Both Brian Castaño (15-0-1, 11 KOs) and Erislandy Lara (25-3-3, 14 KOs) gave the fans a show in Brooklyn, New York at Barclays Center on March 2, 2019.
The judges scored the contest 115-113 in favor of Lara, while another judge scored it the same, but this time in favor of Castaño. The third judge had the bout 114-114, leaving both men unsatisfied with the split draw.
Castaño was relatively unknown as he fought underwhelming competition coming in. His background however screamed that he belonged near the top of the division. In his amateur days he scored a decision victory over current IBF Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.
He also picked up a win over Middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko. He may not have faced anyone of note in the pros, but it was clear that he was no pushover.
What more could be said about Lara? His boxing acumen is well chronicled. On paper this had the look of a mismatch. In the ring however, it turned out to be anything but. From the opening bell, Castaño came out aggressive looking to establish himself.
He showed not only speed and power, but he also showed the ability to cut off the ring effectively and make Lara work. To the surprise of no one, Lara quickly made the adjustments and made his man miss over and over again while landing a few eye-catching shots of his own.
During the middle rounds both men had their success, which made the contest very hard to score. The championship rounds saw Castaño finish with a bit more success as Lara seemed to be slowing down.
Big flurries by Castaño in both the 11th and 12th rounds gave him a bit of control. Not to be undone however, Lara countered beautifully in the final round. The contest was undoubtedly hard to score.
Castaño applied effective pressure throughout the contest, while Lara did a great job of countering his man.
In the end the judges ruled this contest a draw which leaves many of us wanting to see the sequel. Although the contest ended in a draw, make no mistake about it, Brian Castaño made a name for himself in Brooklyn, New York.
