2/13 DAZN: Diaz vs Rakhimov (IBF 130 Title) / Teixeira vs Castano (WBO 154 Title)
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Teixeira on Castano: It's a Tough Fight, But My Skills Are Superior
By Elisinio Castillo
Published On Wed Jan 27, 2021, 03:47 PM EST
WBO junior middleweight world champion Patrick Texieira understands the extra value of his fight against Brian Castano, not only because he will defend his title, but because the whole country of Brazil will be attentive to his performance.
The boxer has waited a long time for this opportunity and knows that a clash against an Argentine has a special element because of the historical rivalry between the two nations, although he goes far beyond the national element: he simply wants to be the best 154-pounder of these times.
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They will clash on February 13 on DAZN, at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
"The expectations are very great. We've been training hard in the United States for a while. We've trained the physical part, the technical part a lot. We're very anxious for that fight to take place," Teixeira told George Ebro.
"I know it's a tough, tough fight, but we're working on strategy well and I think we're going to do a great fight on our part. It's going to be a contrast of skills and techniques without power. I think mine are superior to his.''
Teixeira rebuilt his career after suffering a two round knockout loss to Curtis Stevens in 2016.
He studied that contest over and over, made a lot of changes and now he's become a world champion while winning his last five fights. A victory over Castano will take him to the next level.
"I changed a number of things, especially in my style. I studied my mistakes. That defeat forced me to use the technique more, to be a smarter boxer. I used to be looking for a fight. I used to want to impose my size more, my reach, but that setback showed me that I had to be smarter," Teixiera said.
Conscious Pilot
Do Better.
Doesnt Tim Tszyu get a Mandatory title shot against the Winner? I remember watching that show in Australia like at 4 A.M when he cleaned up Jeff Horn in the bottom ticker, it said he was the WBO Mando.
i think he is next..once he gets past dennis hogan
Castano, Wronged By WBA, Wants To Make It Right By Beating Teixeira For WBO Belt
By Keith Idec
Published On Fri Feb 5, 2021, 01:58 AM EST
Brian Castano couldn’t believe what he was watching.
Two months after the WBA stripped him of its world 154-pound championship, there was Erislandy Lara, the former champion Castano is certain he beat in his previous bout, boxing an obviously overmatched Ramon Alvarez for what Castano considered his title.
Just a few months earlier, Castano thought he and Lara were headed for an immediate rematch of a 12-rounder that resulted in a split draw in March 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Representatives for Michel Soro, the mandatory challenger for Castano’s title, had agreed to allow a Castano-Lara rematch, as long as Soro was guaranteed his shot at the winner next.
Argentina’s Castano wasn’t exactly eager to travel to France for a second time to fight Soro again. He beat Soro by split decision in a 12-round fight in July 2017 in Evian-les-Bains, France, but it took Soro’s promoter 10 months to pay Castano’s purse in installments.
Nevertheless, as long as the enticing, lucrative Lara rematch came first, Castano agreed to face Soro in France again if he retained his title in his second fight with Lara.
Soro’s handlers changed their minds, however, which led to the WBA stripping Castano of its secondary super welterweight title (Julian Williams was the WBA’s “super” 154-pound champ at that time). Strangely, Soro still hasn’t fought for the title Lara easily won versus Alvarez, who was knocked out in the second round of their August 2019 bout.
“That was hard for all of us, especially when we saw Lara fighting the brother of Canelo Alvarez,” Sebastian Contursi, Castano’s longtime manager, told BoxingScene.com. “That was a joke. I was with Brian, watching that fight. I couldn’t explain it to him. I could see in his eyes he was so disappointed. Because if it would’ve been Soro fighting for the title, that would’ve been fair. But then, something happened, and it ended up being Lara against Canelo’s brother. That was a joke.
“I can’t describe that moment. I’ll never forget that. We were in front of the TV and it was so frustrating for him. He was saying, ‘I worked so hard all my life to be a world champion. And they stripped me because they were forcing me to go to France again with those crooks, who don’t even pay you.’ ”
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The 31-year-old Castano has fought just once since his draw Lara nearly two years ago, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The undefeated contender will finally get his opportunity to become a two-time champion February 13, when Castano will battle Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira for the WBO junior middleweight title.
Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs), the mandatory challenger for Teixeira’s title, was supposed to get this championship chance April 25. That card was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.
An ecstatic Castano came back to the Los Angeles area to train in mid-September, thinking that he’d fight Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs) either late in November or in December. Five months later, an appreciative Castano cannot wait to capitalize on his second chance.
“This is my opportunity to become a world champion for a second time,” Castano said. “I know how important it is for my family, for my fiancée, for my team, for Argentina and for me.”
Castano can get back in position for the higher-profile fight he wants most, a shot at IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC champ Jermell Charlo, if he defeats Teixeira. A six-round sparring session at Top Rank’s gym in Las Vegas in 2017 taught Castano that Teixeira won’t be easy to beat, even though Castano is a 4-1 favorite.
“He’s a good, good fighter,” Castano said. “He moves good. He’s strong. He boxes well from the intermediate and the long distances. But I am a strong guy. My pressure and my combinations will make the difference.”
DAZN will stream Teixeira-Castano as the co-feature of a card from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs), of Downey, California, will defend his IBF junior lightweight title in the 12-round main event versus another mandatory challenger, Tajikistan’s Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs).
Challenging Charlo clearly would be the biggest fight for Castano if he wins the WBO 154-pound crown from Teixeira a week from Saturday night. Castano admits, though, that he still wants that rematch with the 37-year-old Lara (27-3-3, 15 KOs).
“I would’ve fought Lara again the next day or the next week,” Castano said. “That’s what I always wanted, the rematch. I think the fact that he survived that fight with a draw, they somehow rewarded him and he took another path against lesser opponents. I don’t think he wanted to fight me in a rematch.”
Castano instead defeated an injured Wale Omotoso by technical knockout in November 2019, which remains his only appearance since settling for a draw with Lara. Nigeria’s Omotoso (28-5, 22 KOs, 1 NC) injured his left shoulder and couldn’t continue after the fifth round against Castano.
His exasperating experience with Lara convinced Castano to be more aggressive, particularly in enemy territory. Castano will challenge Teixeira on a card put together by Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Teixeira.
“Every fight for me, I feel like I am the visitor,” Teixeira said. “I feel like the underdog, in promotional terms. In these big fights, I have to go for the knockout. I don’t work to knock out my opponents, but at the same time, I know I have to get clear victories.”
A clear victory over Teixeira would place Castano in perfect position to face Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) for full supremacy in the 154-pound division. It also might make all the aggravation Castano and his team have endured since he fought Lara seem somewhat worthwhile.
“It would mean the world to us,” Contursi said. “I think it would right a wrong, and that doesn’t have anything to do with Teixeira. He’s a fighter; he fights. But the external issues, those were very unfair to Brian. He didn’t deserve that. It’ll be very, very, very well-deserved when he beats Teixeira and becomes champion again. But obviously, it’s not an easy fight, like some people might think.”
By Keith Idec
Published On Fri Feb 5, 2021, 01:58 AM EST
Brian Castano couldn’t believe what he was watching.
Two months after the WBA stripped him of its world 154-pound championship, there was Erislandy Lara, the former champion Castano is certain he beat in his previous bout, boxing an obviously overmatched Ramon Alvarez for what Castano considered his title.
Just a few months earlier, Castano thought he and Lara were headed for an immediate rematch of a 12-rounder that resulted in a split draw in March 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Representatives for Michel Soro, the mandatory challenger for Castano’s title, had agreed to allow a Castano-Lara rematch, as long as Soro was guaranteed his shot at the winner next.
Argentina’s Castano wasn’t exactly eager to travel to France for a second time to fight Soro again. He beat Soro by split decision in a 12-round fight in July 2017 in Evian-les-Bains, France, but it took Soro’s promoter 10 months to pay Castano’s purse in installments.
Nevertheless, as long as the enticing, lucrative Lara rematch came first, Castano agreed to face Soro in France again if he retained his title in his second fight with Lara.
