- 5 months ago
Jose Luis Castillo defends his WBC Lightweight Title against former champion Cesar Bazan on HBO Boxing.
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00:00The following is a special presentation of HBO Sports, the network of champions.
00:19Boxing is at its best when two heralded champions answer the call of their shared inevitability.
00:25Floyd Mayweather's journey was nurtured by his boxing family from the day he was in diapers.
00:30His dad and two uncles were top contenders in the 70s.
00:33The fast track led Floyd Jr. to the 1996 Olympic Games.
00:38Six-punch combinations.
00:40And two years later, he was the first Olympian from that class to win a world title.
00:46Diego Corrales' path was complicated by Sacramento Street gangs, violence, and crime.
00:51Finally, as a teenager, he turned to the gym.
00:54But it was a slow emergence from boxing oblivion.
00:57Corrales comes back and begins delivering combinations.
01:00One year after Mayweather was crowned, this kid from nowhere dug deep for his version of the junior lightweight title.
01:06Then Pretty Boy and his dad were named fighter and manager of the year for 1998.
01:11Another big, stunning victory to cap off his rise to stardom.
01:16While Diego punched away at his anonymity with each of his own title defenses.
01:20Such a good power punch.
01:22Lloyd's ego mushroomed in the wake of success.
01:24Splitting with his dad and sparring over money spawned a long layoff and vulnerability.
01:30As both champions edged toward each other, their rivalry intensified.
01:35Since his first turn pro, he came out of the Olympics.
01:37Ever since then, he's had nothing good to say about me.
01:41I can't let nothing throw me off my square.
01:43I'm trying to be number one in the world pound for pound.
01:45Tonight, their diverse paths, their unplanned destinies are met as one in the fight which will, for the moment, define both of their careers.
01:53I'm trying to be number one in the fight which will, for the moment, define both of their careers.
02:23World Championship boxing is back with a vengeance.
02:32From Las Vegas, Nevada, HBO Sports brings you a grudge match.
02:37Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Edgar Corrales for Mayweather's 130-pound title and world supremacy in this division.
02:44Before that, you'll see Jose Luis Castillo defend his lightweight title, his version of the lightweight title, against Cesar Bazan.
02:52What a way for boxing to begin the year 2001.
02:56A fight boxing fans had not expected to happen so soon.
02:59A fight which until recently couldn't be made.
03:02A matchup of two men who could scarcely like each other any less.
03:07Lloyd Mayweather and Diego Corrales, before an eager crowd at the MGM Grand,
03:11expecting to see an early candidate for the fight of the year for this new year.
03:17And hello again, everybody.
03:20I'm Jim Lampley.
03:21Welcome back to HBO's World Championship Boxing, an evening that we have eagerly anticipated.
03:27Frankly, we didn't expect it was going to arrive so soon.
03:30Diego Corrales and Floyd Mayweather, the two best 130-pound fighters in the world,
03:35probably the only two fighters in the world capable of beating each other at this moment,
03:39and the classic matchup between the terrific boxer, young Mayweather, and the outstanding puncher, Diego Corrales.
03:47For more on the bout, we turn to our HBO boxing expert, two-time heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman.
03:52George, a little bit later on, when we see the main event between Corrales and Mayweather,
03:56there's the purse for the fight, which is one prize.
03:58There's the title, which is another prize.
04:00And then there's the big prize, which is that the winner of the bout is guaranteed a multi-fight, multi-million dollar deal with HBO.
04:07How difficult for two 23-year-old fighters to keep that out of their heads and focus on the business at hand?
04:13Well, the story is that Mozart didn't have a dime when he died.
04:17But was he the best or is he the best, even to this day?
04:20Likewise, Van Gogh.
04:21Well, it's all about pride when you're a good boxer.
04:24Money is always secondary if you want to be a good champion.
04:26And whoever decides to take pride first can win this thing.
04:30And both guys have plenty of motivation for winning the fight above and beyond the millions of dollars which may follow a victory.
04:36HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
04:38Larry, enormous distractions outside the ring for the past several months for both Floyd Mayweather and Diego Corrales.
04:46How will those distractions affect their performances in the ring?
04:49Jim, all we really know for sure is that whoever loses will have a hell of an alibi.
04:55Because what we have tonight, folks, are dueling distractions.
