just heard he was considered a hype job by someone on here....just seems a bit weird suggestion. thought he was a solid champion, with averag epower average skills and average ability and average chin with average stamina and average timing and an average haircut....was there any hype or was he just another fighter with a local following.
He was a competent performer. He had far superior technique to Bruce Curry, and Saoul Mamby remained a quality contender when Costello beat him up pretty conclusively in a near shutout. He looked to be well on his way to a lopsided decision win over Arguello when Alexis caught him with a deadly shot. The fact remains that Arguello-Costello finished Arguello as a viable contender. (The reason given for Arguello's subsequent retirement was a previously undiagnosed heart condition, but the fact is that Alexis looked awful prior to catching Billy, and no longer looked like he had the ability to beat a world class opponent over the limit.) I think Lonnie Smith was an anomaly, and there's a good chance Costello might have won a rematch.
thanks mate thought he looked pretty good against mamby, if a bit unspectacular, but throws/threw nicely, and had a good roll and seemed to be tough to catch cleanly without a return shot.
there was an interview of him on youtube not long ago. a nice pair of golds in his mouth but looked pretty coherent. or you not suggesting it was PD
There wasn't a great deal of talent in the 80s 140lb scene, though a lot of serviceable types with maybe a few standout abilities/glaring flaws here and there. It made for some great entertaining fights.the current 140 scene is similar imo despite attempts to hype the hell out of the likes of Khan,Alexander, Bradley,maidana etc...its a lot of quite evenly matched serviceable decent fighters with potential for exciting competitive fights and lots of belt changing. Costello vs Curry and Shields were great fights.
Good fighter whose grit and work ethic allowed him to notch some good wins and probably earn some green backs. As others have said he looked like he had Arguello's number before getting iced. I wish him the best of health!!!
Damn good fighter for a brief moment, would have loved to see him fight Howard Davis Jr. for the simple reason to see if KO Magazine was right in their analysis.
