Fight of the Week: Charlo vs. Castano ends in a split decision

AT&T Center– Saturday night was an explosive night where unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titleholder Jermell Charlo faced off against IBO 154-pound titleholder Brian Castano for the main event on Showtime’s PBC event. For this fight, the super welterweight title was on the line. Both fighters faced off in 12-rounds going blow-for-blow. However, the fight was declared a draw.

The official score cards for the judges were as follows:

Judge Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey)- 114-113 in favor of Brian Castano. This scorecard was the most in line with what the public concurred with all over social media. He is also regarded as one of the best judges in the sport of boxing.

Judge Tim Cheatham (Nevada)- 114-114 This scorecard resulted in the draw that had both boxers leaving with the same belts they came to the fight with.

Judge Nelson Vazquez (Puerto Rico)- 117-114 This scorecard was the most controversial. Vazquez scored in favor of Charlo, never had him behind at any point in the fight. He scored two rounds for Charlo, in addition to rounds four, five, and six.

After the draw decision, both fighters felt as if they had been robbed. Charlo expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision by the judges and expressed to the media,

“My coach told me I needed the knockout in the ninth round and I just knew he knew what he was talking about.”

He subsequently won the final three rounds on all of the judges’ scorecards, thus leading him to believe he deserved to win the fight.

Throughout the match, Charlo’s right shoulder was visibly protruding. When asked to elaborate on if his shoulder was protruding because he had an injury, he stated he did not want to elaborate on his shoulder and wanted to keep the information regarding his injury within his own camp.

Afterward, Sports As Told By A Girl asked Brian Castano if he felt like he was robbed, and he felt as if he was definitely robbed. Here was his full response:

Both fighters agree that a rematch is necessary. Whether or not this fight was a true draw is up for debate. Hopefully, a rematch will settle this deal once and for all.