05:00Mayweather for banishing his father and trainer not only from the corner, but also from the house he had bought him.
05:06And Corrales for that charge against him of spousal abuse.
05:11Mayweather for his plummeting popularity since he made that remark about a slave contract on a huge offer.
05:19And Corrales, because he's been trying to dump his managers on the eve of his biggest fight.
05:26Elite fighters use these distractions for motivation and find refuge in the ring.
05:34Hopefully we get more motivation than refuge tonight.
05:38Both guys have plenty to look for refuge from.
05:40And before we see Corrales and Mayweather, let's entertain ourselves with a lightweight championship battle.
05:47An all-Mexico affair between Jose Luis Castillo and Cesar Bazan.
05:52And even though they are only 27 and 26 years old, they are both seasoned veterans of the sport.
05:58Castillo has been a pro for 10 years.
06:01Bazan for more than 8.
06:02Bazan is an unusually tall lightweight at 6 feet, so he'll have the height advantage and the 8-inch reach advantage.
06:09Castillo says, that's okay.
06:11I'm going to get inside and bang anyway.
06:13That's the kind of fighter he is.
06:14They both weighed in close to the 135-pound limit.
06:17And you can see that Castillo's put on 14 pounds unofficially before entering the ring tonight.
06:22Bazan unofficially enters at 145.
06:25Punch that numbers, Larry.
06:27Here's a look at their activity.
06:29Castillo, a very active fighter.
06:31Keeps throwing punches in case any of them land.
06:36And sometimes they land with devastating effect.
06:41Power punches.
06:42An astonishing 75 per round by Castillo.
06:46These are two big left hookers.
06:51Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
06:55The Jose Luis Castillo Cesar Bazan fight is scheduled for 12 rounds using the unified rules of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
07:04There is no standing eight count.
07:06No three knockdown rule.
07:07Only the referee can stop the fight.
07:09And you cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the 12th and final round.
07:15Jim.
07:15All right, thank you, Harold.
07:17And as you watch tonight, you can also log on to HBO.com slash boxing and cast a vote on who you think was the fighter of the year in 2000.
07:26Was it, in alphabetical order, Roy Jones, Lennox Lewis, Shane Mosley, or Tito Trinidad?
07:32Also, you can vote for your choice as fight of the year.
07:35Was it the amazing war between Eric Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera last February here in Vegas?
07:40Was it Shane Mosley's thrilling upset of Oscar De La Hoya in June in Los Angeles?
07:45Or was it Felix Tito Trinidad against Fernando Vargas with fireworks, knockdowns, action from start to finish?
07:52Vote now with results to be given at the end of this evening's program.
08:01Cesar Bazan won this particular version of the lightweight championship from Stevie Johnston of Denver, Colorado,
08:09in the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya versus Patrick Chapantier in El Paso, Texas, summer of 1998.
08:15He defended it successfully twice, then fought against Johnston again in Miami,
08:20and Johnston reversed the results of the first fight, winning a decision to take the title back.
08:27So Bazan is trying to recapture a title that once he held,
08:32because Johnston, after taking this title back from Bazan,
08:35ultimately lost it to the man you'll see coming into the ring next,
08:38Jose Luis Castillo.
08:40And Bazan says he never heard of Castillo before Castillo won the title.
08:47And that puts him in good and populous company,
08:50because if Bazan was little known before he won the title,
08:53Castillo was totally anonymous.
08:55There's the record for Cesar, 38 wins, three losses, one draw,
08:5826 of the wins by KO, hoping to become a lightweight titleist again.
09:08But Bazan is from Mexico City.
09:13The opponent, Castillo, is from the town of Mexicali.
09:16He says Mexicali is so hot that that's where you go to prepare to go to hell,
09:22and hell is cooler.
09:23He also has a rather unique interpretation or definition of what a family unit is,
09:32one I'm sure that the administration that had its inaugural in Washington today
09:38would not look happily upon.
09:41He says his family unit is his wife, his lover, and his two children.
09:46He said it with a smile, Larry.
09:48I'm not sure that he wasn't kidding.
09:51He was, through much of his career, the preferred sparring partner of Julio Cesar Chavez.
09:56He spent four years largely working with Chavez, preparing Chavez for big fights,
10:01and then emerged from total obscurity to beat Stevie Johnston, win the title,
10:05and retain it by getting a draw with Johnston in his second fight.
