Mihai Nistor survived two knockdowns to score two of his own, having the final say in a second-round knockout of Baltimore’s Colby Madison in a wild heavyweight shootout Friday afternoon at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
Both fighters were down once each in rounds one and two, with Madison unable to continue following his second trip the canvas in ending the fight at 2:16 of round two.
Romania’s Nistor (3-0, 3KOs) brought the heat from the opening bell, looking for an early exit in his first fight since the pandemic. His tactic worked to a degree in cornering Madison and sending him to the canvas midway through the opening round. Nistor threw caution to the wind, paying the price as Madison floored him late in the round.
Nistor was in bad shape after getting clipped with a short right hand midway through round two. Madison moved in to close the show, only to once again hit the deck. Raferee Raul Caiz Sr. began to issue a count, only to deem Madison (9-3-2, 6KOs) unable to continue.
Starling Castillo couldn’t have enjoyed a more favorable U.S. debut.
The hard hitting Dominican prospect picked up his most significant win to date, scoring a second-round knockout of Miguel Contreras in their battle of unbeaten lightweights. A straight left hand out Contreras down and out at 0:46 of round two.
Castillo entered the bout highly regarded, represented by industry-wide respected promoter Sampson Lewkowicz and eager to prove his worth on the stateside scene. After plying his trade in his native Dominican Republic, Castillo embraced the challenge of Contreras (11-1, 6KOs), a 23-year-old prospect from Bakersfield, California who is co-managed by Rick Mirigian and Gabe Flores Sr.
The bout was a step in class in both directions, though with Castillo ultimately rising to the occasions. An exchange at center ring saw Castillo (15-0, 12KOs) connect with a body shot then come back up top with a left hand to clip Contreras on the chin for the bout’s lone knockdown. It was enough to produce an immediate halt to the contest, with referee Ray Corona signaling for ringside physicians to tend to Contreras who made it to his feet but was taken to the locker room on a stretcher for precautionary measures.
The aforementioned fights aired on Golden Boy and DAZN’s social media channels preceding a four-fight DAZN telecast headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Gilberto Ramirez (41-0, 27KOs) and Sullivan Barrera (22-3, 14KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox