Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano IS ON for July 17th!

THE RING MAGAZINE FIGHT PICKS


TOM GRAY: CHARLO SD
“I rate Jermell, but I think this is a very difficult style matchup for him. Castano is strong, he presents different looks, he’s loaded with confidence and he’s very hard to discourage. I think Jermell will struggle to get into a rhythm against this guy and the fight will be evenly contested through 12 rounds. A decision win may even be viewed as controversial and there could be significant demand for a rematch.”

ANSON WAINWRIGHT: CHARLO MD
“This is a really good fight on paper and I think will play out in exciting fashion in the ring. Charlo will be heavily favored, though Castano is a live dog. Charlo has size and power over the rugged Argentinean, who will do his absolute best to try to get inside and rough him up. Castano was an elite amateur and has done very well as a pro since making the switch in 2012. We know what we’ll get with Castano, while Charlo has had a tendency to fight to the level of his opposition. I think the Houston native will be dialed in but Castano is very tough to discourage and will make things difficult the whole way through. I like Charlo to win but not by much, possibly controversially.”

LEE GROVES: CHARLO UD
“Both men are coming off big victories — Charlo’s body-jab knockout of Jeison Rosario to become a three-belt titleholder and Castano’s overwhelming points win over Patrick Teixeira to win the WBO belt. Castano’s strength — high work rate and enormous stamina — plays directly into Charlo’s weakness, his propensity for fighting in spurts and his dependence on his out-of-the-blue power to bail him out of tough situations. For this reason, Castano’s style could be nightmarish for Charlo, and had this fight been staged anywhere but Charlo’s home state of Texas I’d predict an outright victory for Castano. But because this event is in San Antonio — and because Castano’s last five fights have averaged 10.6 rounds — the fight will likely go the distance and in that event Castano must dominate to an extra high degree to get the “W.” Therefore, my guess is that while Castano may well win the fight, Charlo will win the decision.”

MICHAEL WOODS: CHARLO KO
“Jermell is going to be more impressive with his foe than Jermall was with his recently. Castano doesn’t get the respect he maybe deserves coming into this match–and part of that I think has to do with a quick-take assumption from the gut. Man is 17-0-1, people might think he’s not seasoned enough to be in this sort of fight. I look for Jermell to score his fourth KO in a row, around round 9 or 10.”

RON BORGES: CHARLO KO 9
“Castano may prove to be a more worthy opponent than some think but in the end it won’t matter. Jermell Charlo will figure out what he’s up against by midway through the fight and end this title defense around the ninth round with a resounding thud.”

MARTY MULCAHEY: CHARLO MD
“This is a fight that will turn on the finest of margins, and I can envision multiple scenarios for either man to emerge with a victory. I favor Jermell Charlo on the basis of a slightly superior skill-set and definitive height (4 inches) and reach (5 inches) advantages, which ironically Brian Castano has consistently overcome in great performances in the other man’s hometown. I want to pull the trigger and pick Castano, on account of intricacies like better timing and playing tricky angles, but Charlo is an adept boxer who should figure things out after 3 difficult opening rounds. From the fourth round on Jermell builds momentum, and maybe even drops Castano with a flash knockdown in late rounds. This one could be tricky for judges, so will go with a majority decision win for Charlo but maybe bettors should look into draw propositions with their on-line betting portal?”

MICHAEL MONTERO: CHARLO UD
“On the surface, the Charlo vs. Castaño matchup represents the toughest test for each man’s career to date. But I actually favor Charlo quite decisively here. The Houston native is nearly 4 inches taller and his reach is almost 6 inches longer. Those advantages, along with his faster hands, give Charlo an edge in this fight. In terms of styles, I feel Castaño plays right into the unified titleholder’s strengths. I think Carlo takes in on the cards, 117-111.”

