24.06.05 – By Malik Lee: ESPN 2’s friday night fights will air heavyweight’s Oleg “The Big O” Maskaev 30-5 (24 KO’s) scrapping against Livin Castillo 10-2 (7 KO’s) at the Taj Mahal in Atlanitic City, New Jersey on June 24, 2005. The Maskaev v Castillo will be the main event of the boxing promtion that start being televised at 9 p.m Eastern Standard Time.. The tale of the tape for Oleg Maskaev vs. Livin Castillo bout scheduled for 10 rounds reads as follows: Uzbekistan fighter Oleg Maskaev, hometown Staten Island, NY, 36 years-old, standing 6′ 3″, with a reach of 79″ fighting from an Orthodox stance. Ecuadorian fighter Livin Castillo, calling Atlantic City, NJ his hometown.
In 2000 Maskaev was considered a top heavyweight by many boxing voices, that were softened when he was knocked out by Kirk Johnson in the fourth round. The voices became a tiny few after his next fight five months later he was knocked out by Lance Whitaker in the second round. He managed to when his next two bouts by knock before their were no more voices after his lose to Corey Sanders (TKO 8) March 17, 2002. Maskaev took a 11 month layoff before fighting again winning his next eight fights with two of the eight going nine rounds.
Since 2000 Castillo has a spratic boxing record, with a extended lay off for 2 years after getting knocked out by Jean Marc Mormeck in round 3 in December of 2000. Castillo return to the ring in April of 2002 to win a knock out of Hugo Abad.
Maskaev’s camp may have been reaching to far when they chose to fight Oliver McCall in his seventh fight losing by TKO in the first round. Maskaev then ended up in the ring with David Tua after winning four fight only to lose by TKO in the eleventh round. A notable win for Maskaev was Novenber 6, 1999 when he knocked out Hasim Rahman in round 8 of their fight.
At the press conferance announcing the fight on ESPN 2, Maskaev’s camp sounded to have their own agenda by saying they guarantee he will be heavyweight champ and have been activly have been negotiationg with Vitali Klitschko camps to fight for Klitschko’s belt sanctioned by the WBC. Yet the WBC says Klitschko must face the winner of the WBC Interim Heavyweight Title
fight between Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett on August 13th, 2005 in Chicago or he will be choosing to vacat his WBC Title. With the winner of the Interim Title Fight becoming the true WBC Champion.
Maskaev was born in Zhambul, Uzbekistan, starting puglism for pay in 1993 weighing in around 220, in his last fight he weighted 237 pounds in January of 2005. Castillo born in Ecuador started his puglism for pay in 1999, losing his first fight in 2002 weighing in at 175 pounds fight as a light heavyweight, in his last fight in Augest of 2004 he weighed in at 202 pounds.