Boxing: Castillo pledges another epic in revenge fight

The pair meet again just five months after Corrales' World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organisation title win at the Mandalay Bay Casino, which is regarded as one of the most dramatic in boxing history.

Corrales climbed up off the canvas twice to stop Castillo in the 10th round in a fight of such violence that the promoters were reluctant to stage the rematch.

Those concerns were put into sharp perspective last month by the death of former lightweight champion Leavander Johnson from injuries sustained during his bout with Jesus Chavez.

But while Corrales mourned Johnson, the 28-year-old, who has built a reputation for epic toe-to-toe contests, insisted that the sport's inherent dangers were what made it attractive.

"This is a true gladiator's sport," Corrales said. "That is what makes it what it is and what makes it so appealing. The brutality brings fans to the game and the savagery makes boxing great," he added. "There are some elegant moments, but there are some savage moments too."

Corrales' turnaround to claim victory over Castillo in May is already the stuff of legend, just as it is mired in controversy after the champion admitted twice spitting out his gumshield to earn a breather

Corrales was hardly in a fit state to celebrate his famous victory last time out. He said: "I felt pretty rough - I really felt my insides and my face was badly swollen up.

"I stayed at the hotel because I didn't want to drive home, but the next day both my eyes were completely closed.

"I had to stay another two hours just to ice my eyes to the point where I could walk through the casino. That was a pretty rough image there."

Castillo said he hoped the rematch would buck a frequent trend in boxing and prove every bit as explosive as their first encounter.

"You are going to see the same thing out of me, the same thing I have done my whole career," he said. "I just hope Corrales has not changed anything.

"I hope these fights will be like those Rocky movies. We can do six of them, both of us winning a lot of money."

Castillo has good reason to hope Corrales does not alter his kamikaze approach because the challenger now knows he has the superior skill and the ability to floor his opponent.

Five months is probably too short a recovery period for the rematch to live up to the hype generated by their first meeting.

However, Castillo may just have the edge this time around and could win with a late stoppage, setting the scene for an even more lucrative rematch.