Former world champion Martin “El Gallo” Castillo and three-time world title challenger Jose Navarro hosted a media workout today at the South El Monte Community Gym.
Both fighters are training for world title fights which will be broadcast live on the pay-per-view extravaganza headlined by the 12-round rematch between undefeated world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and former undisputed world champion Jermain Taylor.
Promoted by Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment, Pavlik-Taylor II will take place Saturday, February 16 at the MGM Grand and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Castillo (33-2, 17 KOs), the former World Boxing Association super flyweight champion from Mexico City, will be challenging World Boxing Organization jr. bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (35-2-1, 26 KOs), from Los Mochis, Mexico. Navarro (26-3, 12 KOs), from Los Angeles, will be challenging World Boxing Council super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares (33-3-2, 13 KOs), from Gomez Palacio, Mexico.
Martin Castillo: “Montiel thinks I am a runner – that’s what I read on the internet – but that is not true. I am going in banging…I don’t like what he is saying about me and my style.
“After my last fight I began training immediately. I am in top condition. Rudy Perez teaches me about little things – things that I forgot about really – to win fights. Mijares vs. Navarro, that”s going to be a war – both are southpaws and it is a difficult fight for both. Who wins? You need a coin toss for that one!”
Jose Navarro: “Mijares has a lot of weapons. I know that. But he is standing in the way of my dreams. I have been training hard, high in the mountains in Big Bear and I am determined to win this fight. This time I’m coming home with the hardware.”