Carlos Castro defeated Oscar Escandon as expected but he had to work hard to do it.
Castro, a rising featherweight, withstood relentless pressure from Escandon, wore him down and finally stopped him in the 10th and final round on the Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas card Saturday in Las Vegas.
Escandon (26-6, 18 KOs) is 2-5 in his last seven fights, including the one on Saturday, but he fought like a man who came to win.
Castro (27-0, 12 KOs) was wobbled by more than one shot in the opening round, in which Escandon began to apply relentless pressure that he maintained until the late rounds.
Castro, the much taller of the two, took control after that, however, jabbing, moving and landing hard punches mostly from the outside. And even when Escandon worked his way inside, Castro held his own.
Escandon had slowed down by Round 8 and was ripe for a knockout, the result of Castro’s fast pace and accurate shots.
Castro finished the job in Round 10, hurting Escandon with a right hand and then forcing him to the canvas with a barrage of hard follow-up punches. Escandon got up but couldn’t continue, which prompted referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:08 of Round 10.