Fight Preview: Charlo vs Castano
Source: Premier Boxing Champions
Unified junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo (34-1, 18KOs) is defending his title against WBO champion Brian Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) onSaturday, July 17th.
The event takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas and will be broadcast live on Showtime under the Premier Boxing Champions banner. This will be a 12-round bout in the junior middleweight division at the weight limit of 154 pounds.
Charlo will be defending the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and The Ring titles against Castano and is striving for division supremacy.
Both boxers are ranked in the top five of The Ring Magazine in the junior middleweight division, with Charlo as the lineal champion and Castano at number three.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Charlo is a -265 betting favorite and Castano is the betting underdog at +200.
For Charlo, it will be his first fight since unifying the three belts back in September 2020. His last fight saw him knockout Jeison Rosario in the eighth round.
Similar to his twin brother Jermall, Charlo has a powerful lead hook. Charlo is an aggressive in-fighter when he senses vulnerability in his opponent, in addition to being a forward pressing boxer.With his last three fights ending by knockout, these pressures could work in his favor.
Castano, meanwhile, is fighting for the second time this year. In February, Castano defeated Patrick Texiera to capture the WBO junior middleweight title.
Castano is also a pressure boxer, closing in space to fight on the inside and take away the reach advantage that his opponents may have.While Charlo throws to set up combinations and power shots, Castano throws everything with heavy hands. Complemented with his aggression, his fighting style could prove disruptive to the unified champion.
The significance of becoming an undisputed world champion in boxing may be overlooked nowadays due to the success of Teofimo Lopez and Josh Taylor in just the past year. But fighting for all four major world titles is a difficult task in boxing today, and doing so cements legacies.
On July 17th, Charlo has the chance to not only become undisputed in the sport of boxing, but become a top draw. By becoming undisputed, Charlo can either defend in the division or move up to middleweight and challenge the likes of Gennady Golovin or Demetrius Andrade.
For Castano, he would be in a small group of Argentinian greats like Carlos Monzón and Hugo Corro if he is able to unify the belts. This is the opportunity for Castano to become a household name in boxing.
To watch Charlo vs. Castano, tune in Saturday, July 17th on Showtime at 9pm EST.