The first fight between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano was exciting with an inconclusive result as the unification of four junior middleweight belts ended in a split draw. The two clashed on Saturday night with both men looking to make a statement. The two did exactly that, as both delivered exciting moments in the ring before Charlo scored a Round 10 knockout to become the undisputed king of the division.
The fight got off to a delayed start after Castaño arrived late at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson California. With Jaron “Boots” Ennis handling business in the co-feature in just two rounds, Castano needed time to wrap his hands, sweat and put on his gloves.
If the delay in starting the fight had any impact on Charlo, he didn’t let it show. Charlo immediately showed some key tweaks in the July 2021 clash with Castaño, pumping out a steady diet of punches and being much less happy about staying with his back to the ropes as Castaño moved on.
Castaño would eventually start to find success with his forward movement, landing good right hands in an attempt to stop Charlo’s jab. As Castano found more success, Charlo responded with some hard left hooks and the action escalated dramatically with both men landing brutal power shots.
As the fight progressed into the second half, Charlo’s movement again took over the fight. Castaño was able to let go of his hands with less success and Charlo began to focus clearly on his attempt to land a left hook that changed the fight.
In round 10, that left hook finally came when Charlo landed a shot that led to Castaño hitting the canvas in a delayed knockdown. As Castaño beat the count, Charlo swooped in with a fight-ending flurry, which he finished with a left hook to the body and an uppercut. I talk like the man who has four world championships at 154 pounds.
Asked about the delay in the start of the fight, Charlo dismissed the situation that affects him in some way.
“You know, I’m just getting into the fight,” Charlo said. “I don’t mind being late. I don’t care who comes early. Once I get to this place, I have to.”
Charlo and Castano exchanged kind words after the fight, with Castano saying the difference between a draw and a knockout loss was simply “that it hit me.”
Having now captured all four world titles at 154 pounds, Charlo suggested his future may be an attempt to do the same at a weight class.
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“This is a legacy,” Charlo said. “This is legendary stuff. I’m a legend. Thank God. I’m not done, dog. Might as well go up to 160 and see if I can do it again.”
However, there is a problem with any potential middleweight acquisition, as Charlo’s twin brother Jermall holds the WBC world championship at 160 pounds.
CBS Sports was with you all the way on Saturday, so be sure to follow the live results and highlights below.
billboard results
- Jermell Charlo (c) right. Brian Castaño by TKO in the tenth round
- Defeat of Jaron Ennis. Custio Clayton by knockout in the second round
- Kevin Gonzalez right. Emanuel Rivera by unanimous decision (96-64, 97-93, 98-92)
Dashboard Charlo vs. Chestnut 2, live coverage
| chat | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | TKO | 87 | ||
| Chestnut | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 84 |
Reference-www.cbssports.com