13.11.07 – By James Slater: Tonight, in Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany, Javier Castillejo of Spain stopped Argentine Mariano Natalio Carrera in six very watchable rounds of boxing at middleweight. Setting up a third fight with current WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm, the amazing 39 year-old Spaniard also avenged what was first thought to have been a loss to the 27 year-old from Argentina. Stopped in the eleventh round of their December 2006 fight, Castillejo’s loss was later ruled a No-Contest due to Carrera’s failed drugs test. Tonight, however, Castillejo scored a most emphatic win to clear up any doubts there may have been about who is the better fighter..
The fight started off at a high pace and remained that way throughout. Castillejo really started to work his man over in round number two, as he scored with a variety of punches that included a hard body shot, a right hand to the head and an equally potent looking uppercut upstairs.
Carrera, who had reportedly struggled to make the pre-fight limit of 160 pounds, came back well in the third, however. Stunning the older man with a number of jarring headshots, the Argentine seemed to be overcoming a very slow start. As it turned out, this third round was to be his best session of the contest.
Dropped right at the end of round five by a right hand to the head, Carrera was finished off in the following round. Two brutal left uppercuts to the jaw nailed Carrera as he had his back to the ropes and down he went. Referee Steve Smoger then took an inordinate amount of time to signal the end to the contest, this despite the fact that Carrera was utterly beaten. The action had been crowd pleasing, and there were no complaints from anyone about how the fight ended.
Castillejo, who improved to 62-7(42) and who was out pointed by Oscar De La Hoya at light-middleweight back in 2001, now looks forward to a third title clash with WBA 160 pound king Felix Sturm – having won a tenth round TKO over the German, before losing on points over twelve rounds in a return meeting.
The future looks less clear for tonight’s loser in Carrera, who fell to 31-5(22). At his young age of 27, Carrera will surely rebound, however.