IBF/WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo and WBO champion Brian Carlos Castano will be meeting for a rematch in February in Houston, Texas.
Lance Pugmire is reporting the news of Charlo (34-1-1 18 KOs) and Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs) to fight in February after the two fought to a controversial 12 round draw earlier this year in July in San Antonio, Texas.
It’s a questionable move for the organizers to bring the rematch back to the state of Texas after the controversy over the draw for the Charlo vs. Castano fight.
Legions of fans believe that Castano should be the undisputed champion now after the way he worked Jermell over for 12 rounds last July.
There were very boxing fans that agreed with the fight being a draw, as most people felt that it was a slam dunk win for Castano. Needless to say, it was very, very odd scoring by the judges that worked the fight.
The judges’ scores for the fight: 117-111 Charlo, 114-114, and 114-113 for Castano. Boxing 247 scored it 116-112 Castano. The crowd was rooting loudly for Jermell the entire fight, so it’s possible the judges were influenced by the pro-Charlo fans going crazy every time he would throw a punch.
Jermell, 31, was born and raised in Texas, and currently lives in Houston. So to bring the rematch back to Texas and stage it in the city where Jermell lives, that’s giving him a huge advantage over the Argentinian Castano.
Obviously, Charlo is the A-side, so it’s not unexpected that he’s getting the rematch in his hometown in Houston. It’s going to look really bad if Charlo is given a controversial decision or draw in the second fight because the fans are going to feel that he’s someone that needs to be babied.
With the fight returning to Texas, Castano might need a knockout just to be safe.
You hate to think that the judges will mess up the results of the fight for a second time, but the scoring last time was disturbing. It would be a pity to see Charlo dodging another loss, thanks to controversial scoring.
Charlo looked tired and overmatched in many of the rounds against Castano last July.
Jermell seemed to tire out after the first half of the fight, and he spent the last part covering up on the ropes like a glorified sparring partner.
Charlo looked nothing like a three-belt 154-lb champion in that fight, and it’s hard to imagine him doing better in the rematch with Castano.