Jose Luis Castillo Has a Lot to Gain, Win or Lose.
Jose Luis Castillo will enter the ring this Saturday against WBO champion, Diego Corrales, one of the most feared knockout artists in all of the lightweight division. Making a mark in the featherweight division, Castillo’s talent for boxing and determination could be sensed early on. His 2000 majority decision win over Stevie Johnston caused some uproar, but still displayed a boxer’s true heart and ambition as he walked away with a win. In the lower weight divisions, rematches are not a bargaining chip and these gutsy boxers are always willing to immediately get it on, if there is room for doubt. This would be the case as a Castillo vs. Johnston rematch would end in a draw. It was a very interesting fight indeed, as a judge’s scorecard was mishandled and with this slight error, Johnston was declared winner. To keep the story as concise as possible, Johnston ended up in Castillo’s locker room handing back the WBC lightweight title. A very interesting tale of two fights.
Up the level of competition along with Castillo being the WBC lightweight champion, and we have a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight that was Mayweather’s most challenging obstacle. This fight would induce some fans to side with Castillo as the winner, even though Mayweather earned the decision. This cloud over Mayweather would push Mayweather into a rematch and another tough and competitive match would evolve.
Jose Luis Castillo has a record of experience with fifty-two wins, forty-two KOs and six losses. His latest opposition level is impressive to say the least, with wins over Juan Lazcano, Joel Casamayor and Julio Diaz, all which resulted in decision wins respectively. These fights were tests of strength, unrestrained punching and an increase in Castillo’s overall boxing stock. He holds the WBC lightweight title once again and did not give up on his quest of recapturing it or bounce to another weight division when the decision did not sway his way against Mayweather.
Castillo went back to the gym and accepted medium level opposition in between waiting for top-level competition. Now entering into a fourth straight fight with an above average boxer-puncher in Diego Corrales, could this be overload for Castillo due to all the ring rounds and abundance of receiving powerful counter punching? Will the consistency of these hard fights be a set back when facing Corrales? Maybe, it could be the opposite and the greater opposition could equal Castillo proving to be a better fighter, improving and enhancing his innate boxing skills.
A boxer with a strong mentality adding more quality towards his boxing matches could all be ingredients for Castillo to set his legacy in place. If he beats Diego, whom could Castillo face next? Of course, we are speaking in terms of a convincing defeat, one that leaves no room for a rematch. A fight with Acelino Freitas could be a future match, but Freitas is taking steps towards rebuilding and a risky match with Castillo would be too much of a gamble. Another fight with Casamayor or Almazbek Raiymkulov (Kid Diamond), who is facing Casamayor are also possibilities. The winner of the Casamayor-Raiymkulov fight is a direct future possibility for Castillo. Understand one of the high qualities in being a fan of the lighter weight divisions; the possibility of a great fight is always looming and a rematch is not something that’s impossible. These guys come to fight, and no matter the outcome of this Castillo vs. Corrales fight or the chances of one or both advancing to junior welterweight, One thing is for sure, expect a match with heartfelt emotions and a high altitude of boxing, slugging and again, the potential for a rematch in late summer. That’s what champions do, they fight until only one is left standing in the division and with the lighter divisions, they will advance to the next weight class, to set a new statement. Good luck Castillo.
Shaun Rico LaWhorn can be reached at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com