By Allan Fox: Brian Castano says he’s ready to take on Jermell Charlo next for the undisputed junior middleweight championship after beating WBO 154-lb champion Patrick Teixeira last Saturday night.
If Charlo doesn’t lose his nerve and rejects this fight, we’re going to see the war from start to finish.
Castano threw over 1100 punches against Teixeira, which was against a fighter that he had to chase down.
Jermell hasn’t shown himself capable of throwing anywhere close to 1000 punches in a fight. He doesn’t have that kind of crazy punch out.
Also, Jermell isn’t a great mover, so he’s going to have to actually fight Castano rather than avoid him the way Teixeira attempted to do initially last Saturday night.
Undefeated Castano (17-0-1. 12 KOs) says it’s his dream to fight for all four belts against IBF/WBA/WBC champion Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) for the top position in the division.
Castano says for adviser Al Haymon to let him know about the Charlo fight, and he’ll be ready to start training camp.
The height o the 5’11” Charlo will be an obstacle for the 5’7 1/2″ Castano. Still, he did well in negating the identical height of the 5’11 1/2″ Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) in beating him by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision.
Castano crowded Teixeira with pressure and beat him up on the inside in their clash at the Fantasy Springs in Indio, California. The scores were 119-109, 120-108, and 117-111.
Jermell Charlo’s reaction to Castano capturing the WBO title:
“Need that belt on this side. Little homie got to handle up,” said Charlo on social media.
Castano wants Jermell Charlo next
“I feel very happy. Patrick Teixeira is a good fighter; he is very strong,” said Brian Castano to Fighthub. “This fight was very difficult. Now I feel good after this fight.
“It’s a dream. This is my time and my era. Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Castano said when asked if Charlo is next.
“Charlo is a great fighter. Maybe this is more strong than 154 pounds. I want this fight. My next fight, I want to fight with him.
“This is a great fighter. Me too. I’m waiting for Al Haymon, and I am waiting for this fight. I am ready. I am waiting for the opportunity,” said Castano.
It’s not just Haymon that will decide if this match takes place. Charlo, 30, will have some say so obviously on whether the contest can happen.
He’s already been beaten once by Tony Harrison, and he might not like the idea of dealing with a nonstop pressure fighter like Castano.
It’s not just the pressure from the Argentinean Castano that will cause Charlo problems; it’s the punch output.
No problems for Castano taking Charlo
“How many months for the next fight? I am ready,” Castano said. “Maybe rest for a month, and come in again to training camp.
“I have no problem. Al Haymon tells me, ‘Hey, you fight in two months,’ no problem.
“It’s better for me. I’m training for five months here, training hard every day, rest for two weeks, and training again. I have no problem.
“Maybe he’s more tall, more large, but I don’t know,” said Castano when asked how he matches up against Jermell Charlo.
Castano connected on 33% of his 1100 shots, which is a fairly high percentage. Those were power shots, and they did damage to the face of Teixeira.
Charlo is similar to Teixeira because he throws mostly single shots and counts on his ability to hurt his opponents. He likes to set traps, which sometimes but not always.
When it works for Charlo, we see him knocking out his foes. When it doesn’t, he struggles badly as he did in his first fight against Tony Harrison.
Brian impressed with Charlo
“He’s a great fighter, a complete fighter, I think so. Me too, and it’s a great fight,” Castano said.
“With Charlo, it’s going to be like tossing a coin. I am ready for him, and I’m training every day.
“My dream is I have the four belts. I want this fight. Now I relax this month, and in two weeks, I come training again, but I need time to talk with my manager and relax. In a month, I’ll be training hard again.,” said Castano.
Unlike his brother Jermall, who seems to be more relaxed against pressure fighters, Jermell stresses badly and struggles.
If Jermell can’t handle the pressure from Castano, we’re going to see him fall apart just like Teixeira. Jermall is more suited to the style of fighting that Castano brings than his high-strung brother Jermell.