Soro’s handlers changed their minds, however, which led to the WBA stripping Castano of its secondary super welterweight title (Julian Williams was the WBA’s “super” 154-pound champ at that time). Strangely, Soro still hasn’t fought for the title Lara easily won versus Alvarez, who was knocked out in the second round of their August 2019 bout.
“That was hard for all of us, especially when we saw Lara fighting the brother of Canelo Alvarez,” Sebastian Contursi, Castano’s longtime manager, told BoxingScene.com. “That was a joke. I was with Brian, watching that fight. I couldn’t explain it to him. I could see in his eyes he was so disappointed. Because if it would’ve been Soro fighting for the title, that would’ve been fair. But then, something happened, and it ended up being Lara against Canelo’s brother. That was a joke.
“I can’t describe that moment. I’ll never forget that. We were in front of the TV and it was so frustrating for him. He was saying, ‘I worked so hard all my life to be a world champion. And they stripped me because they were forcing me to go to France again with those crooks, who don’t even pay you.’ ”
The 31-year-old Castano has fought just once since his draw Lara nearly two years ago, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The undefeated contender will finally get his opportunity to become a two-time champion February 13, when Castano will battle Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira for the WBO junior middleweight title.
Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs), the mandatory challenger for Teixeira’s title, was supposed to get this championship chance April 25. That card was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.
An ecstatic Castano came back to the Los Angeles area to train in mid-September, thinking that he’d fight Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs) either late in November or in December. Five months later, an appreciative Castano cannot wait to capitalize on his second chance.
“This is my opportunity to become a world champion for a second time,” Castano said. “I know how important it is for my family, for my fiancée, for my team, for Argentina and for me.”
Castano can get back in position for the higher-profile fight he wants most, a shot at IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC champ Jermell Charlo, if he defeats Teixeira. A six-round sparring session at Top Rank’s gym in Las Vegas in 2017 taught Castano that Teixeira won’t be easy to beat, even though Castano is a 4-1 favorite.
“He’s a good, good fighter,” Castano said. “He moves good. He’s strong. He boxes well from the intermediate and the long distances. But I am a strong guy. My pressure and my combinations will make the difference.”
DAZN will stream Teixeira-Castano as the co-feature of a card from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs), of Downey, California, will defend his IBF junior lightweight title in the 12-round main event versus another mandatory challenger, Tajikistan’s Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs).
Challenging Charlo clearly would be the biggest fight for Castano if he wins the WBO 154-pound crown from Teixeira a week from Saturday night. Castano admits, though, that he still wants that rematch with the 37-year-old Lara (27-3-3, 15 KOs).
“I would’ve fought Lara again the next day or the next week,” Castano said. “That’s what I always wanted, the rematch. I think the fact that he survived that fight with a draw, they somehow rewarded him and he took another path against lesser opponents. I don’t think he wanted to fight me in a rematch.”
Castano instead defeated an injured Wale Omotoso by technical knockout in November 2019, which remains his only appearance since settling for a draw with Lara. Nigeria’s Omotoso (28-5, 22 KOs, 1 NC) injured his left shoulder and couldn’t continue after the fifth round against Castano.
His exasperating experience with Lara convinced Castano to be more aggressive, particularly in enemy territory. Castano will challenge Teixeira on a card put together by Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Teixeira.
“Every fight for me, I feel like I am the visitor,” Teixeira said. “I feel like the underdog, in promotional terms. In these big fights, I have to go for the knockout. I don’t work to knock out my opponents, but at the same time, I know I have to get clear victories.”
A clear victory over Teixeira would place Castano in perfect position to face Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs) for full supremacy in the 154-pound division. It also might make all the aggravation Castano and his team have endured since he fought Lara seem somewhat worthwhile.
“It would mean the world to us,” Contursi said. “I think it would right a wrong, and that doesn’t have anything to do with Teixeira. He’s a fighter; he fights. But the external issues, those were very unfair to Brian. He didn’t deserve that. It’ll be very, very, very well-deserved when he beats Teixeira and becomes champion again. But obviously, it’s not an easy fight, like some people might think.”
Dallas' 4 Eva
Superstar
I need Castano to beat Teixeira's ass so we can get undisputed at 154. If Teixiera wins he gonna get mopped by Tszyu and I think Tszyu is too young to really be ready to jump in there and risk it all with Charlo if he beats Teixeira for his belt(which Castano and Tszyu both beat Teixeira imo).
