This is an excellent match up between the number one and number two guys in the super welterweight division with all of the belts on the line. Jermell Charlo has been working his way through the division for a number of years now and has a good resume which would be tipped off with becoming undisputed champion if he can win this fight. Brian Castano also has a few notable wins and recently won the WBO world title to set himself up for this unification.
Jermell Charlo in his current form is a patient power puncher who doesn’t throw many punches but the ones he does let out are accurate and spiteful. He likes to throw out the jab occasionally while circling the ring to keep the range the fight is fought at how he wants it to be. A lot of his offensive punches are overhand rights or left hooks and a combination he likes to throw is the overhand right and then a left hook right behind it. Another one he’s fond of is throwing a hook from either hand one after the other with power behind them. He’ll normally start off with the hand that is opposite of the way the two fighters are circling the ring. He has power in both hands and clearly aims to finish the fight and hurt his opponents rather than just do enough to win. I’m very impressed with his ring IQ as he always seems to know what he wants to do and where he wants the fight to be fought at and rarely lets his opponents dictate that. A big part of that is his defence which is more than reasonable as it’s a mixture of movement around the ring and also grabbing and holding his opponents when they start to settle into their rythm and get into a good position. I thought Charlo used this very effectively in the Rosario fight where he shut Rosario down as soon as he got into positions to effectively let his hands go.
Brian Castano is a volume puncher with a good amateur background. He doesn’t have power of Charlo but comes forward and throws in combination and is probably the most active fighter in the division in terms of punches thrown. He has decent upper body movement to get into range though can be inconsistent and get caught coming in. He also sometimes gets stuck in the mid range while trying to get in close to get his punches off and versus Charlo this is a dangerous spot. He has a good chin but I have seen him be dropped and hurt by a much lesser puncher than Charlo so I don’t expect him to just walk through his punches.
I don’t think Castano will be quite as active as he usually is because of respect for Charlo’s power and that will hurt him as Charlo will find it easier to put his game plan into play. I think Castano will outwork Charlo in a lot of the rounds but will find himself hurt and knocked down a few times before being stopped due to his aggressiveness and how accurate Charlo is. He will give Charlo plenty of opportunities to hit him and versus a power puncher who’s accurate its a tough ask as the smaller man to continuously get into range without getting tagged. I think Jermell Charlo will win by knockout in the 9th round and become the first four belt undisputed champion at Cruiserweight. It should be a great fight while it lasts and i’m looking forward to it.
Boxing Fulcrum 