By Dan Ambrose: Jermell Charlo will have his IBF, WBA & WBC junior middleweight titles in play when he battles WBO champion Brian Castano for the undisputed championship on July 17th on Showtime.
The Charlo vs. Castano fight was made official on Thursday for Showtime after weeks of talk. This is a big deal for ‘Iron Man’ Charlo, as it will not only cement him in as the #1 fighter at 154, but it will also further separate him from his twin brother, Jermall Charlo, who holds the WBC middleweight title.
Jermall is fighting on June 19th on Showtime in defending against #4 WBC Juan Macias Montiel.
Jermell, 30, is taking the tougher test by far with his unification fight against the unbeaten Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs0, who is coming off an impressive 12 round unanimous decision win over WBO champ Patrick Teixeira on February 13th.
Charlo has developed his punching power in the six years, knocking out seven out of his last nine opponents since 2015. In Jermell’s last fight, he stopped IBF/WBA 154lb champion Jeison Rosario in the eighth round last September.
The victory for the little Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) earned him the IBF and WBA belts and now puts him in a position to create history by becoming the first undisputed champion at 154 if he beats Castano.
As good as Castano looked against Teixeira last February, you can’t rule out a win for him over Charlo because he’s got a great inside game. Moreover, Castano’s work rate is unlimited, as he throws punches nonstop without let up.
Castano made an outstanding champion look bad with how he outworked Teixeira on the inside and easily beat him by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 119-109, 120-108, and 117-111.
The casual boxing fans not familiar with the 31-year-old Argentinian Castano might view this as a sure-thing win for Charlo, but they could be in for a shock. Castano is one of those fighters with an excellent, who forces his opponents into grueling wars.
Charlo hasn’t been in too many wars before, and it’s unclear whether he can handle that type of fight where he’s forced to eat a lot of punches for 12 rounds.
Earlier in Charlo’s career, he struggled when he fought opposition that could handle his power.
Castano is the type of guy that can take an excellent shot, as we saw in his fights with Erislandy Lara and Teixeira. Brian fought Lara to a 12 round draw in March 2019 in a fight that he easily could have won.
If Castano can take Charlo’s power, it could be a long night for the twin. He’ll have Castano all over him the entire fight, and it might end badly for him.
What Castano has going against him against Charlo is his thin resume during his nine-year pro career.
Despite having been a pro for almost a decade, the only two names that stand out on Castano’s resume are Lara and Teixeira.
Once you get past those names, it’s mostly unimpressive opposition that Castano defeated in his home country of Argentina.