CONFLICTING IDEAS
Castano is arranging his comingout party, but Lara aims to cancel those plans,
THE belt up for grabs may be of the bogus kind, but as a fight, Erislandy Lara versus Brian Castano is certainly a good one. The winner of this Saturday’s (March 2) intriguing super-welterweight clash at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will take home the WBA’S spurious secondary title (Castano is the current holder), but more importantly, they will be in pole position to challenge the division leader and true WBA (and IBF) champ, Jarrett Hurd.
Lara, of course, knows Hurd well, having lost the WBA crown to him via razor-thin split decision 11 month ago in a thrilling unification battle. The seasoned Cuban normally operates as a slick and skilful stylist, but on this occasion he demonstrated his warrior heart by going head-to-head with Hurd and trading blows. This made for a crowd-pleasing, all-action affair, but also resulted in Lara taking more punishment than usual.
While Lara’s impressive amateur credentials are well-documented (such as winning a gold medal at the 2005 Worlds), Castano’s achievements prior to turning professional are less widely known. When you consider that the Argentine beat Errol Spence Jnr in the unpaid ranks and Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the World Series of Boxing – both current top-class pros – it seems odd that the 29-year-old’s career has mainly flown under the radar so far.
The lack of publicity surrounding Castano, 15-0 (11), could be attributed to the fact that his two most notable bouts to date have taken place not in the boxing hotbeds of America or the UK, but in France. In July 2017, the Isidro Casanova man got the better of Michel Soro on a split verdict. Eight months later, Castano conquered another French former European titlist in Cedric Vitu, whom he halted in 12. Interestingly, Vitu is a longarmed southpaw, like Lara.
A strong, attack-minded aggressor, the short and stocky Castano employs a rugged approach but with a touch of quality in his punch-picking. The solid South American unleashes a large volume of fast and ferocious strikes, without compromising accuracy. He tears into opponents with fierce two-fisted salvoes, often targeting the body with hooks and the head with overhand rights.
Lara, 25-3-2 (14), does not possess the power of Castano, but his astute footwork allows him to regularly locate and exploit openings in his rivals’ defence. Punching with sharpness, speed and precision, the Houston-based boxer dishes out uppercuts and one-twos, before sliding out of range. He has mixed with a wide array of eminent adversaries, including Paul Williams (l md 12 – July 2011), Austin Trout (w ud 12 – December 2013) and Canelo Alvarez (l sd 12 – July 2014). However, at nearly 36 years old, he is no spring chicken.
This is a difficult contest to predict, as we do not yet know how Castano will fare against elite pro opposition. Lara will no doubt connect with some eye-catching shots, but Castano’s overall activity and high-energy attacks can sway the judges in his favour, leading to a narrow upset victory on points.
The chief support on this Dibella/tgb co-promotion (Showtime) sees Lara’s countryman, powerful portsider Luis Ortiz, 30-1 (26) 2NC, take on thickset Romanian-german Christian Hammer, 24-5 (14), at heavyweight.
Veteran contender Ortiz, who fights out of Miami, is chasing another world title tilt, after being stopped by WBC champion Deontay Wilder in 10 rounds a year ago. Hammer, meanwhile, has regularly found himself on the fringes of world level, but has been defeated by the two most illustrious foes he has faced – Tyson Fury (rtd 8 – February 2015) and Alexander Povetkin (ud 12 – December 2017). The burly Hamburg resident lacks the craft and guile of Ortiz, who, if in the mood, can force a stoppage sometime in the second half of this 10-rounder.
THE VERDICT It is time to find out whether Castano can hold his own at the top end of the division.