Charlo, Castano battle to draw in super welterweight showdown
LOS ANGELES: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano fought to a draw Saturday, denying either a historic victory that would have crowned one of them the first four belt undisputed champion in boxing’s super welterweight division.
The showdown marked the first time all four 154-pound belts were on the line with Charlo keeping his three (WBC, WBA and IBF) and Castano retaining the WBO strap as a result of the draw. But the fight proved to be closer than expected with moreaggressive Castano proving he could take Charlo’s best punch and deliver heavy blows of his own, especially in the middle rounds at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Judges delivered a split decision draw with one having it 114-113 for Argentina’s Castano, another 114-114 and the third raised eyebrows by scoring it a one-sided 117-111 in favor of American Charlo. Both fighters thought they won the bout, Charlo because he almost knocked down his rival in the second round and Castano because he controlled the tempo in the middle rounds.
“A draw isn’t what I wanted to hear,” said Charlo. “I won this fight. I hurt him a lot more. My power is serious. I had him in trouble in the second and 10th rounds. This is my first time experiencing something like this. This comes with boxing — wins, losses and draws.” Charlo was looking for the spectacular knockout, while Castano was the more patient of the two, using a combination of body and head shots to score.