PACQUIAO vs. CASTILLO @ 135 lbs

He COULD have fought Castillo if he didn't make the safe fights with Morales II and III

 

castillo hit just as hard as manny and had a great chin in his prime, but he could be beat fighting him from a distance. manny, being the smaller man, makes up for reach disadvantages with great footwork and his newly applied boxing techniques he didn't use under 130. i think it would of been close, jlc was a beast himself at 135, but i'd pick pacquiao on a split decision

 

Pac has to show me that he can be effective fighting on the back foot and not being the aggressor for a change, which is exactly what he would have to do in order to beat JLC imo. I can't see Pac backing a tough and durable guy like JLC up all night (though if he did he would win). As generally shown in all of Pac's fights when his opponent forces him to back away he gets dominated in those instances. JLC is not a master counter punching by any means, but I believe he had the ability to be an effective counter puncher, not to mention the way he would shoot the hook to body and come right back with the right hand. In order for Pac to win he would have to be the aggressor forcing JLC to play the counterpunching role, which I don't see JLC allowing him to do.

Whoever executes their game plan would be victorious. I believe it would be a long grueling fight similar to Pac-Morales I, though I can't quite call a winner I lean more towards Castillo as Pac only had 1 fight at the weight.

 

Considering that a shot Morales was able to pressure the hell out of Pac at 130, then at 135 I'm inclined to go with the best pressure fighter of the early 2000's in Castillo.

 

I always thought Castillo was a real bad ass at 135, even before his epic battle with Corrales, so looking at the poll's result, you might think everyone has really forgotten about this man and just remember the very shot Castillo who was bullied by Hatton at 140.

Castillo was a big LW. He was strong. He had a very respectable power there, and probably had an underrated boxing skills as well. Just going 10 straight rounds of pure hell and terrifying inside fighting against a monster puncher in Corrales should give you an idea of his grit and heart, and his toughness.

Maybe Pac can beat him with his combination of speed and power, but Castillo also had the tools to beat Pac at 135. I might favor Pacquiao more to beat Corrales than him beating Castillo. It is that close.

 

Castillo disposed of a prime Lazcano very easily. Hatton was nearly KO by a SHOT Lazcano.

A Prime Castillo, with his pressure style would give Pac all kinds of fits, hell a weaker, old Morales was able to beat Pac with pressure, imagibe what a prime, strong, and big LW like Castillo would do to Pac.

 

JLC is a guy who would give Pac hell with educated pressure. He was a vicious body puncher with an iron chin, could cut off a ring and a big and strong LW. I think he would have gotten the best of Pac on the inside cut off the ring, bullied him into the ropes and got to Pac's body and stopped him late.