Lightweight Prospect Marc Castro Showing Promise
When a fighter has plenty of fanfare and success in the amateur ranks, often the expectations are heightened when they hit the paid ranks. That is currently the case with lightweight prospect Marc Castro (9-0, 3 KOs).
Introduced to the sport by his father, the product of Fresno, California first put on the gloves at the age of four simply as a means of self-defense. But he started to fall in love with boxing. As a kid, he was a bit of a prodigy, facing and beating older kids in the gym and winning local tournaments.
IMPRESSIVE PEDIGREE
The 23-year-old’s accomplishments as an amateur were quite impressive. With a 177-7 record, the pride of Fresno won sixteen national titles and was a two-time world amateur champion. Among his victories were three wins over eventual 2020 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis. He had his own visions of being a part of the 2020 Olympic boxing team. Those hopes were dashed when he became ill with food poisoning and was forced to withdraw from the USA Olympic qualifiers.
But the young man’s exploits had caught the attention of insiders and promoters. After a bidding war, Castro signed with Matchroom promotions in February 2020.
Making his pro debut in December 2020, Castro has made steady progress. There was a hiccup when in his sixth fight, Castro suffered his only knockdown as a pro en route to a six-round decision win over Julio Madera in March 2022. Otherwise, he’s been dominant. In his last outing, Castro pounded away an eight-round unanimous decision win over Maickol Lopez Villagrana on the undercard of the Juan Francisco Estrada – Roman Gonzalez trilogy.
BURNING DESIRE TO SUCCEED
During an interview on the Bring The Juice Podcast, Castro broke down what drives him, in and out of the ring. For the young man, it all starts with family.
“I work hard because this is all I’ve ever known. Whether I’m tired or any of that . . . I could sit here and act like I’ve done something. But I have not done anything in this sport.
So, I want to make a name for myself, and a name for my family, and that’s more than anything in this world.”
Fighting for himself and his people, Castro ultimately wants to follow in the footsteps of Jose Ramirez and become the next fighter from Fresno and the San Fernando Valley to win a world title.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
