Brian Castaño and Erislandy Lara give the fans an exciting bout
Erislandy Lara (25-4, 14KOs) is looking to position himself for a rematch against unified champion Jarrett Hurd. Brian Castaño (15-0, 11KOs) is also looking to catapult his career and force his way to a bout with Hurd.
With the WBA super welterweight title on the line, the stakes can’t get any higher.
Immediately to open the fight, Lara’s 7 inch reach advantage is very apparent. While the Argentine shows good foot speed, Lara showed his pedigree in turning Castaño and landing sharp jab-straight left combinations.
The fight quickly flows into a rhythm of Lara probing and forcing resets, which creates opportunities for the slick Cuban. Castaño showed his pedigree with some of his counters and was occasionally able to maneuver Lara to the ropes.
As the fight progresses, Castaño starts to effectively cutoff the ring and force the pace. The fight is really entertaining due to this dynamic because both fighters were effective in the exchanges.
One factor that’s coming into play is Lara isn’t holding the center of the ring, which isn’t always judge friendly. Another big factor in scoring this fight will be preference.
Lara is definitely the sharper puncher, while the Argentine slugger is very active. Going into the championship rounds, we have a fight that will be decided by who can impose their will. Lara has made a commitment to attack Castaño’s body and it’s definitely blunting the pressure of the Argentine.
In round eleven, Castaño displayed a sense of urgency and applied relentless pressure, pulling out what many ringside would say was a must-win. The final round would be a microcosm of the fight. Lara picking off Castaño, who got reckless, would be the case for most of the final round. However, the Argentine would have some successful volleys along the ropes.
The Verdict
The final call would be 115-113 for each, and 114-114 for a draw. 3kingsboxing.com also scored the fight a draw.
n conclusion, a draw was a fair score. Both fighters were willing to take the rematch, however, that may not be what we get. With Lubin, Sergio Garcia, and Kell Brook waiting in the wings, there might not be enough incentive to rematch immediately.
The silver lining in this situation is both fighters maintained their high stock.
By: Corey Cunningham
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