Recca Gatsby
LWO
Not bad, will watch them
great fights
I thought Adames would’ve pulled it off and he didn’t, but i think Castano will imo
I thought Adames would’ve pulled it off and he didn’t, but i think Castano will imo
so do i...as long as castano doesn't stay in the phone booth with him
reservoirdogs
Superstar
I think they will have to give the winner a voluntary fight in between because Castano is already a mando fight. The belt was vacant so not sure maybe there are 2 mandos in that case, not sure which one but there's a body that does that. I think there will be a way to get the undisputed fight after Teixeira vs Castano though. Tszyu is dope though, will be interested if he can beat the top guys.
im sure if castano pull its off haymon will try to make the unification with mell as long as the IBF doesnt get in the way or its not due
PATRICK TEIXEIRA PUTS FRIENDSHIP ASIDE FOR BRIAN CASTANO BATTLE, TARGETS JERMELL CHARLO AND CRAWFORD
PATRICK TEIXEIRA HAD TO SHED BLOOD TO BEAT HEAVY HANDED CARLOS ADAMES. PHOTO BY MIKEY WILLIAMS / TOP RANK
08
FEB
BY DAN RAFAEL
Patrick Teixeira has come a long way since growing interested in fighting after renting Bruce Lee DVDs as a boy to the perch he now occupies as a junior middleweight world titleholder ready to make his first defense.
“My stepfather always talked about Bruce Lee to me. He said he was a great fighter, so I decided to rent some DVDs at the time and started watching Bruce Lee’s movies,” Teixeira told The Ring through a translator. “When I turned 13, I decided to look for some martial arts to defend myself. It was when I found a boxing gym that my stepfather took me to. I started practicing, fell in love and never left.”
Teixeira turned pro in 2009 and has had a long journey to a world title. He suffered his lone defeat by second-round knockout to big puncher Curtis Stevens in a middleweight fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan undercard in Las Vegas in 2016. But Teixeira rebounded to win five fights in a row, including an upset unanimous decision in his most recent bout against then-undefeated Carlos Adames, whom he knocked down in the seventh round, in November 2019 in Las Vegas.
While the fight was technically for the WBO interim belt it was for the de facto vacant title because Mexico’s Jaime Munguia, who held the title at the time, had already said that he was going to move up to the middleweight division and had no plans to defend his 154-pound title again. Soon after Teixeira defeated Adames, Munguia made his move official, vacated the belt and Teixeira was elevated to the sanctioning organization’s full titleholder.
“Winning the world title was a dream come true,” said Teixeira, who is one of five Brazilians to win a world title along with International Boxing Hall of Famer Eder Jofre, Acelino “Popo” Freitas, Miguel de Oliveira and Valdemir Pereira. “It really is a very rewarding thing to see the work being rewarded. It was 12 years of hard work and dedication. Thank God everything went well.”
But he did not get a chance to celebrate his victory like he hoped to.
“When I arrived (home in Brazil it) was time to make a big noise. The problem that immediately followed was the pandemic,” he said. “It complicated the country in general.”
Teixeira sent Adames reeling into the ropes for a knockdown in Round 7. Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Because of the coronavirus pandemic and visa issues, Teixeira has not fought since beating Adames, but he will finally meet mandatory challenger Brian Castano in their overdue bout on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. The bout is the co-feature on the Golden Boy Promotions card headlined by junior lightweight world titlist Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs) making his first defense against Russian mandatory challenger Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs).
Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs), 30, a southpaw, and Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs), 31, from Argentina, who also has not boxed since knocking out Wale Omotoso in the fifth round in November 2019, were initially scheduled to meet on April 25, 2020, also at Fantasy Springs. However, the card, like so many others last spring, was canceled when the sports world shut down because of the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19.
Teixeira had hoped to fight Munguia for the title rather than Adames for the interim version, but Munguia was already on his way out of the weight class and never showed any interest in the bout even though it would not have been complicated to make since they share promoter Golden Boy. At the very least, Teixeira reasoned that if Munguia did not want to fight him he could have at least vacated in time for the bout with Adames to be announced as being for the full title instead of the interim belt.