10:08The overall record, 41 wins, four losses, one draw, 37 KOs.
10:14Castillo is regarded as the bigger puncher of the two.
10:17Let's go to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official introductions.
10:21Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino of Las Vegas, Nevada,
10:28where tonight, Top Rank Incorporated, along with your undisputed, undefeated king of beer, Budweiser.
10:35Proud to be your Bud, present World Championship Boxing.
10:40Sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Chairman Dr. Elias Ghanom,
10:44Vice Chairman Dr. Luther Mack, Commissioners Amy Ayoub, Glenn Carano, and Dr. Filippo Manske,
10:49Executive Director Mark Ratner.
10:52The three judges assigned to this world title bout, scoring the contest on the 10-point must system,
10:57will be Carol Castellano, Lou Filippo, and Chuck Williams.
11:03And when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action, Vic Draculich.
11:08And now, ladies and gentlemen, from the MGM Grand 12 rounds of boxing,
11:13for the WBC Lightweight Championship of the World.
11:18Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing white and weighing in at 134 and one-half pounds.
11:30His professional record, 38 victories, including 26 knockouts, with three losses and one draw from Ciudad de Mexico.
11:39Here is the number one-ranked WBC challenger in the world,
11:45the former WBC Lightweight World Champion, Cesar Barza!
11:51And his opponent, fighting out of the red corner, wearing blue, trimmed with yellow, and weighing in at 135 pounds.
12:04His professional record, 41 victories, including 37 knockouts, with four losses.
12:10From Mexicale, Mexico, presenting the reigning and defending WBC Lightweight Champion of the World,
12:19Jose Luis Castillo!
12:26All right, gentlemen.
12:41This is for the WBC Lightweight title.
12:44You received your instructions addressing, this time, any questions.
12:47Preguntas.
12:48Preguntas.
12:49Preguntas.
12:50Preguntas.
12:51Okay.
12:52Pay my command and protect yourselves at all times.
12:53Good luck to both of you.
12:54Okay.
12:55This figures to be a good action fight.
12:58One of the reasons we're interested in it is because either the winner or the loser of the main event tonight
13:06will probably wind up fighting the winner here.
13:15Because, of course, the main event takes place at 130 pounds.
13:19But both participants there look down the road toward their probable ascension to the lightweight division
13:25in the not-too-terribly-distant future.
13:27In fact, Diego Corrales says, I'm fighting for the last time at 130 tonight.
13:32Kazan could conceivably go higher in weight at some point given that he's six feet,
13:36but he's always been comfortable in the lightweight division
13:38and says that it's still not all that difficult for him to make weight.
13:42Kazan is the boxer here.
13:44Castillo is the banger who wants to get inside.
13:49Kazan has already established the superior jab.
13:52If he can maintain it and keep moving as he does it,
13:55he can stay ahead.
13:58Castillo has got to get close, stay close, and try to get into the body
14:02so that the taller man can drop his hands.
14:05In his two fights against Johnston,
14:07Bazan was surprising in his ability to fight on the inside.
14:11For a guy who's rangy with such long arms,
14:14he's got a nice little inside left hook
14:16and does reasonably well in there,
14:18although he did say that it's in his best interest
14:20to keep Castillo at distance if he can.
14:26he can.
14:36First power right hand by Bazan.
14:38Bazan.
14:39Bazan.
14:40Not a big puncher, Bazan.
14:41Not a particularly big puncher.
14:43The 26 knockouts on his record,
14:45mostly via accumulated punishment.
14:55Castillo with repeated use of the little left hook inside.
15:01Hey, you work day after day with Julio Cesar Chavez,
15:03you're gonna throw left hooks.
15:05He actually jabs, gets in position,
15:07and turning it right into a little uppercut type of hook.
15:19There's a chant of Castillo, Castillo from behind his corner.
15:23Mexicali, of course, a border town.
15:26Not too terribly distant from California,
15:29so some of Castillo's supporters made their way up.
15:38In both corners, they speak Spanish.
15:41So when we go to the corners between rounds,
15:44we have our ace interpreter, Ray Garcia, on hand.
15:49Ray Torres, excuse me.
15:51Ray Torres on hand.
16:02Clean shot inside for Castillo
16:04with that little left hook slash uppercut,
16:06as you pointed out, George.
