Joseph Diaz Jr. defeated Javier Fortuna by a clear decision in his lightweight debut Saturday in Los Angeles.
Joseph Diaz Jr. proved in convincing fashion that he belongs at 135 pounds.
Diaz, who agreed to fight Javier Fortuna on short notice, defeated his Dominican counterpart by a unanimous decision to win the WBC “interim” lightweight title on the Gilberto Ramirez-Sullivan Barrera card Friday in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight Ryan Garcia but Garcia pulled out to tend to his mental health. That opened the door for Diaz, who had never fought as a full-fledged 135-pounder.
The former 130-pound titleholder proved on Friday that he could handle the physical rigors of the division, taking the fight to a longtime lightweight.
Fortuna was the busier boxer much of the fight but it was Diaz who was the more accurate puncher and he landed the bigger, cleaner shots to both the head and body, which obviously impressed the judges.
Diaz had to overcome a few obstacles, a cut about his left eye in Round 3 and losing a point for punching behind the head in Round 4. However, that made no difference in the end.
The judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112, all in favor of Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs).
Fortuna threw more punches than Diaz (761-521) but Diaz landed more (203-193), according to CompuBox.
The victory makes Diaz a major player in the lightweight division, which is ruled by undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez. Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis hold secondary titles.
Diaz made it clear that he’s prepared to face them or Garcia, who is expected to return to the ring soon.
Said Diaz after his victory: “Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, let’s make this s— happen. I’m ready.”
Joseph Diaz Jr. defeated Javier Fortuna by a clear decision in his lightweight debut Saturday in Los Angeles.
Joseph Diaz Jr. proved in convincing fashion that he belongs at 135 pounds.
Diaz, who agreed to fight Javier Fortuna on short notice, defeated his Dominican counterpart by a unanimous decision to win the WBC “interim” lightweight title on the Gilberto Ramirez-Sullivan Barrera card Friday in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (36-3-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight Ryan Garcia but Garcia pulled out to tend to his mental health. That opened the door for Diaz, who had never fought as a full-fledged 135-pounder.
The former 130-pound titleholder proved on Friday that he could handle the physical rigors of the division, taking the fight to a longtime lightweight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCOhS7cVk38
Fortuna was the busier boxer much of the fight but it was Diaz who was the more accurate puncher and he landed the bigger, cleaner shots to both the head and body, which obviously impressed the judges.
Diaz had to overcome a few obstacles, a cut about his left eye in Round 3 and losing a point for punching behind the head in Round 4. However, that made no difference in the end.
The judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112, all in favor of Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs).
Fortuna threw more punches than Diaz (761-521) but Diaz landed more (203-193), according to CompuBox.
The victory makes Diaz a major player in the lightweight division, which is ruled by undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez. Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis hold secondary titles.
Diaz made it clear that he’s prepared to face them or Garcia, who is expected to return to the ring soon.
Said Diaz after his victory: “Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, let’s make this s— happen. I’m ready.”
Also on the card: Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Javier Fortuna, lightweights; Tenkai Tsunami vs. Seniesa Estrada, junior flyweights (for Tsunami’s WBO title); Hector Tanajara Jr. vs. William Zepeda, lightweights
Prediction: Ramirez KO 10
Background: Ramirez continues to chase Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record and a title shot at light heavyweight against a solid veteran from Cuba. The former 168-pound titleholder will be fighting at 175 pounds for the third time, having stopped Tommy Karpency in April 2019 and Alfonso Lopez this past December. The Mexican’s most-recent fight of this magnitude might’ve been his majority-decision victory over Jesse Hart in December 2018, which was the final defense of his super middleweight title. Ramirez is ranked in the Top 5 in two of the four major sanctioning bodies. Barrera, 39, is a longtime contender with some notable victories, including a decision over Joe Smith Jr. in 2017. However, he has lost most of his biggest fights. He’s 1-2 in his last three outings, a 12th-round knockout in a fight he was losing badly to Dmitry Bivol in 2018 and unanimous decision to Hart in June 2019. The resident of Miami will have been out of the ring for more than two years. The card also features an important fight between Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1-1, 15 KOs) and Javier Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs). Diaz, who lost his 130-pound title on the scales in his last fight, made a bold decision when he agreed to replace Ryan Garcia as the opponent of the talented Fortuna at 135. Fortuna is unbeaten since he lost a split decision to Robert Easter Jr. in 2018 and one of the leading lightweights. The winner will be in prime position for a shot at a 135-pound title.