“We tried to fight with Munguia several times and he just ran,” Teixeira said. “He could have let go of the belt before, only they preferred to make an interim (title fight). I don’t really care. Munguia knew that if he fought me it was risky for him. My manager, Patrick Nascimento, did a great job of putting me at the top to dispute the belt and be mandatory. Munguia noticed that I was going up (the rankings) and preferred to change divisions.”
Teixeira entered the fight with Adames as the clear underdog and that was even without the public being aware that he had not had the ideal preparation, which made his upset in the ESPN-televised bout even more impressive.
“Three months before the fight, my Brazilian promoter, Edu Mello, passed away,” Teixeira said. “I was unable to travel to the United States to prepare and I had to do my preparation in Brazil. His dream was for me to be a world champion. It hurt me a lot because he couldn’t see it here on earth. But I know that he was with me that day. I fought in memory of him.
“I was very confident even though I didn’t have the best sparring and my physical trainer was not with me. We improvised the work and in the end everything worked out.”
Now, Teixeira must face Castano, who owns solid victories against Michel Soro, Cedric Vitu and Omotoso as well as a draw with former titleholder Erislandy Lara, all in his last four fights.
Castano (right) mixing it up with Erislandy Lara.
Teixeira and Castano are familiar with each other and there is a respect between them.
“Castano is a tough opponent,” Teixeira said. “I already had the opportunity to do sparring with him. I know him very well. I believe we did sparring twice. We were getting ready for a fight together. I believe it was before he fought Lara (in March 2019), but this sparring doesn’t mean much. I evolved a lot after that and I believe he did too. On Saturday in the ring there will be a lot of evil. After the fight the friendship continues.
“I am working very hard. I am working for the 12 rounds, but I know that I have the power to knock him out. The fight will really be a war and I’m ready for it.”
To get ready for the fight, Teixeira brought in his onetime rival Adames to be one of his sparring partners at his Oxnard, California, training camp. Adames was also getting ready for his own return to the ring for the first time since losing to Teixeira on the Top Rank undercard in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“I have nothing against Adames. He is my friend and we did sparring at this camp,” Teixeira said. “We worked very well. Vergil Ortiz also helped me a lot in sparring. We are ready.”
Teixeira is aiming for a much more significant fight if all goes well against Castano. He wants to fight Jermell Charlo, the Ring junior middleweight champion, who unified three major sanctioning organization belts by knocking out Jeison Rosario in the eighth round in September. Teixeira said he would also welcome a chance to fight WBO welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford if he wanted to move up to junior middleweight and try to win a title in a fourth weight division since he has not been able to get any of the top welterweights to fight him.
“Have no doubt that I want all 154-pound titles,” Teixeira said. “But Jermell ‘Little Kitten’ Charlo cannot run this time. After my mandatory defense, I will sit down with my manager and see what the plans will be. Charlo and Crawford are in our plans. I want the big fights.
“Crawford is a super fighter, but if he is not able to fight in his category, could he go up? I’m sure I can beat him. He wants to be a superstar like (Manny) Pacquiao. So, get up and try to beat me and try get one more title. I will be ready for the big fights. I respect Crawford and admire him, but this is my moment.”
Patrick Teixeira puts friendship aside for Brian Castano battle, targets Jermell Charlo and Crawford - The Ring
PATRICK TEIXEIRA HAD TO SHED BLOOD TO BEAT HEAVY HANDED CARLOS ADAMES. PHOTO BY MIKEY WILLIAMS / TOP RANK
08
FEB
BY DAN RAFAEL
Patrick Teixeira has come a long way since growing interested in fighting after renting Bruce Lee DVDs as a boy to the perch he now occupies as a junior middleweight world titleholder ready to make his first defense.
“My stepfather always talked about Bruce Lee to me. He said he was a great fighter, so I decided to rent some DVDs at the time and started watching Bruce Lee’s movies,” Teixeira told The Ring through a translator. “When I turned 13, I decided to look for some martial arts to defend myself. It was when I found a boxing gym that my stepfather took me to. I started practicing, fell in love and never left.”
