A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
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
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. 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.
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