Also on the card: Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Javier Fortuna, lightweights; Tenkai Tsunami vs. Seniesa Estrada, junior flyweights (for Tsunami’s WBO title); Hector Tanajara Jr. vs. William Zepeda, lightweights
Prediction: Ramirez KO 10
Background: Ramirez continues to chase Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record and a title shot at light heavyweight against a solid veteran from Cuba. The former 168-pound titleholder will be fighting at 175 pounds for the third time, having stopped Tommy Karpency in April 2019 and Alfonso Lopez this past December. The Mexican’s most-recent fight of this magnitude might’ve been his majority-decision victory over Jesse Hart in December 2018, which was the final defense of his super middleweight title. Ramirez is ranked in the Top 5 in two of the four major sanctioning bodies. Barrera, 39, is a longtime contender with some notable victories, including a decision over Joe Smith Jr. in 2017. However, he has lost most of his biggest fights. He’s 1-2 in his last three outings, a 12th-round knockout in a fight he was losing badly to Dmitry Bivol in 2018 and unanimous decision to Hart in June 2019. The resident of Miami will have been out of the ring for more than two years. The card also features an important fight between Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1-1, 15 KOs) and Javier Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs). Diaz, who lost his 130-pound title on the scales in his last fight, made a bold decision when he agreed to replace Ryan Garcia as the opponent of the talented Fortuna at 135. Fortuna is unbeaten since he lost a split decision to Robert Easter Jr. in 2018 and one of the leading lightweights. The winner will be in prime position for a shot at a 135-pound title.
Good, bad, worse: Brian Castano arrives, Josh Warrington is stunned and Joseph Diaz Jr. screws up.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Brian Castano (left) looked like a threat to any 154-pounder in his victory over Patrick Teixeira. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy Promotions
Jermell Charlo has a rival.
Brian Castano entered his title challenge against Patrick Teixeira with an excellent reputation. He had a fine amateur career, which included a victory over Errol Spence Jr. And he drew with Erislandy Lara in March 2019, a fight most observers thought he deserved to win.
The Argentine simply confirmed against Teixeira what we already thought: He’s a damn good fighter, perhaps the best from his country since Sergio Martinez was at his peak.
Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) isn’t unusually quick or athletic, although he’s solid in both departments. He isn’t a boxing wizard. And he doesn’t have tremendous power. He’s simply a good technician who uses relentless pressure and uncommon fitness to overwhelm his opponents.
That’s what happened to the capable Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) on the Joseph Diaz Jr.-Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov card Saturday at Fantasy Springs in Indio, Calif. The tall, lean Brazilian simply couldn’t keep Castano off him, which resulted in a one-sided fight.
The scores were 120-108 (a shutout), 119-109 and 117-111, which gave Castano the WBO 154-pound title and accurately reflected his dominance.
The victory sets up an intriguing possibility. Charlo owns the other three major junior middleweight titles, meaning a Charlo-Castano fight would produce an undisputed champion if it could be made.
I wouldn’t pick anyone in the division to beat Charlo, who seems to have a perfect blend of ability, power and fire. I’ll say this, though: He had better be ready to go to hell and back to win that fight.
Let’s hope it happens.
***
BAD
Mauricio Lara (right) went from unknown to contender at Josh Warrington’s expense. Dave Thompson / Matchroom Boxing
Of course, this is only bad for Josh Warrington.