NORM FRAUENHEIM: CHARLO SD
“The documented dimensions favor Charlo. He’s bigger. He’s 3½ inches taller. He has a 5½ advantage in reach. He’s fighting in his home state, Texas. He’s better-known. Yet, Buenos Aires junior-middleweight Brian Castano looms as a threat in a city, San Antonio, where a fellow Argentine scored a stunner in 2013. That’s when Marcos Maidana, then a relative unknown, exposed Adrien Broner in a notable upset at the Alamodome. Can history repeat itself at nearby AT&T Stadium? Yeah, if Charlo overlooks Castano. The guess is he won’t. All the belts at 154 pounds have heightened the stakes and his awareness. He’ll need every inch of his measurable advantages, especially in the late rounds of a closely-contested bout. Charlo wants to make some history. Not repeat some.”

 

BOXING INSIDERS

DUKE MCKENZIE (FORMER THREE-DIVISION TITLEHOLDER/TV ANALYST): CHARLO MD
“They say styles make fights; well, this is the perfect blend, two front-foot box fighters going at it. Charlo is the naturally bigger man, an excellent puncher, who will want to make a statement in this fight and push for bigger fish. However, Castano stands in his way – a good pressure fighter, high work rate and a nice variety of punches, which will cause Charlo some problems down the stretch. I see Charlo dominating the early exchanges and having to dig deep for a majority decision.”

RAUL MARQUEZ (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/COMMENTATOR): CHARLO UD
“Charlo needs to establish jab, maintain range and box him early. Castaño is tough, durable and has power. He brings it, throws a lot of punches and will try to make fight at close range. I can see Charlo trying to get a late round stoppage, but he’ll settle for unanimous decision win.”

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER): CHARLO PTS
“I’ve only seen Castano once so I don’t know a lot about him. I think he’ll try to come forward and bring the constant pressure, but, at the end of the day, Jermell Charlo probably wins a close decision.”

JULIAN WILLIAMS (FORMER WBA/ IBF JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER): CHARLO KO
“It’s a really close fight on paper. I favor Charlo slightly, but Castano is smaller and busy. Castano has experience facing that style. It’s gonna be a closely contested fight. I’m picking Charlo by KO late.”

TIM TSZYU (JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER): CHARLO PTS
“I think Charlo wins. I don’t think Castano is that special, he’s tough, gritty. There are two different levels in boxing, I think Charlo’s on top of him. I think it’ll go 12 rounds. I think Castano is going to come at him, Charlo is going to keep him at distance, score points, hug him, change distance, move around and score points and win the fight in that way. Do it smartly, I guess.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN (PROMOTER, EYE OF THE TIGER): CHARLO UD
“It is a very good fight I look forward to watching. I think this fight will be a close one. I see Charlo the winner by unanimous decision because of his reach, yet Castano is going to cause him some problems.”

JOLENE MIZZONE (MATCHMAKER, MAIN EVENTS): DRAW
“Draw – yup I said it, I am very high on both guys, but I think this one is going to be a close fight. Both guys can fight and both guys have fought tough opponents. I lean a little toward Castano, but with the fight being in Texas and having a Charlo crowd, it is going to be hard to get the decision.”

ROBERT DIAZ (MATCHMAKER, GOLDEN BOY): CHARLO UD
“Interesting fight and a lot at stake, as it’s for the four belts. Charlo is the more skilled and talented fighter, but Castaño will make it uncomfortable. He has a non-stop style of ‘in your face.’ I do not see a KO and expect a few good rounds in the beginning but a not so exciting bout in the end. Charlo by boring unanimous decision.”

CAMERON DUNKIN (PROMOTER, D&D BOXING): CHARLO UD
“That’s a 50-50 fight. I really like this fight. I like Castano, but I think Charlo wins a decision.”

JASON MCCLORY (HEAD OF BOXING, FIGHT ACADEMY AND FIGHTZONE TV): CHARLO KO
“I think the fight is a lot closer than people think. On the one hand you have Charlo who is a real unit standing at around 6 feet with a 73-inch reach and has shown he has the power to end a fight at any stage or box to unanimous points victory. Castano, on the other hand, is around 5-foot-7 with a 67-inch reach, but the great footwork and fast hand speed he possesses could cause Charlo some problems at first. Both have the ability to end the fight inside the distance, but my pick is Charlo by KO in the middle rounds.”

