On Saturday night, Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano faced each other in a rematch in their much-controversial draw in July 2021 with undisputed world champion status at 154 lbs. Luke G. Williams previews the action…
The existence of the so-called ‘four belt era’ of boxing may be regrettable, even despicable, but it is nevertheless worth recalling that in today’s burgeoning age of champions , being crowned an ‘undisputed’ champion is a rare and rare feat.
Jermell Charlo of America and Brian Castano of Argentina both competed in the WBC-WBA-IBF-WBO lightweight title fight last July at the AT&T Center in Antonio hoping to join Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk and Josh Taylor in these four picks -the harness club. At the end of 12 tough and tough rounds, no one could confirm the victory, the referees considered the match as a decisive draw.
Then Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez became the sixth member of this select band when he unified all four of the super middleweight belts, and now Charlo and Castano try – again – to clear all doubts. doubts about who the 154lbs ‘man’ was when they met in a rematch Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California for a contest – in a welcome sign of Advertising-rich – shown live and free to UK residents on PBC’s youtube page.
Anyone with the will to win will – by my count – become the first undisputed light-medium champion since Japan’s Koichi Wajima in 1975 or Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright in 2004. (Which you consider Wright to be the true undisputed champion depends on when you believe the ‘four belt eta’ has begun – a question that frankly shouldn’t even exist and therefore I can’t be sad to answer).
But back to the fight at hand… When Charlo and Castano first met, most observers in the ring seemed to be of the opinion that if one of them dominated the fight, it was the other. Argentina. However, although I consider Castano the winner, it is not a robbery. Yes, the weak are often the aggressors, but Charlo had a strong finish and the draw could not have been more legitimate. For such a rematch was not only desirable, but considered essential and for men as well that it was properly brokered without too much controversy or tiresome interference by the launch.
Having said that, the construction of this war is not without controversy. The rematch was originally scheduled to take place on March 19, but Castano tore his biceps without surgery – according to the Argentinian – requiring rest, so the date was pushed back by almost three months. .
This delay certainly seemed counterintuitive to Charlo, who always maintained a slightly prickly and irritable demeanor as the fight drew nearer. “He’s still in the gym, running,” is what he said of Castano’s injury. “He was still swinging that arm… Something was wrong. Something is wrong with these people. “
Real. As the match approached, it was clear that Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) was extremely explosive. Oaths and resentments fueled his pre-battle rhetoric and he appeared irritated. “I just need to prevail,” he declared this week. “I have to be the best Jermell Charlo, which everyone has yet to see. I will dominate this fight in a different way from the previous one.
“Castano is a fighter just like he has been in every war. He will come and keep coming back. I’ll use everything I’ve learned from that fight, on Saturday night. I’ll take advantage of what I have that he doesn’t have. I will use the skills I have acquired.
“I will become stronger, faster and smarter than I have ever been. Thanks to Castano, for giving me more time to prepare. I am grateful for my opportunities. This is my time and I’m focused. He is my target and I will beat him. I know what I own in the ring. I know who I am and I know where I come from.”
Charlo also swore he would stop Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs). “Beating people is what I do,” said the 31-year-old. “That’s what I’m known for. I am known for strength and speed. That’s what I’m doing… Once he gets hurt again, and hopefully sooner rather than later, it’ll be over. He won’t be able to do anything when we drop these bombs on him on Saturday. “
Castano, 32, for his part, is also talking about defending a goal. “He can say whatever he wants. I couldn’t care less if he wanted to take me down. Go out there and see if he can withstand my penalty for 12 innings. The disrespect he had for a fellow athlete bothered me. He said a lot of things that I thought were out of place. I don’t know why he’s edematous, screaming and nervous. I want him to show that energy in the ring. ”
The ruthlessness – and the vows of both warriors to fight together – make any outcome possible. After all, if either of them were trying too hard for a knockout then they risked making themselves vulnerable to being stopped.
I can’t help but feel that Charlo, however, has more room for improvement than Castano, who, it seems to me, had the best performance of his career last time and still can’t cross the line. destination. Charlo is definitely the more technically gifted of the duo and is also blessed with greater punch power, even if his KO rate isn’t as high as you’d expect from a hit man. strong like him.
When Charlo made a surprise comeback against Tony Harrison in December 2018, despite a majority decision, he made the necessary adjustments for the December 2019 rematch and won a match. easy way, and I can see a similar scenario going on here.
If Charlo used his swing more effectively and was able to counter Castano’s bobbing head movement more decisively than he did in the first fight, I could see him boxing his way to the top. get close score but clear win.
On the other hand, if the two men remained true to their pre-fight rhetoric and went head-to-head then I also imagine Charlo’s greater power to win the day could have been a shotgun showdown but thrilling.
In short, from what angle I look at this fight, I think it’s going to be Charlo’s night.
