With junior middleweight champions Brian Castano and Jermall Charlo set to duke it out once again in a May 14 Showtime main event, Castano held a media workout today and spoke about what it’s going to take to make a clear and decisive win following their split draw last summer.
“I’m very happy to be fighting in front of the Latino fans in Southern California,” Castano said. “My message to the fans is that I’m going to leave it all in the ring. We’re going to be lifting up all four belts on fight night.
“I do believe that I won the first fight. It might have been by a small margin, but I won it. This time, we’re going to try everything to make sure we don’t leave the fight in the hands of the judges.”
Castano and Charlo had previously been scheduled to have their rematch in March but Castano suffered a biceps injury forcing a postponement — something Charlo has consistently implied was contrived and a sign of weakness. Castano, however, says he’s ready to thump now and isn’t interested in engaging in Charlo’s antics.
“I was training with one hand for quite a few weeks after the arm injury” Castano mentioned. “But right now I really feel better and stronger than ever.
“I come to do my job. He can come in yelling and screaming, but I don’t really care. I’m focused on the task and just doing what I need to.”
With the last fight being so close, Castano says he’s aware that he’ll have to create some separation in this rematch to ensure he’s clearly the better fighter.
“We had a lot to learn from the first fight with Charlo,” Castano said about tailoring his approach. “One of the biggest things that I learned is to be more cautious at times while I’m in the ring. He’s powerful, but I’m going to bring my power too. We learned from the first fight and we’re going to correct any errors we made.”
If Castano manages to pull off the win this time around, he’ll be undisputed junior middleweight champion of the world with plenty of opportunities at his feet, but he says he’ll defer to whatever fights the fans want.
“I’m always going to fight whoever the fans want me to face. Give me the name, and I’m ready to go. I want to fight the best. Elite opponents are what motivate me.”
But we all know Charlo is a proud and overly animated champion in his own right, and won’t be coming to lay down for Castano. Charlo’s been bringing the hostility all promotion but Castano wants to use it as fuel.
“Our press conference was intense and our exchanges definitely motivated me a lot. He saw a different fight than I did, if he saw himself winning eight rounds. I don’t know what he saw, because I felt like I won by two points.”
Castano’s father and trainer also shared his perspective, adding that he’s expecting a tough fight against a Charlo who will certainly come to fight but that they’ve covered all bases in training camp.
“This rematch is going to be a hard fight,” Carlos Castano said. “It is going to be an even closer fight than the first one. We have to be prepared for everything entering into the ring.
“We are ready to fight all 12 rounds. It is going to be a 12-rounds full of action. We know Charlo’s potential, and that he’s got great power. If it were up to me, I would prefer to get the knockout, but I also know we have a tough opponent.
“I look at Brian first and foremost as a boxer. When he is training, inside the ring, during the fight – I am his trainer. Outside of the boxing gym, I am then his father and he is my son.”