Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño

Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño was a unification professional boxing match contested between WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring light middleweight champion, Jermell Charlo, and WBO light middleweight champion, Brian Castaño, with the winner set to become the first undisputed light middleweight champion since Winky Wright in 2004 and the first in the four-belt era. The bout took place on July 17, 2021 that ended in a split draw.

Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño

Date	July 17, 2021
Venue	AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Title(s) on the line	WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring light middleweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Jermell Charlo Brian Castaño Nickname Iron Man El Boxi Hometown Lafeyette, Louisiana, U.S. Isidro Casanova, Argentina Pre-fight record 34–1 (18 KO) 17–0–1 (12 KO) Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm) Weight 153 lb (69 kg) 153+1⁄4 lb (70 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring light middleweight champion WBO light middleweight champion
Result
12-round split draw (117-111, 114-114, 113-114)

Background

After regaining his WBC title with a technical knockout victory against Tony Harrison in 2019,^[1] Charlo unified the light middleweight division with a knockout victory against WBA (Super) and IBF champion Jeison Rosario in 2020, picking up the vacant Ring magazine title in the process.^[2] Following the win, reigning WBO champion Patrick Teixeira expressed a desire to face Charlo in a fight for the undisputed championship. However, Teixeira had to fulfill his obligation to face the WBO's mandatory challenger, former WBA (Regular) champion, Brian Castaño.^[3]

In late 2019, after Teixeira was elevated from interim to full champion, the WBO designated Castaño as Teixeira's mandatory challenger.^[4] The pair faced off in February 2021, with Castaño emerging victorious via unanimous decision.^[4] Before the win, Castaño spoke of a potential matchup with Charlo, saying, "Teixeira is a great fighter. But when I win this fight, I want to fight with [Jermell] Charlo next. He's a great fighter, the fights with him pay good and he has three titles. After this, he is my next victim."^[5]

The fight was officially announced on April 15, 2021, and was televised live on Showtime.^[6]

The fight ended in a draw (tie) after twelve rounds, allowing both champions to retain their titles. A rematch was fought on May 15, 2022, when Charlo defeated Castano by a tenth round technical knockout to unify the championships.

Fight card

Weight Class		vs.		Method	Round	Time	Notes
Light middleweight	Jermell Charlo (c)	vs.	Brian Castaño (c)	Split draw: 117-111, 114-114, 113-114	12/12		^Note 1
Lightweight	Rolando Romero (c)	def.	Anthony Yigit	Technical knockout	7 (12)	1:54	^Note 2
Middleweight	Amílcar Vidal	def.	Immanuwel Aleem	Decision (majority): 97-93, 97-93, 95-95	10/10

^Note 1 For WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring light middleweight titles
^Note 2 Romero's WBA interim lightweight title no longer at stake due to Yigit missing weight

References

1. Idec, Keith (December 21, 2019). "Jermell Charlo Drops Harrison Three Times, Stops Him In Eleventh". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. Rafael, Dan (September 26, 2020). "Jermell Charlo stops Jeison Rosario in eight, unifies three belts, wins Ring Magazine 154-pound title". The Ring. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. O'Hara, Ryan (November 13, 2020). "Patrick Teixeira has eye on Jermell Charlo for undisputed junior middleweight championship". The Ring. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
4. Donovan, Jake (December 5, 2019). "Team Castano Thrilled With Mandatory Ruling For WBO Title - Boxing News". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
5. Idec, Keith (February 13, 2021). "Brian Castano: When I Win Fight With Patrick Teixeira, I Want Jermell Charlo Next - Boxing News". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. Idec, Keith (April 15, 2021). "Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano Title Unification Fight Announced For July 17 On Showtime". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)