the shouts of the media. But what concerned him the most was the two pair of eyes focused on him, and that concern brought tears to his eyes. The date was June 2, 2006. Castillo, 24 hours from facing Diego Corrales in a fight that would have completed their trilogy, was disqualified when he couldn't make weight.

It took a beat of the heart for the paralyzing pain to set in. In that instant, Jose Luis Castillo took a step back and stared at the man who had just delivered the devastating blow to his rib cage on the right side. But then the agony and the helplessness crept over Castillo as the air was sucked out of his body.

After failing to qualify for Saturday's scheduled lightweight title fight when he came in overweight Friday, Jose Luis Castillo now faces the scales of justice. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, was expected to issue a complaint today or Tuesday against the former two-time World Boxing Council lightweight champion.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission meted out its punishment to Jose Luis Castillo on Thursday for his failure to make weight for June's World Boxing Council lightweight title fight against Diego Corrales, causing the match to be canceled. In a unanimous vote by the four commissioners present at a hearing in Reno, Castillo was suspended for the remainder of the year, fined $250,000 and forbidden from fighting at less than 140 pounds in Nevada in the future.

They are connected forever now. You mention one, you think about the other. Boxers Castillo and Corrales. Sports can do that. Magic had Bird, Nicklaus had Palmer, Sampras had Agassi. Ray Fosse had Pete Rose. It took only 2 minutes 6 seconds of the 10th round of a lightweight title fight here May 7 for Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico and Diego Corrales of Sacramento to bond their way into boxing lore. They are next of kin now, and they aren't even related.

It was one small step for Jose Luis Castillo, but one giant leap for his confidence and credibility. When Castillo stepped on the scale in the Palace ballroom at Caesars Palace on Friday afternoon, he weighed in right on the mark at 140 pounds for tonight's International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight title fight against the champion, Ricky Hatton, at the Thomas & Mack Center. A bit more than a year ago, Castillo stepped on a scale in the same hotel and weighed half a pound less.

As he stepped off the scales at the Augustus Ballroom in Caesars Palace, Jose Luis Castillo could hear the outrage of the promoters, the derision of the crowd and the shouts of the media. But what concerned him the most was the two pair of eyes focused on him, and that concern brought tears to his eyes. The date was June 2, 2006. Castillo, 24 hours from facing Diego Corrales in a fight that would have completed their trilogy, was disqualified when he couldn't make weight.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission meted out its punishment to Jose Luis Castillo on Thursday for his failure to make weight for June's World Boxing Council lightweight title fight against Diego Corrales, causing the match to be canceled. In a unanimous vote by the four commissioners present at a hearing in Reno, Castillo was suspended for the remainder of the year, fined $250,000 and forbidden from fighting at less than 140 pounds in Nevada in the future.

After failing to qualify for Saturday's scheduled lightweight title fight when he came in overweight Friday, Jose Luis Castillo now faces the scales of justice. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, was expected to issue a complaint today or Tuesday against the former two-time World Boxing Council lightweight champion.

Before a hushed crowd Friday afternoon in the Augustus Ballroom at Caesars Palace, Jose Luis Castillo stepped on a scale, sucked in his breath until his rib cage showed, lifted his heels and stretched his arms high above his head, acting as if minimal contact with the scale beneath him could somehow lower the reading. He didn't fool anybody. "Jose Luis Castillo, 139 1/2 pounds," announced Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

If you are a boxing fan, you will read and hear a lot about the main event of the Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo lightweight title show. No, not the fight. Friday's weigh-in. You will read and hear about how the sport has become an even bigger joke, a growing farce, an increasing scar on the face of athletics, a constant game of half-truths and colorful exaggerations meant to deceive the fans and followers who keep it alive. Those will be the nice things.

If you are a boxing fan, you will read and hear a lot about the main event of the Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo lightweight title show. No, not the fight. Friday's weigh-in. You will read and hear about how the sport has become an even bigger joke, a growing farce, an increasing scar on the face of athletics, a constant game of half-truths and colorful exaggerations meant to deceive the fans and followers who keep it alive. Those will be the nice things.

It is nervous time for Jose Luis Castillo. Saturday, he will be at the Thomas & Mack Center to complete his trilogy of lightweight battles against Diego Corrales. But it's not tomorrow he's concerned about. It's today. He's not worried about stepping into the ring so much as stepping onto the scale at Caesars Palace, in front of reporters, television cameras and fight fans, at today's weigh-in.

It is nervous time for Jose Luis Castillo. Saturday, he will be at the Thomas & Mack Center to complete his trilogy of lightweight battles against Diego Corrales. But it's not tomorrow he's concerned about. It's today. He's not worried about stepping into the ring so much as stepping onto the scale at Caesars Palace, in front of reporters, television cameras and fight fans, at today's weigh-in.

The image made you blink twice. What you were hearing couldn't be coming from whom you were hearing. Diego Corrales, world champion boxer, man of many brawls, in and out of the ring, was doing a play-by-play of the birth of his daughter, Daylia, in March. "I did the delivery," he said. "I did it. It was terrifying. I guided her out. Cut the umbilical cord. You have to pull so hard, I thought, one time, I was going to break my child's back."