16:08That elbow behind the head.
16:10You don't want to accumulate a lot of those.
16:12That elbow behind the neck.
16:13How did you feel?
16:25He said a little bit with a jab.
16:27You know how he caught the punches.
16:29Now you have to do something.
16:31Spit it out.
16:33Give me a bucket.
16:34You got to keep moving your left hand.
16:36Get some air.
16:37Breathe in.
16:38Very well.
16:39Very well.
16:40You always got to go to your right.
16:41Move to your right.
16:42And when you move in,
16:43Don't just throw the right.
16:44Throw the right underneath.
16:45That's sweet.
16:46That's sweet.
16:47That's sweet, that's sweet.
16:48Right there.
16:49Very well, you always got to go to your right, move to your right, and when you move in,
17:04throw the right underneath.
17:08By CompuBox numbers in round one, 45 of Bazan's 60 punches were jabs as he attempted the strategy of keeping Castillo out at range.
17:26Castillo took his time, wasn't trying to land hard stuff, just sort of looked to get inside and make contact from time to time,
17:33and toward the end of the round, he was inside.
17:37He was inside.
17:41Bazan Conner told him to come up a little bit with the shots, which is important.
17:45You fighting a shorter guy, you want to make sure you're throwing uppercuts and hooks,
17:49everything from the uppercut position.
17:51Jab, but take him under because he ducks right into them.
17:55Castillo does.
17:58Bazan with a good left hook.
18:01Castillo trying to jab his way in.
18:06The fight is being fought at a pace that appears to be very good for Cesar Bazan, and he lands two right hands over the top.
18:16This is a moderate pace.
18:18Castillo not yet able to apply the kind of pressure that forces Bazan to bury his rhythm.
18:24Castillo hasn't landed a lot of body shots.
18:28That was the first right hand to the side.
18:30That starts to tell.
18:32Bazan comes back with two lefts to the body himself.
18:34Castillo has to establish, look, I'm taking it out of your body so that your right, your left hand can come down.
18:39You don't want to jab. You're going to start throwing it wild.
18:41Castillo, once he gets the distance close in, he's got to stop giving it up, giving it up.
18:58You get close and stay close if you're the shorter opponent.
19:07Stop!
19:08Stop!
19:09Stop!
19:10Come up.
19:11Park.
19:14Another right to the body.
19:16Rabbi Castillo.
19:17There he is.
19:18Vic Draculich asking him to keep him up.
19:24When you see a boxer start moving from side to side along the ropes after he's been good with his jab,
19:29that means he's gotten something that's gotten hurt there.
19:32I believe that right to the side.
19:33So you think Castillo's making a statement to the body with the right hand?
19:35Oh, yes.
19:36He's going to the body with that right hand early enough.
19:40That's a right hand on the chin for Bazan, and he comes back with a double left hook.
19:46Castillo pumps the right over the top and comes back to the ribcage again.
19:50Well, Castillo, he's the one who wants to make sure it turns into a fight, a real war.
19:54You don't want this to be a boxing match.
19:56It could be all night.
20:11Well, in the last minute of the round,
20:13Jose Luis Castillo was able to step up the tempo and put more pressure on Cesar Bazan.
20:19And here's something unusual, George.
20:21Since arriving at the arena a couple hours ago, Diego Corrales has had what appeared to be a club sandwich,
20:30and there was a peanut butter sandwich as well.
20:33So peanut butter, then turkey for Corrales, all within the couple of hours before he's going into the ring.
20:39What do you make of that?
20:41Duran. Roberto Duran.
20:43Remember Duran in New Orleans?
20:46Uh-huh. So it sounds like a bad idea.
20:48I don't know. We'll see.
20:50I understand he ate a half of a sandwich of each of them, but it is curious.
20:57We talked about him fighting welterweight or lightweight.
21:01My guess is when he weighs in unofficially tonight, he'll be about a junior middleweight.
21:07That tells you about the weakness of losing weight like that.
21:14Corrales had already made the decision to go away from 130 up to 135,
21:19then reversed his course and decided to come back down to take this fight against Mayweather.
21:25Copy box numbers through round two.
21:27Castillo, 35 out of 100.
21:29Bazan, 43 out of 121.
21:37You can see the fight is getting closer and closer.