The Englishman entered his fight with unknown Mauricio Lara as one of the hottest little fighters in the world, with consecutive victories over Lee Selby, Carl Frampton, Kid Galahad and Sofiane Takoucht.
He gave up his IBF featherweight title rather than be forced by the sanctioning body to fight Galahad a second time but that didn’t matter much. He was still a top, unbeaten 126-pounder with limitless possibilities.
Then Lara changed everything Saturday at SSE Arena in London.
The Mexican, who had never fought outside Latin America, brought heavy hands with him on his long trip to the United Kingdom. The 22-year-old put Warrington down with a left hook in Round 4 and delivered a horrible beating the rest of the round.
Referee Howard Foster allowed Warrington to continue even though he was out on his feet, a decision that received immediate – and arguably justified – criticism.
Warrington fought bravely in Rounds 5 through 8 but the end came in Round 9, the result of another left hook that knocked a beaten Warrington flat on his back and this time prompted Foster to save him from further punishment.
Just like that, Warrington went from one of top fighters in the U.K. to one with a cloudy future. He took a particularly brutal beating, one from which it will be difficult to bounce back and regain his previous status.
Meanwhile, Lara is no longer an unknown. He has become overnight a major player in the featherweight division and a legitimate threat to anyone.
***
WORSE
Joseph Diaz Jr. (left) salvaged a disastrous week by drawing with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy Promotions
Joseph Diaz Jr. is human, as he pointed out after his draw with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov on Saturday at Fantasy Springs. And humans make mistakes.
Diaz made a big one leading up the fight. He weighed in Friday 3.6 pounds over the junior lightweight limit, which cost him his precious world title and reportedly 20% of his purse ($100,000 of $500,000).
Diaz apologized but also blamed a one-year layoff and spartan training facilities inside the bubble at Fantasy Springs, arguments that have minimal legitimacy.
Here’s the thing: Diaz had months to prepare for the fight. To blame his inability to make weight on conditions at his hotel in the final week is difficult to swallow. He’s a professional boxer. It’s his responsibility to make the weight stipulated on the contract he signed.
And this isn’t the first time he missed weight. He came in a half pound over against then-featherweight beltholder Jesus Rojas in 2018, which cost Diaz a chance to fight for a major title in that fight.
There are no excuses. Diaz would’ve been wise to simply acknowledge his mistake in the latest case without trying to explain it, which only made him look worse than he already did.
Diaz has other problems. He recently changed management companies, which has evolved into a legal battle. He reportedly was arrested on suspicion on drunken driving in July, allegedly his second such offense. And, on a positive note, he has a newborn son.
He doesn’t need weight issues – particularly ones that cost him so much money — on top of everything else. Let’s hope he has finally learned his lesson.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Richard Commey has answered some questions about his psyche following his brutal knockout loss to Teofimo Lopez in December 2019. He attacked Jackson Marinez as if the setback never happened, scoring an impressive sixth-round knockout Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Ghanaian isn’t a great boxer but he reminded us of his prodigious power. Plus, he’s fun to watch. … Heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson outdid himself on the Commey-Marinez card. The 21-year-old behemoth landed one of the biggest punches you’ll ever see, a left hook that lifted 276-pound Kingsley Ibeh off his feet and sent him crashing to the canvas for a sixth-round knockout. Breathtaking. Anderson is the most exciting heavyweight prospect in the world. … Ronny Rios seemed to be finished as an elite fighter after losing two of three fights in 2017 and 2018. However, after taking a year off, the one-time amateur star seems to have returned to form at junior featherweight. He dominated veteran Oscar Negrete on the Diaz-Rakhimov card, winning by a near-shutout decision. He’s back in the thick of title picture. … Shane Mosley Jr. will always be compared to his father, which is a no-win situation for him. However, it should be noted that Junior has evolved into a pretty good fighter. He stopped durable Cristian Olivas in five rounds on the Diaz-Rakhimov card, his fourth consecutive victory and another step toward a title shot. Dad must be proud.
