Last night at the AT&T Center in Houston Jermell Charlo and Brian Castaño faced off to unify the Jr. Middleweight titles. Charlo and Castaño put on great performances, so much so, that no unification resulted. The bout was ruled a split decision draw.
The bout was clearly a back and forth affair. Charlo and Castaño hurt each other early. Yet, Castaño appeared to build a good lead over Charlo who seemed to content to counterpunch. Aware that he may be behind on the scorecards, Jermell Charlo went on the offensive in the later rounds. In the 10th round, Charlo hurt Castaño badly. Castaño wobbled around the ring but never went down and survived to the final bell.
When it went to the scorecards Judge Steve Weisfeld had 114-113 for Castaño, while Nelson Vazquez had it 117-111 for Charlo. A score that has left many scratching their heads. Judge Tim Cheatham scored it 114-114, resulting in a split decision draw.
While the Vasquez score may have tarnished the night, the fight was close enough and what became clearly undisputed were the great performances by Charlo and Castaño. Which can only mean one thing – get ready for Charlo vs. Castaño 2. Until then check out the highlights here.
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Photo by Leo Wilson / Premier Boxing Champions