Nevada panel will hear Castillo's side of story

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Jose Luis Castillo has some explaining to do, and will get his chance.

Donald Miralle/Getty ImagesJose Luis Castillo will have to tell the Nevada Athletic Commission why he failed to make weight.

Kizer told ESPN.com that Castillo will be present with an attorney to explain his side of the story to the panel that oversees boxing in Nevada.

"He'll come there to explain -- if he can -- why he didn't make weight and why he didn't tell anyone he couldn't make the weight," Kizer said. "He will have a full and fair opportunity to explain himself and the commission will then vote on what to do."

Castillo faces a probable suspension and fine. He could be suspended for up to a year or have his license revoked, Kizer said. The maximum fine the commission can impose is $250,000.

Castillo weighed 139½ pounds, 4½ more than the division limit, at the official weigh-in the day before the fight in Las Vegas. Ultimately, the fight was canceled.

Neither fighter was paid their seven-figure purse, Showtime lost a fight that had been heavily marketed, casino sponsors Caesars Palace and the Wynn Las Vegas lost an event they had promised their customers, and co-promoters Top Rank and Gary Shaw suffered deep embarrassment, as well as financial losses. There were also thousands of fans who spent money on fight tickets, airfares and accommodations and wound up with no fight.

Kizer said that Castillo's past history will be taken into account by the five-member commission when it doles out its punishment.

Castillo also failed to make weight for his second fight with Corrales last October. The fight went on as a non-title bout when the sides came to an agreement on a catch weight. Castillo knocked Corrales out in the fourth round to even their series at one win apiece, a victory that was controversial because Corrales had cut all the way down to 135 pounds while Castillo didn't have to, giving him an advantage.

Corrales won their first action-packed fight in May 2005 by rebounding from two 10th-round knockdowns to score a comeback TKO later in the round in a bout hailed as one of the best in boxing history.

When Castillo does return from whatever punishment he receives, his next significant fight could come next spring against Ricky Hatton. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and Hatton co-promoter Artie Pelullo have had preliminary discussions about the fight, which would be contingent on Castillo's availability and Hatton winning a December bout.

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Dan Rafael

Boxing

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• ESPN.com boxing writer since 2005
• Writes pound-for-pound rankings
• Five years at USA Today