Hatton swung a crushing body shot into the ribs of former lightweight champion Castillo, who crumpled to one knee on the canvas where he was counted out by referee Joe Cortez.

It was the emphatic victory Hatton needed to underline his status as the world's best 140lbs fighter and open the door to a possible future fight against Floyd Mayweather.

Within seconds of the opening bell it became apparent there would be few backward steps as both men roared from their respective corners and clinched in the centre of the ring.

Castillo briefly touched down during the opening exchanges but referee Cortez ruled a slip and the frantic action resumed with Hatton digging two right uppercuts to Castillo's chin.

Finding better range with his punches, Hatton had chiselled an early advantage and a clean left hand in the final seconds of the round cemented his lead.

Hatton had described his intended tactic as "educated pressure", and it was certainly paying off as he continued to beat Castillo to the punch and land the significant blows in round two.

Castillo landed his first heavy shots of note early in the third and cranked up the pace towards the end of the round with a left which seemed to stun Hatton and sparked a furious exchange before the bell.

It was living up to every column inch of its pre-fight billing but Castillo's increasing reliance on his left hooks to the body got him into trouble with Cortez for hitting low.

When the action resumed Hatton swung his own left hook to the body which caused a delayed reaction in Castillo, who grimaced and sunk slowly to the canvas where Cortez's count reached 10.