Teixeira turned pro in 2009 and has had a long journey to a world title. He suffered his lone defeat by second-round knockout to big puncher Curtis Stevens in a middleweight fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan undercard in Las Vegas in 2016. But Teixeira rebounded to win five fights in a row, including an upset unanimous decision in his most recent bout against then-undefeated Carlos Adames, whom he knocked down in the seventh round, in November 2019 in Las Vegas.
While the fight was technically for the WBO interim belt it was for the de facto vacant title because Mexico’s Jaime Munguia, who held the title at the time, had already said that he was going to move up to the middleweight division and had no plans to defend his 154-pound title again. Soon after Teixeira defeated Adames, Munguia made his move official, vacated the belt and Teixeira was elevated to the sanctioning organization’s full titleholder.
“Winning the world title was a dream come true,” said Teixeira, who is one of five Brazilians to win a world title along with International Boxing Hall of Famer Eder Jofre, Acelino “Popo” Freitas, Miguel de Oliveira and Valdemir Pereira. “It really is a very rewarding thing to see the work being rewarded. It was 12 years of hard work and dedication. Thank God everything went well.”
But he did not get a chance to celebrate his victory like he hoped to.
“When I arrived (home in Brazil it) was time to make a big noise. The problem that immediately followed was the pandemic,” he said. “It complicated the country in general.”
Teixeira sent Adames reeling into the ropes for a knockdown in Round 7. Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Because of the coronavirus pandemic and visa issues, Teixeira has not fought since beating Adames, but he will finally meet mandatory challenger Brian Castano in their overdue bout on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. The bout is the co-feature on the Golden Boy Promotions card headlined by junior lightweight world titlist Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs) making his first defense against Russian mandatory challenger Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs).
Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs), 30, a southpaw, and Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs), 31, from Argentina, who also has not boxed since knocking out Wale Omotoso in the fifth round in November 2019, were initially scheduled to meet on April 25, 2020, also at Fantasy Springs. However, the card, like so many others last spring, was canceled when the sports world shut down because of the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19.
Teixeira had hoped to fight Munguia for the title rather than Adames for the interim version, but Munguia was already on his way out of the weight class and never showed any interest in the bout even though it would not have been complicated to make since they share promoter Golden Boy. At the very least, Teixeira reasoned that if Munguia did not want to fight him he could have at least vacated in time for the bout with Adames to be announced as being for the full title instead of the interim belt.
“We tried to fight with Munguia several times and he just ran,” Teixeira said. “He could have let go of the belt before, only they preferred to make an interim (title fight). I don’t really care. Munguia knew that if he fought me it was risky for him. My manager, Patrick Nascimento, did a great job of putting me at the top to dispute the belt and be mandatory. Munguia noticed that I was going up (the rankings) and preferred to change divisions.”
Teixeira entered the fight with Adames as the clear underdog and that was even without the public being aware that he had not had the ideal preparation, which made his upset in the ESPN-televised bout even more impressive.
“Three months before the fight, my Brazilian promoter, Edu Mello, passed away,” Teixeira said. “I was unable to travel to the United States to prepare and I had to do my preparation in Brazil. His dream was for me to be a world champion. It hurt me a lot because he couldn’t see it here on earth. But I know that he was with me that day. I fought in memory of him.
“I was very confident even though I didn’t have the best sparring and my physical trainer was not with me. We improvised the work and in the end everything worked out.”
Now, Teixeira must face Castano, who owns solid victories against Michel Soro, Cedric Vitu and Omotoso as well as a draw with former titleholder Erislandy Lara, all in his last four fights.
Castano (right) mixing it up with Erislandy Lara.
Teixeira and Castano are familiar with each other and there is a respect between them.
“Castano is a tough opponent,” Teixeira said. “I already had the opportunity to do sparring with him. I know him very well. I believe we did sparring twice. We were getting ready for a fight together. I believe it was before he fought Lara (in March 2019), but this sparring doesn’t mean much. I evolved a lot after that and I believe he did too. On Saturday in the ring there will be a lot of evil. After the fight the friendship continues.
