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Spain's Conquistador Dethrones Sturm, Wins WBA Title
TUE July 18, ROGER GORDILLO - It was just another stay busy fight for a young Champion building up his record against a former titlist with a known name but little in the way of threat as he awaits a big money unification match.
As the two combatants met in the center of the ring, the Challenger Javier Castillejo looked bigger and sturdier in his first campaign at Middleweight. Although it was, the Champion Felix Sturm who benefited more from his imposing physical attributes in comparison to his foe.
Early into the first round, Sturm would stagger Castillejo off balance but the Spaniard would quickly regain his balance and continue the round with no negative effects from the combination of two left hooks followed by two clean uppercuts to the bottom of the chin and a right hook to the face.
The two Middleweights would go toe to toe, tit for tat, in the second when a series of punches put Sturm down hurting the young fighter badly. As Sturm arose from the canvas, he likened a land lover trying to find his sea legs. Sturm wobbled and stumbled as he rose from the canvas, Castillejo would try to seal the deal, and the bout but Sturm tighten up his high guard and survived the round.
Although some reports would have you believe that from this point forward Sturm would box effectively and control the fight, but from my on own view and not hear say I can tell you being one of the few writers who actually viewed the match that it was competitive full of ebb and flow as both fighters had their moments in all of the following rounds. It was a bit intriguing as both fighters took on characteristics of the fighters they had fought in their last high profile fight.
Sturm looked like his former dance partner Oscar De La Hoya as he mimicked the Golden boy's most infamous performance by moving and dancing around his opponent with little offense at different periods through out the match. Sturm managed to stop and jab and attack at times even peppering his foe in an effective manner.
On the flipside Castillejo's last big fight was against Fernando Vargas and Castillejo now took his turn to emulate his former opponent as Castillejo came to fight in a style that made the now midlevel fighter Fernando Vargas Ferocious when the precocious young pugilist was tearing through competition in his heyday.
Castillejo would come forward for the entirety of the bout unrelenting as he sought to cut off the ring and invest in combinations and bodywork that would pay off dividends of ten fold at the end of the bout. There was nothing flashy about Castillejo's fighting as he worked through the nine to five grind of a match doing the unheralded groundwork of a well rounded sustained attack and thus explaining Sturm's lead into the final rounds.
Going into the tenth, Sturm enjoyed a comfortable lead on the scorecards and continued to use his legs relying solely on the rounds he had banked. As round, ten neared to a close Castillejo would pin Sturm against the ropes and unleash a Left hook, three uppercuts and a left hook to the body for good measure as Referee Mark Nelson stepped into rescue the young fighter and stop the barrage. The referee would shortly after help carry to his corner were he sat semi limp with his nose flowing a thick red stream of blood.
As the announcement was made declaring the winner, Sturm arose with a swollen jaw and what looked like a broken nose. Immediately After the fight reports had surfaced that Sturm likely had a broken Jaw but Sturm would later comment that he felt like his Jaw was swollen and not broken as some ringside observers believed.
All in all the fight was an entertaining match and while being familiar with Castillejo's ring work, I have to say in what I would call Castillejo's biggest victory to date, (a win against Roman Karmazin) Castillejo looked nothing like his usual self as he was busy and aggressive.
With the recent break through victories of previously lightly regarded fighters such as Jose Rivera, Cory Spinks, Zahir Raheem, and now Castillejo to name a few, maybe fighters need to weigh their options between competing at a lower weight to be naturally bigger and stronger although at times fighting in a weakened state. Perhaps more fighters should test the waters fighting closer to their ideal or natural weight and being more physically fit and not bogged down, lethargic and weakened mentally and physically from weight loss.
Questions or Comments : rgordillo@talkingboxing.com
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