Good, bad, worse: Brian Castano arrives, Josh Warrington is stunned and Joseph Diaz Jr. screws up.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Brian Castano (left) looked like a threat to any 154-pounder in his victory over Patrick Teixeira. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy Promotions
Jermell Charlo has a rival.
Brian Castano entered his title challenge against Patrick Teixeira with an excellent reputation. He had a fine amateur career, which included a victory over Errol Spence Jr. And he drew with Erislandy Lara in March 2019, a fight most observers thought he deserved to win.
The Argentine simply confirmed against Teixeira what we already thought: He’s a damn good fighter, perhaps the best from his country since Sergio Martinez was at his peak.
Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) isn’t unusually quick or athletic, although he’s solid in both departments. He isn’t a boxing wizard. And he doesn’t have tremendous power. He’s simply a good technician who uses relentless pressure and uncommon fitness to overwhelm his opponents.
That’s what happened to the capable Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) on the Joseph Diaz Jr.-Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov card Saturday at Fantasy Springs in Indio, Calif. The tall, lean Brazilian simply couldn’t keep Castano off him, which resulted in a one-sided fight.
The scores were 120-108 (a shutout), 119-109 and 117-111, which gave Castano the WBO 154-pound title and accurately reflected his dominance.
The victory sets up an intriguing possibility. Charlo owns the other three major junior middleweight titles, meaning a Charlo-Castano fight would produce an undisputed champion if it could be made.
I wouldn’t pick anyone in the division to beat Charlo, who seems to have a perfect blend of ability, power and fire. I’ll say this, though: He had better be ready to go to hell and back to win that fight.
Let’s hope it happens.
***
BAD
Mauricio Lara (right) went from unknown to contender at Josh Warrington’s expense. Dave Thompson / Matchroom Boxing
Of course, this is only bad for Josh Warrington.
The Englishman entered his fight with unknown Mauricio Lara as one of the hottest little fighters in the world, with consecutive victories over Lee Selby, Carl Frampton, Kid Galahad and Sofiane Takoucht.
He gave up his IBF featherweight title rather than be forced by the sanctioning body to fight Galahad a second time but that didn’t matter much. He was still a top, unbeaten 126-pounder with limitless possibilities.
Then Lara changed everything Saturday at SSE Arena in London.
The Mexican, who had never fought outside Latin America, brought heavy hands with him on his long trip to the United Kingdom. The 22-year-old put Warrington down with a left hook in Round 4 and delivered a horrible beating the rest of the round.
Referee Howard Foster allowed Warrington to continue even though he was out on his feet, a decision that received immediate – and arguably justified – criticism.
Warrington fought bravely in Rounds 5 through 8 but the end came in Round 9, the result of another left hook that knocked a beaten Warrington flat on his back and this time prompted Foster to save him from further punishment.
Just like that, Warrington went from one of top fighters in the U.K. to one with a cloudy future. He took a particularly brutal beating, one from which it will be difficult to bounce back and regain his previous status.
Meanwhile, Lara is no longer an unknown. He has become overnight a major player in the featherweight division and a legitimate threat to anyone.
***
WORSE
Joseph Diaz Jr. (left) salvaged a disastrous week by drawing with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy Promotions
Joseph Diaz Jr. is human, as he pointed out after his draw with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov on Saturday at Fantasy Springs. And humans make mistakes.
Diaz made a big one leading up the fight. He weighed in Friday 3.6 pounds over the junior lightweight limit, which cost him his precious world title and reportedly 20% of his purse ($100,000 of $500,000).
Diaz apologized but also blamed a one-year layoff and spartan training facilities inside the bubble at Fantasy Springs, arguments that have minimal legitimacy.
Here’s the thing: Diaz had months to prepare for the fight. To blame his inability to make weight on conditions at his hotel in the final week is difficult to swallow. He’s a professional boxer. It’s his responsibility to make the weight stipulated on the contract he signed.