“I am working very hard. I am working for the 12 rounds, but I know that I have the power to knock him out. The fight will really be a war and I’m ready for it.”
To get ready for the fight, Teixeira brought in his onetime rival Adames to be one of his sparring partners at his Oxnard, California, training camp. Adames was also getting ready for his own return to the ring for the first time since losing to Teixeira on the Top Rank undercard in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“I have nothing against Adames. He is my friend and we did sparring at this camp,” Teixeira said. “We worked very well. Vergil Ortiz also helped me a lot in sparring. We are ready.”
Teixeira is aiming for a much more significant fight if all goes well against Castano. He wants to fight Jermell Charlo, the Ring junior middleweight champion, who unified three major sanctioning organization belts by knocking out Jeison Rosario in the eighth round in September. Teixeira said he would also welcome a chance to fight WBO welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford if he wanted to move up to junior middleweight and try to win a title in a fourth weight division since he has not been able to get any of the top welterweights to fight him.
“Have no doubt that I want all 154-pound titles,” Teixeira said. “But Jermell ‘Little Kitten’ Charlo cannot run this time. After my mandatory defense, I will sit down with my manager and see what the plans will be. Charlo and Crawford are in our plans. I want the big fights.
“Crawford is a super fighter, but if he is not able to fight in his category, could he go up? I’m sure I can beat him. He wants to be a superstar like (Manny) Pacquiao. So, get up and try to beat me and try get one more title. I will be ready for the big fights. I respect Crawford and admire him, but this is my moment.”
Patrick Teixeira puts friendship aside for Brian Castano battle, targets Jermell Charlo and Crawford - The Ring
man GB put out a nice little episode for diaz vs rakhimov on DAZN...unfortunately they didnt post it on either youtube
Castano: Teixeira Wanted An Easier Opponent Than Me For First Title Defense
By Keith Idec
Published On Fri Feb 12, 2021, 09:25 AM EST
Brian Castano didn’t accuse Patrick Teixeira of trying to avoid him.
The unbeaten Argentinean contender just thinks Teixeira wanted an easier fight in his first defense of the WBO junior middleweight title. Though there were rumors during the pandemic regarding Teixeira facing an opponent other than his mandatory challenger next, the Brazilian southpaw will defend his 154-pound crown against Castano on Saturday night in Indio, California.
Neither Teixeira nor Castano has fought since November 2019, when Teixeira defeated Dominican contender Carlos Adames by unanimous decision to win his WBO belt.
“Teixeira is a good fighter, but maybe he didn’t want a fight with me in his first defense,” Castano told BoxingScene.com. “I think he wanted someone easier. It’s not that he didn’t want to fight me at all, but I’m convinced that he would’ve liked much better to face a lesser opponent or an easier opponent in his first title defense.”
Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs) and Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs) first were scheduled to meet April 25 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, the site of their rescheduled fight Saturday night. That card was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was talk thereafter of Australia’s Tim Tszyu challenging Teixeira before Castano got his shot because Teixeira’s handlers believed Castano couldn’t get a visa to travel from Argentina to the United States. Castano arrived in the Los Angeles area to train in mid-September, however, because he thought the Teixeira fight could be rescheduled for late in November or sometime in December.
Tszyu (17-0, 13 KOs) is the WBO’s second-ranked contender in the 154-pound division, one spot beneath Castano. Once the Teixeira-Castano clash was rescheduled, the 26-year-old Tszyu agreed to fight fellow Australian Dennis Hogan (28-3-1, 7 KOs) on March 31.
Castano suspects Teixeira wanted to fight Tszyu before facing him.
“Carlos Adames is a great fighter, too, but Teixeira knows me,” Castano said. “We trained together in Vegas three or four years ago. We had one [six-round] sparring session in Vegas in 2017. He knows me and I know he is a strong guy, but maybe I’m a stronger fighter than his other opponents.”
Teixeira-Castano is the co-feature of a card DAZN will stream from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino (8 p.m. EST; 5 p.m. PST). In the 12-round main event, Joseph Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs), of Downey, California, will make a mandated defense of his IBF junior lightweight title against Tajikistan’s Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs).