Good, bad, worse: Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano draw, one rogue judge

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Perhaps lost in the disappointment of the draw is the fact Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano gave us a fight worthy of the hype Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The periodic action and ebbs and flows, combined with the significance of the event, had me riveted even though it wasn’t a classic brawl.

Both fighters had to overcome adversity to avoid defeat, Castano surviving a number of precarious moments when he was hurt and Charlo, spurred on by his trainer, overcoming a deficit on the cards in the final three rounds to earn the split draw.

Neither fighter was as effective as we might’ve expected, Castano not quite as busy as usual and Charlo unable to finish off his rugged foe. However, that had more to do with their counterparts’ abilities than any deficiencies on their part.

Castano had to apply pressure in an intelligent, methodical manner or he would never have lasted 12 rounds. And Charlo landed the type of booming shots that have stopped other opponents; this one was just too tough to put away.

Each of them said what you’d expect afterward, that he deserved to have his hand raised. However, Charlo might’ve been speaking for both of them when he admitted in so many words that he didn’t let his hands go as much as he should have.

That’s my only criticism of both fighters: Castano needed to engage a tad more than he did regardless of the risk and Charlo relied too much on his power, which let him down in a sense. He, too, needed to be busier.

That said, the action they gave us was compelling. The inside exchanges were sometimes brutal. Charlo’s big shots had us thinking knockout, particularly in that wild Round 10. And the fact neither could separate himself from the other was an indication of how perfectly these two fighters were matched.

I hated the draw but it was fun to watch.

***

BAD

The draw. Ugh.

The result was legitimate but it’s still difficult to swallow because we became married to the idea that we’d have the first undisputed junior middleweight champion of the four-belt era. In the end, nothing was settled.

Neither fighter was able to demonstrate conclusively that he was better than the other in what turned out to be an evenly matched bout.

We can and should use our knowledge to determine the best fighters in each division without relying on the decisions of corrupt sanctioning bodies. However, battles for all four belts are the best official means of determining who is No. 1.

Could they do it again?

The fighters are still enamored with the idea of becoming “undisputed” – which means a rematch is possible – but we’ll see whether the sanctioning bodies will be willing — able? — to set aside mandatory defenses to allow it.

And, of course, unforeseen obstacles could prevent Charlo-Castano II from happening. After all, boxing has a knack of getting in its own way.

Who would win the rematch? Flip a coin. The fight on Saturday was so close, so competitive that it would be difficult to predict a winner with any conviction.

That’s the point here. The fans were hungry to see the crowning of an undisputed 154-champion but were disappointed in that regard. So were the fighters, both of whom believed they deserved to win.

I hope the powers that be can find a way to do it again. If a rematch was ever warranted, this is it.

***

WORSE

117-110 for Charlo? Nine rounds to three?

I’ve tried to imagine what judge Nelson Vazquez of Puerto Rico was seeing during the Charlo-Castano fight, which I scored 115-113 for Castano. A draw or 115-113 either way would’ve reflected what happened in the ring, not 117-110, in my opinion.

Castano didn’t throw as many punches as he normally does but I thought he got more accomplished than Charlo did, primarily during their inside exchanges. And I thought that Castano blocked many of Charlo’s punches with his gloves. He’s an excellent defensive fighter.

Charlo certainly had strong rounds, particularly Round 10, when he hurt Castano multiple times. And I have no problem with the fact all three judges gave Charlo the final three rounds. His rally was impressive.

However, after the final bell, the fighters, their camps and those watching worldwide had no idea what would come out of Jimmy Lennon’s mouth when he announced the results. That’s because everyone knew the fight was close.

Everyone but Vazquez, that is. He gave Castano only Rounds 3, 7 and 9.

Of course, scoring is subjective. Vazquez would say he called it as he saw it. The problem is that a score that strays so far from the observations of the vast majority is a red flag that something was amiss.

And nine rounds to three was an insult to Castano, who turned in a fine performance – maybe the best of his career — against one of the top fighters in the world pound for pound. He deserved better.

Thank goodness that Vazquez’s poor scoring didn’t result in a disastrous decision. We can live with a draw.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Lightweight contender Rolando Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) gave a strong performance against late replacement Anthony Yigit (24-2-1, 8 KOs) on the Charlo-Castano card, stopping the Swedish fighter in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-rounder. Romero is what he says he is: a big puncher. Yigit, a good, experienced opponent, certainly couldn’t stand up to Romero’s power. Romero called out fellow 135-pounder Gervonta Davis after the fight. Can Romero handle “Tank”? I doubt it. Davis is a better all-around fighter and probably punches harder than Romero. That said, Romero’s power is real. You never know what would happen if a big shot found Davis’ chin. I wouldn’t mind seeing that fight. … I feel for Immanuwel Aleem (18-3-2, 11 KOs). The much-improved protégé of trainer Ronnie Shields gave an inspired performance against middleweight contender Amilcar Vidal (13-0, 11 KOs) only to lose a majority decision in a 10-round bout on the Charlo-Castano card. I thought Aleem beat Vidal at his own power-punching game, getting the better of most of their inside exchanges and withstanding the shots Vidal was able to land. I gave Aleem the edge in what I thought was a close fight. Judge Anthony De Los Santos had it right, 95-95. Judges Ruben Carrion and Glen Rick Crocker both scored it 97-93, seven rounds to three, for Vidal. That was too wide in Vidal’s favor even if you believed he landed the bigger blows. Aleem had a right to be frustrated afterward. The good news is that he made a strong statement. He’ll be back.