As fans everywhere know, Floyd “T.B.E” Mayweather never lost a fight. Officially. At 50-0, Mayweather has very impressive numbers. But to this day, many people – fans, experts and fellow fighters – insist Mayweather was beaten; on this day 18 years ago.
Mayweather met a Mexican warrior named Jose Luis Castillo.
The fight, taking place at 135 pounds, Mayweather having moved up from super-feather, proved to be a very hard night for both men. Castillo, smart and tough, put the pressure on Mayweather and he kept it going all night long. Mayweather, the younger man by three years at age 25, bagged the early rounds, but Castillo, like many Mexican fighters a slowish starter, came on. And hard.
Targeting the body, Castillo had major success. Castillo cut off the ring on Floyd, allowing the then “Pretty Boy” no escape, and he fought patiently. Mayweather’s superb defensive prowess, which had frustrated so many of his opponents, didn’t have the same effect on Castillo. Mayweather was tired at the end, no doubt about it. He had come through the single toughest fight of his 29 fight pro career and he knew it.
HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman may have swayed many fans with his 115-111 tally in favor of the Mexican tough guy, but many other people had Castillo winning close. Dan Rafael (then of ESPN) had it all level at 114-114. As for the three men that mattered – the scores of the judges were a wide 116-111 and 115-111 twice, in favor of Mayweather. Castillo was adamant he had done enough to win. Maybe he did deserve the nod.
Looking back all these years later, how did YOU have the fight scored?
https://youtu.be/rKDc0R8gzbc
Credit goes to Floyd for agreeing to fight Castillo again. The return, which came in December of the same year (after Mayweather had undergone shoulder surgery, his injured left shoulder being to blame, he claimed, for his less than great performance in the first fight), saw Mayweather win quite clearly. There were no arguments this time.
But that first fight, well……..