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

EDWARD A. ORNELAS — GETTY IMAGES Jermell Charlo, left, and Brian Castaño face off during their fight on July 17, 2021. The fight ended in a controversial split draw, but they will meet again tonight in Carson.