And this isn’t the first time he missed weight. He came in a half pound over against then-featherweight beltholder Jesus Rojas in 2018, which cost Diaz a chance to fight for a major title in that fight.
There are no excuses. Diaz would’ve been wise to simply acknowledge his mistake in the latest case without trying to explain it, which only made him look worse than he already did.
Diaz has other problems. He recently changed management companies, which has evolved into a legal battle. He reportedly was arrested on suspicion on drunken driving in July, allegedly his second such offense. And, on a positive note, he has a newborn son.
He doesn’t need weight issues – particularly ones that cost him so much money — on top of everything else. Let’s hope he has finally learned his lesson.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Richard Commey has answered some questions about his psyche following his brutal knockout loss to Teofimo Lopez in December 2019. He attacked Jackson Marinez as if the setback never happened, scoring an impressive sixth-round knockout Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Ghanaian isn’t a great boxer but he reminded us of his prodigious power. Plus, he’s fun to watch. … Heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson outdid himself on the Commey-Marinez card. The 21-year-old behemoth landed one of the biggest punches you’ll ever see, a left hook that lifted 276-pound Kingsley Ibeh off his feet and sent him crashing to the canvas for a sixth-round knockout. Breathtaking. Anderson is the most exciting heavyweight prospect in the world. … Ronny Rios seemed to be finished as an elite fighter after losing two of three fights in 2017 and 2018. However, after taking a year off, the one-time amateur star seems to have returned to form at junior featherweight. He dominated veteran Oscar Negrete on the Diaz-Rakhimov card, winning by a near-shutout decision. He’s back in the thick of title picture. … Shane Mosley Jr. will always be compared to his father, which is a no-win situation for him. However, it should be noted that Junior has evolved into a pretty good fighter. He stopped durable Cristian Olivas in five rounds on the Diaz-Rakhimov card, his fourth consecutive victory and another step toward a title shot. Dad must be proud.
Joseph Diaz Jr. and Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov fought to a draw on Saturday in Indio, Calif.
Well, at least he didn’t lose the fight.
Joseph Diaz Jr. committed a cardinal sin on Friday, coming in 3.6 pounds over the junior lightweight limit to lose his IBF title on the scale. On Saturday, the now-former champ did just enough against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to earn a majority draw and prevent a complete disaster.
Rakhimov would’ve won the title had he had his hand raised.
Diaz (31-1-1, 15 KOs) has experienced a number of changes since he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win his belt in January of last year, his most-recent fight.
The Los Angeles-area fighter has a newborn son. He changed management companies. He didn’t work with longtime co-trainer Joel Diaz for the Rakhimov fight. And, according to BoxingScene.com, he was arrested for drunken driving in July.
Perhaps the distractions played a role in his inability to make weight, perhaps they didn’t. Bottom line: He lost something for which he has worked hard his entire adult life before he entered the ring.
All that was left for him was to win the fight against his relatively unknown Russian opponent. And he almost did.
Diaz, who made the agreed-upon 140-pound limit Saturday morning, looked sharp the first few rounds. Rakhimov (15-0-1, 12 KOs) was the busier fighter from the start but the former titleholder landed the cleaner, eye-catching punches.
Then, in the middle rounds, Diaz allowed Rakhimov to outwork him without returning fire enough to win rounds. Many of Rakhimov’s shots hit Diaz’s gloves – he landed only 22% of his punches, according to CompuBox — but he was pushing the action.
The momentum shifted again around Round 8, when Diaz picked up his pace, timed his punches well and Rakhimov’s output fell off to some degree. That pattern continued until the end of the fight, which evidently salvaged a draw for Diaz.
One judge had it 115-113 (seven rounds to five) for Diaz. The other two scored it 114-114. Boxing Junkie had Diaz winning 115-113.
Diaz didn’t seem to be overly upset when the result was announced but he said afterward that he believes he deserved the decision.
