The undefeated WBO Champ recalls his finest performances as he looks to add another Saturday night when he rematches WBA/WBC/IBF 154-pound Champ Jermell Charlo for the undisputed 154-pound crown, live on PBC on SHOWTIME.
Charlo vs Castano 2 PREVIEW: May 14, 2022 | PBC on Showtime
Excuse Brian Castaño for being a little anxious—though in a good way. The WBO World Super Welterweight Champion can’t wait for his rematch this Saturday with IBF/WBA/WBC World Champion Jermell Charlo for the undisputed 154-pound world title in a Premier Boxing Champions event on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Their first fight, last July, ended in a split-decision draw, where Castaño ruled parts of the fight, and Charlo controlled others. Castaño’s pressure caused Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KO) some trouble, while Charlo’s accurate counter punching off the ropes caused Castaño (17-0-2, 12 KOs) some problems.
Charlo has emphatically promised to knock Castaño out.
Castaño promises to win without any doubt, or to knock Charlo out.
“There is no other way to put it, especially when you’re fighting in another man’s country and you have to beat the odds,” Castaño said in the buildup for the fight. “I could care less what Charlo says or whether he gives me credit for what I did or didn’t do in the first fight. I know what I’m capable of, and I know he’s angry. He’s angry because everyone keeps telling him that he lost the first fight. So, he has a chip on his shoulder by saying and doing what he does. He thought he was going to knock me out with one, single punch. When he didn’t do that, he was upset about that, too.
“But as far as what I have to do, I’m ready to do whatever it takes for me to win. Charlo has not faced someone like me. Before me, he faced fighters who respected him too much.”
Recently, Castaño said he is fully recovered from a biceps injury that he suffered a few months ago, and he took the time to break down the five most important fights that have defined his career to this point:
5 MARCUS UPSHAW
Date: July 12, 2016
Location: Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino, Nice, California
At stake: No title
Records at the time: Castaño 11-0, (8 KOs), Upshaw 18-16-4, (9 KOs)
Result: Castaño KO 5 (2:03)
Significance: This was just the 12th fight of Castaño’s budding career, and his intention was to look up. In Upshaw, Castaño looked up alright. Upshaw was listed at 6-foot-3, though he was probably taller, with a telephone-type reach. Castaño, at 5-foot-7½, was giving away at least eight inches. It didn’t matter. Castaño learned a good deal in this fight, finding ways to get inside and chop Upshaw down. Castaño was never threatened. In fact, he was having a good time, smiling between rounds, knowing he was firmly in charge. A Castaño right to the head dropped Upshaw with 1:21 left in the fifth, and when Upshaw got back up, Castaño jumped on him and finished him. The only real significance of the fight was it marked the fourth-straight time Castaño fought out of his native Argentina, creating a foothold in the U.S. boxing market.
4 ERISLANDY LARA
Date: March 2, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
At stake: Castaño’s WBA “regular” super welterweight title
Records at the time: Castaño 15-0 (11 KOs), Lara 25-3-2 (14 KOs)
Result: SD (115-113 Castaño, 115-113 Lara, 114-114)
Significance: At one time, hitting Lara was akin to trying to snatch a floating feather in a wind tunnel. Castaño caught a different, older version of Lara, although one still very formidable. This was supposed to be Castaño’s star-turning fight. Lara, the longtime former champ, showed early on that he was not going to be a prop in Castaño’s rise. The Cuban expatriate started very strong, and it was Castaño that needed a strong closing kick in the final rounds to pull even on one scorecard and go ahead on another. The two threw a combined 1,688 punches. Castaño’s body attack and late charging pace equaled Lara’s outstanding jab and counter production.
“It was a good fight,” Castaño said afterward. “A clash of styles. I know I won the fight. I feel I was robbed. He’s an elusive boxer. I knew that. I prepared for that. I think it was a good fight, but I won.”
3 JERMELL CHARLO
Date: July 17, 2021
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
At stake: Charlo’s WBC/WBA/IBF super welterweight titles; Castaño’s WBO super welterweight title
Records at the time: Castaño 17-0-1 (12 KOs), Charlo 34-1 (18 KOs)
Result: Split Draw (114-113 Castaño, 117-111 Charlo, 114-114)
Significance: They were fighting for their place in history. The last undisputed super welterweight world champion was Hall of Famer Ronald “Winky” Wright, who held that distinction after upsetting another Hall of Famer, Shane Mosley, in 2004. Neither Charlo, the IBF, WBA, and WBC super welterweight world champion, nor Castaño, the WBO 154-pound king, came away satisfied. But the fans did. There was an unrelenting rock’em, sock’em aspect of this fight was that magnetic. There were moments when Castaño ruled. Then interludes when Charlo was prevailing. With 1:49 left in the second round, Charlo nailed Castaño with a counter left hook that had Castaño reeling backward. In the third, Castaño buckled Charlo’s knees with a left hook to the jaw with :08 left. And so, it went. Charlo fought many rounds off the ropes. Each judge had Charlo winning the final three rounds, with judge Steve Weisfeld scored Charlo’s dominant 10th a 10-8 round, even though his overall scorecard ruled for Castaño, 114-113.
2 MICHEL SORO
Date: July 1, 2017
Location: Casino d’Evian, Evian les Bains, France
At stake: Castaño’s WBA super welterweight interim title
Records at the time: Castaño 13-0 (10 KOs), Soro 30-1-1 (29 KOs)
Result: Castaño SD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 116-112 for Soro)
Significance: This was a gutsy move by Castaño and his team. They traveled to France to defend what at the time was the “interim” WBA super welterweight title. Castaño started well and pressured Soro early, banking enough rounds at the outset to squeeze by with 115-113 scores on two judge’s scorecards. When the WBA ordered a rematch with Soro in June 2019, Castaño relinquished the WBA super welterweight title after defending the belt against Lara in May 2019. Instead, Castaño wound up scoring even bigger wins, beating southpaw Patrick Teixeira two years later for the WBO super welterweight title he currently holds.
1 SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO
Date: March 24, 2013
Location: Cedem N°2, Caseros, Buenos Aires, Argentina
At stake: World Series of Boxing middleweight quarterfinals
Records at the time: Castaño 3-0, Derevyanchenko 23-0
Result: Castaño W 5 (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Significance: This is one completely out of the blue. Or internet ether. Again, this comes from Castaño himself. Hardly any information can be found on this fight, but if you look hard enough, you can glean and find some gold nuggets. This was one for Castaño. It is the fight—and victory—that launched him. Derevyanchenko had been unbeaten, 23-0, in World Series of Boxing middleweight competition, but Castaño put an end to that in a classic. Some counted it as a pro fight, others considered an amateur bout, although in 2013, amateurs still fought with head gear. As you see on this clip, this fight was not fought with head gear. Castaño came up in weight to beat Derevyanchenko for the first time by five-round decision. To this day, Castaño says his time with the Argentina Condors boxing team in the WBS was invaluable in providing him the experience and the confidence to face and beat fighters like Derevyanchenko.
For a closer look at Brian Castaño, check out his fighter page.
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