Charlo wants to leave no doubt in his rematch with Castaño
Jermell Charlo was shocked when he heard the split draw announcement, but he had no issues accepting the result of the three judges' scorecards. Charlo and Brian Castaño delivered a back-and-forth battle with all the major junior middleweight belts on the line 10 months ago.
Charlo didn't leave the ring as the undisputed champion, but that was understandable for him. The confusion occurred when Charlo noticed the postfight criticism his performance received.
Charlo is known for his power, but he didn't hurt Castaño until late in the fight and had a slow start because of Castaño's frequent pressure. But Charlo argued most of Castaño's punches were blocked and added that his performance was criticized unfairly because he didn't record a knockout.
Charlo doesn't want to leave any doubt in tonight's rematch with the Argentinian, but he's not solely aiming for the knockout. Charlo and Castaño will headline a Showtime-televised event from Dignity Health Sports Park, also known as the “War Grounds” in Carson.
“If he goes to sleep in any part of the rounds, then that's what y'all been waiting on, that's what y'all expected from me because most of the world expects Jermell Charlo to be the knockout artist who's knocking everyone out,” Charlo said. “But the moment I go the distance, they have a lot of criticism and a lot of people say things.”
Charlo, 31, urged those who knocked his first performance against Castaño, 32, to watch the round-byround video breakdown from Showtime boxing analyst Steve Farhood. It didn't help Charlo that judge Nelson Vazquez scored it 117-111 in his favor, upsetting those who viewed the bout much closer. Steve Weisfeld had it 114-113 for Castaño and Tim Cheatham had a 114114 draw.
“The judges couldn't
Kia Forum, Inglewood
KOs) vs. Brian Castaño (17-0-2, 12 KOs) Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: Showtime
Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29KOs) vs. Tervel Pulev (16-0, 13 KOs) Where:
Time: 6 p.m.
Stream: Fite TV ($29.99)
Gilberto Ramirez (43-0, 29KOs) vs. Dominic Boesel (32-2, 12 KOs) Where: Toyota Arena, Ontario
Time: 5 p.m.
Stream: DAZN
see the many shots being blocked by the gloves and the arms, just like Steve Farhood did the analysis from Showtime,” Charlo said. “Check that out. It breaks down the fight. Personally, it shows what I was doing in there and this time I want to make sure it's a clear win.”
Charlo, the WBA/IBF/ WBC champion, has issues with his critics, but he's not taking anything away from Castaño, the WBO titleholder.
“Brian Castaño is a rugged Latino fighter,” Charlo said. “He fights hard and is a diehard Argentinian. He