“I’m a little upset. I thought I did enough to win the fight,” he said and then added later in the interview: “It was a close fight. The guy was throwing a lot of combinations, throwing a lot of shots, but it was just gloves. I thought I was dictating the pace, landing the body shots, hurting him and walking him down and breaking him down.
“… I thought I should’ve won the fight. It is what it is. I have to learn from this, take some time off and get right back to it.”
Diaz also apologized for the events of Friday.
“I didn’t make weight,” he said. “You know, like, I vacated my title. But it was a long layoff, man. I want to apologize to DAZN, I want to apologize to all my fans that have been rooting for me since day one and have been rocking with me and have been wanting to watch this fight.
“It was a mistake on my behalf. It was a year layoff. No excuses. I’ll get back into it.”
Joseph Diaz Jr. and Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov fought to a draw on Saturday in Indio, Calif.
Well, at least he didn’t lose the fight.
Joseph Diaz Jr. committed a cardinal sin on Friday, coming in 3.6 pounds over the junior lightweight limit to lose his IBF title on the scale. On Saturday, the now-former champ did just enough against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to earn a majority draw and prevent a complete disaster.
Rakhimov would’ve won the title had he had his hand raised.
Diaz (31-1-1, 15 KOs) has experienced a number of changes since he outpointed Tevin Farmer to win his belt in January of last year, his most-recent fight.
The Los Angeles-area fighter has a newborn son. He changed management companies. He didn’t work with longtime co-trainer Joel Diaz for the Rakhimov fight. And, according to BoxingScene.com, he was arrested for drunken driving in July.
Perhaps the distractions played a role in his inability to make weight, perhaps they didn’t. Bottom line: He lost something for which he has worked hard his entire adult life before he entered the ring.
All that was left for him was to win the fight against his relatively unknown Russian opponent. And he almost did.
Diaz, who made the agreed-upon 140-pound limit Saturday morning, looked sharp the first few rounds. Rakhimov (15-0-1, 12 KOs) was the busier fighter from the start but the former titleholder landed the cleaner, eye-catching punches.
Then, in the middle rounds, Diaz allowed Rakhimov to outwork him without returning fire enough to win rounds. Many of Rakhimov’s shots hit Diaz’s gloves – he landed only 22% of his punches, according to CompuBox — but he was pushing the action.
The momentum shifted again around Round 8, when Diaz picked up his pace, timed his punches well and Rakhimov’s output fell off to some degree. That pattern continued until the end of the fight, which evidently salvaged a draw for Diaz.
One judge had it 115-113 (seven rounds to five) for Diaz. The other two scored it 114-114. Boxing Junkie had Diaz winning 115-113.
Diaz didn’t seem to be overly upset when the result was announced but he said afterward that he believes he deserved the decision.
“I’m a little upset. I thought I did enough to win the fight,” he said and then added later in the interview: “It was a close fight. The guy was throwing a lot of combinations, throwing a lot of shots, but it was just gloves. I thought I was dictating the pace, landing the body shots, hurting him and walking him down and breaking him down.
“… I thought I should’ve won the fight. It is what it is. I have to learn from this, take some time off and get right back to it.”
Diaz also apologized for the events of Friday.
“I didn’t make weight,” he said. “You know, like, I vacated my title. But it was a long layoff, man. I want to apologize to DAZN, I want to apologize to all my fans that have been rooting for me since day one and have been rocking with me and have been wanting to watch this fight.
“It was a mistake on my behalf. It was a year layoff. No excuses. I’ll get back into it.”
Brian Castano defeated Patrick Teixeira by a wide decision to take Teixeira’s junior middleweight title on Saturday.
Brian Castano didn’t just win a 154-pound title on Saturday night. He seized it.
Castano used nonstop pressure to overwhelm Patrick Teixeira, giving Castano a one-sided decision and the WBO belt at Fantasy Springs in Indio, Calif.
The Argentine is now in position to fight three-belt champ Jermell Charlo for all the major titles if that fight can be made.
Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) tried to use his height and reach advantage by jabbing and moving in the first half of the fight. However, that didn’t work. Castano, a relentless puncher, was able to cut off the ring and do damage in side.
The Brazilian then tried his hand at inside fighting. That didn’t work, either, as that’s Casatno’s wheelhouse. Teixeira got in some licks but Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) got the better of almost all exchanges.
Thus, in the end, Teixeira took a beating and lost a wide decision. The scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 118-110 for Castano.
The punch statistics helped tell the story. Castano through 1,136 punches (landing 373), almost 100 per round. More remarkable, he threw 927 power shots (landing 344). Teixeira (197 of 972 overall) simply couldn’t match his opponent’s effectiveness.
In other preliminary fights, former titleholder challenger Ronny Rios (33-3, 16 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif., outworked veteran Oscar Negrete (19-3-2, 7 KOs) to win a near-shutout decision in a 10-round 122-pound fight.
Rios turned in an impressive performance, outworking an opponent know for his work rate. His body attack was particularly effective. The scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91.
Negrete moved up from 118 pounds for the fight.
Shane Mosley Jr. (17-3, 10 KOs) of the Los Angeles area knocked out Mexican Cristian Olivas (20-8, 17 KOs) after five rounds of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.
Olivas, who has never been stopped, couldn’t continue because he right eye was swollen shut as a result of an effective attack from the son the Hall of Famer of the same name.
Mosley, 30, has won four consecutive fights.
And light heavyweight prospect Bektemir Melikuziev (7-0, 6 KOs) of Uzbekistan stopped last-replacement opponent Morgan Fitch (19-5-1, 8 KOs) of Pittsburgh at 2:08 of Round 3 of a scheduled eigh-round bout.
Brian Castano defeated Patrick Teixeira by a wide decision to take Teixeira’s junior middleweight title on Saturday.
Brian Castano didn’t just win a 154-pound title on Saturday night. He seized it.
Castano used nonstop pressure to overwhelm Patrick Teixeira, giving Castano a one-sided decision and the WBO belt at Fantasy Springs in Indio, Calif.
The Argentine is now in position to fight three-belt champ Jermell Charlo for all the major titles if that fight can be made.
Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) tried to use his height and reach advantage by jabbing and moving in the first half of the fight. However, that didn’t work. Castano, a relentless puncher, was able to cut off the ring and do damage in side.
The Brazilian then tried his hand at inside fighting. That didn’t work, either, as that’s Casatno’s wheelhouse. Teixeira got in some licks but Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) got the better of almost all exchanges.
Thus, in the end, Teixeira took a beating and lost a wide decision. The scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 118-110 for Castano.
The punch statistics helped tell the story. Castano through 1,136 punches (landing 373), almost 100 per round. More remarkable, he threw 927 power shots (landing 344). Teixeira (197 of 972 overall) simply couldn’t match his opponent’s effectiveness.
In other preliminary fights, former titleholder challenger Ronny Rios (33-3, 16 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif., outworked veteran Oscar Negrete (19-3-2, 7 KOs) to win a near-shutout decision in a 10-round 122-pound fight.
Rios turned in an impressive performance, outworking an opponent know for his work rate. His body attack was particularly effective. The scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91.
Negrete moved up from 118 pounds for the fight.
Shane Mosley Jr. (17-3, 10 KOs) of the Los Angeles area knocked out Mexican Cristian Olivas (20-8, 17 KOs) after five rounds of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.
Olivas, who has never been stopped, couldn’t continue because he right eye was swollen shut as a result of an effective attack from the son the Hall of Famer of the same name.
Mosley, 30, has won four consecutive fights.
And light heavyweight prospect Bektemir Melikuziev (7-0, 6 KOs) of Uzbekistan stopped last-replacement opponent Morgan Fitch (19-5-1, 8 KOs) of Pittsburgh at 2:08 of Round 3 of a scheduled eigh-round bout.