MARC RAMSAY (TRAINER): CHARLO UD
“Here’s an interesting fight. Two good boxers in their prime who compete to unify the belts. I find that the American media slightly underestimates Castano who is a very good boxer, good enough to cause all kinds of problems to Jermell Charlo, but just not enough to be able to defeat him. I predict this will be a great fight for the fans. Charlo by unanimous decision.”

WAYNE MCCULLOUGH (TRAINER): CHARLO TKO
Castano likes to be busy and stay close. If he can do that against Charlo, and take his hard shots, he has a chance. Charlo can fight long or in close. He throws hard short punches which will be good for this fight. I think Castano will get caught by left hooks when he tries to go in close. Charlo will give himself the room to punch and probably get a stoppage in the first half of this fight.”

FINAL TALLY: CHARLO 19-0-1

https://www.ringtv.com/624271-fight-picks-jermell-charlo-brian-castano/

 

BRIAN CASTANO: JERMELL CHARLO HAS NEVER SEEN ANYBODY WITH MY FIGHTING STYLE

Nearly a decade after Brian Castano turned pro in his home country of Argentina, fought his way up the ranks and claimed a junior middleweight world title, he stands on the precipice of entering the rare air in boxing that he has dreamed about since he was a little boy.

He will square off with Jermell Charlo for the undisputed junior middleweight championship in the main event of a Showtime-televised tripleheader on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio that will crown the winner as the first undisputed 154-pound champion of the four-belt era.

“This is my opportunity. This is the fight of my life,” Castano, who holds the WBO title, said through a translator. “I’m a world champion and Charlo is a world champion. It’s the chance to become undisputed and I can’t wait. This is my era; this is my time. This fight is so important for my life. I hope to become undisputed for my country and for my Latin supporters.”

There has not been an undisputed junior middleweight champion since Winky Wright, then the IBF titleholder, won a unanimous decision to upset Ring Magazine, WBA and WBA counterpart Shane Mosley in March 2004 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“This is one of the most important fights in Argentina’s history, the last 20, 30, 50 years,” Castano said. “It’s for four belts, undisputed at 154 pounds. It’s a great opportunity for my team, my manager (Sebastian Contursi), my family and most importantly, for me.”

Indeed, the 31-year-old Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) takes on The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs), 31, of Houston, who is the clear favorite and making the second defense of his second title reign. Charlo knocked out Jeison Rosario in the eighth round of a unification bout last September.

Castano, who fought to a draw with Erislandy Lara in March 2019, has won both of his fights since, including the biggest win of his career so far on Feb .13 in Indio, California.

That is where Castano, who was the mandatory challenger, cruised to a surprisingly one-sided decision – 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111 — over Patrick Teixeira to claim his belt.

Charlo, however, is on another level compared to Teixeira, and Castano acknowledged that.

“This will be the hardest fight of my career,” he said.


The Target: Jermell Charlo displays all of his 154-pound belts including the coveted Ring Magazine title as trainer Derrick James looks on. Photo by Amanda Wescott / SHOWTIME

But it is the sort of fight Castano has prepared for for many years. He had an extensive amateur career, going 179-5-5, including a 20-11 victory against Errol Spence Jr. in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pan American Games qualifier in Venezuela, and a unanimous decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2013 in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing.

As a young boy, however, he was not that interested in boxing.

“When I was little I used to play soccer just like all the other little kids in Argentina,” Castano said. “But then when I was six I started to get into boxing. Once I was nine years old I started to train more seriously. And then when I was 11 I started fighting.”

He was introduced to the sport by his father, Carlos Castano, who is his trainer. Carlos boxed as an amateur and was 2-2 as a professional welterweight in the early 2000s.

“My interest in boxing was because of my dad, Carlos,” Castano said.

Castano turned pro in 2012 and had the first eight fights of his career in Argentina. But after linking up with Contursi and Premier Boxing Champions, he has fought seven of his past 10 fights in the U.S.

But he has not had an easy road. He traveled to France for a pair of tough fights in 2017 and 2018, defeating Michel Soro and Cedric Vitu (to claim a secondary title), before taking on Lara.

“It’s been a long time coming in the sense that I had to go through a lot to get to where we are now,” Castano said. “But all credit goes to my team, Sebastian Contursi. Once I met him, he opened up a lot of doors for me when I came to the U.S. My mindset has always been to come to the United States, to fight abroad, and fortunately I had the opportunity to do so. And now it’s the pinnacle of our effort, the unification fight.”

His father/trainer Carlos, 57, has been by his side throughout the journey as has younger brother and professional junior middleweight Alan Castano (13-1, 8 KOs). Carlos is as pumped up as his son is for Saturday’s showdown.

“We’re going to give it our all and, God willing, unite the titles,” he said on Showtime’s “All Access” show. “It’s going to be a major war. I hope (Charlo is) ready for the battle that’s coming. It won’t be easy for Charlo. We’ve worked hard and my son has balls. He can take it. It’s in his blood. He can take punishment. He’s not a coward. He moves forward and he’s strong. Let’s see what happens.”


Brian Castano, of course, believes he knows what will happen – that he will have his hand raised in what would be one of the biggest wins in Argentinean boxing history.

“Unifying titles is the ultimate challenge, but my focus is to represent the light blue and white of the Argentinean flag,” Castano said proudly.

He knows the rich boxing history of his country and the magnitude of a win against Charlo.

“Argentina has a very strong legacy of fighters that left their mark in the sport like Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez and Carlos Monzon,” Castano said. “There is (Jorge) Castro and (Juan Martin) Coggi also and I’m proud to be part of that legacy. Winning is really important to me because no Latin fighter has ever unified (four) belts like I am going to do and it will be a very strong sense of pride for me to keep adding to the Argentinean boxing legacy.

“I am out for glory. I want to be the first in history to be undisputed champion at 154 pounds in the four-belt era and also be one of the best Argentinean and Latin American boxers that ever lived. I’m going for it all. I’m going to leave it all out there on Saturday night and there’s no reason why I can’t be both — one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and also one of the best Argentinean boxers ever.”

That is why Castano said he took the fight with Charlo instead of seeking a soft fight like so many titleholders do in their first defense.

“Why did I choose this fight? To prove why I am the world champion,” Castano said. “I could have taken lesser fights to defend my belt but I wasn’t interested in that because if I am here in the U.S., away from my country for four, five, six months and have to pay for the sparring, pay for the gym, pay for the car, pay for the rent, I better make it worth my while, right?

“That’s why I chose this fight, because I am going for glory and if you go for glory you have to fight best. And if you face the best you are going to be rewarded eventually. I want to be both the best pound for pound and be the best in my division. That’s the goal and that’s why I chose this fight.”

He has spent three months training in Los Angeles, taking the fight so seriously that he married his longtime girlfriend, Carolina, in April and instead of going on a honeymoon he flew to Los Angeles to open camp three days later. Contursi said there is good reason for Castano to be that serious about the fight.

“We all know that Jermell Charlo is a great fighter,” Contursi said. “We see him as not only a puncher, but a smart guy. He’s very intelligent the way he counterpunches and the way he attacks whenever he sees an opening. I would say he’s a complete fighter – he does almost everything well.”

Castano has also shown Charlo ample respect, but he is extremely confident.

“Charlo is a great fighter, there’s no doubt about it,” Castano said. “But I came here to do my job and I’m going to come forward. I’m the type of fighter that is always going after you. I’m always there to pressure you. Even though Charlo said that I don’t have anything he hasn’t seen before, he has never seen anybody with my fighting style.

“So, I am going to try to do my best. This is the fight I’ve been waiting for my whole life. I have come a long way and I have had to do so much to get here. Charlo is the opponent to beat but I am here to do my job. That’s the bottom line. I can guarantee that I will bare my soul, I will leave my heart in the ring and do everything in my power to become the undisputed champion of the world.”

https://www.ringtv.com/624263-brian...as-never-seen-anybody-with-my-fighting-style/

 

And nothing he says here is incorrect. Which is precisely why I'm picking Castano to win.

 

It's 3 days away, this isn't the first you're hearing about it is it?

 

Agree... although, you probably should've worded your response a little better.