21:40There has been less of a jab.
21:42Bazan. Bazan.
21:44Bazan is using less of a jab.
21:46He's starting to sit down on his punches.
21:48Castillo should take advantage of this now.
21:51The advantage is gone with the longer arms.
21:53It's disappeared.
21:55Bazan is generally doesn't use his height very much.
22:00Much like Corrales, in fact, but he's not as big a hitter as Corrales.
22:05He is. He likes to fight inside.
22:08The first couple of rounds, he did a good job of using that left jab
22:11and throwing that overhand right.
22:13Right.
22:14That probably was the plan.
22:16But, of course, fighters will eventually revert, in most instances,
22:19to whatever it is they most naturally and comfortably do.
22:22And that appears to be, as Larry points out, what Bazan is doing.
22:29If you've seen Cesar Bazan before, then you expect that at some point
22:33he'll allow the opponent to come inside and fight with him in there
22:36because he's not uncomfortable doing it against most opponents.
22:40Referees better take note that Bazan is using his right elbow
22:43throwing these shots.
22:45Fist is not landing, but the solid elbow forearm is.
22:49And there's a red spot above the lip of Cesar Bazan on the left side of his face.
22:55And Castillo getting more aggressive in there.
23:02Castillo, by admission, is a classic brawler.
23:06He wants to get shoulder to shoulder with his opponent and fire away.
23:11Break! Break! Let's go.
23:13Watch. Keep punches up. Let's go.
23:15It's good that a referee move around these boxes from side to side.
23:18If you just work one side, they know you're there, and they'll work you.
23:24But Harold Letterman points out one interesting element
23:27of the Nevada State Athletic Commission's choice
23:31of Vic Draculic for referee.
23:33Neither fighter speaks English, and Draculic doesn't speak Spanish.
23:38Well, he seems to speak boxing.
23:41That's an interesting observation, George.
23:43I never heard of a saying talking about a referee
23:46he moves from side to side.
23:48You got to look on one side because they will use you.
23:51They'll work the below the belt.
23:53When you're on one side of the other.
23:55Yeah.
23:56Bazan, he watches him, and that's their boy again.
23:59You see?
24:00The referee hasn't taken note to it.
24:02Eventually, he'll open a cutover to right out.
24:05Well, shouldn't Castillo complain then?
24:09Sometimes you're a proud champion.
24:11You just keep fighting.
24:13Look.
24:15Castillo with one last left hand at the end of the round.
24:20The action heating up in this lightweight bout,
24:23and in Floyd Mayweather's dressing room, he's not eating.
24:27He's dancing and singing with his gang.
24:30It's a group sing in the Mayweather dressing room.
24:40You can't be inside.
24:42You have to be at a distance.
24:44And that's your best bet.
24:45Don't let him get so close.
24:46Yeah.
24:47Move back a little bit, and then come in with your right hand.
24:52The right hand is working beautifully.
24:54Second, John.
24:55Round three numerically was a big one for Jose Luis Castillo.
24:59He landed 29 punches by CompuBox numbers, 25 of them power shots.
25:04And you heard Cesar Bazan's corner men telling him, go back to staying at distance and use your jab.
25:10Harold Vetteman, how'd you score the first three?
25:12Okay, Jim.
25:13Two rounds to one, 29-28.
25:15Cesar Bazan.
25:16Yeah, Jim.
25:17Yeah, Jim.
25:18The first two rounds he absolutely outboxed him without question.
25:22Jose Luis Castillo just wasn't busy enough.
25:23But in the third round, Jose Luis Castillo got in, started moving his hands, banked him
25:28around, and now he seems to be in control of the fight.
25:31So Jose Luis Castillo, just as you called it, won that third round.
25:36Oh, God.
25:37And he is the first two rounds I'm talking about.
25:40Now he's the first three rounds, he's working on the first three rounds.
25:45He called it, won that third round big,
25:47and I agree with George Ford,
25:48but Siza Bazan does use that elbow.
25:53Castillo seems to have gotten somehow quicker
25:56and stronger since the beginning of the fight.
25:58He's established a stronger left jab now.
26:01The taller guy abandoned the jab, and he's starting to use it.
26:03He's getting closer.
26:04There's no disadvantage for him not to throw it now.
26:09So having given away the momentum in the bout,
26:11or having had it seized from him,
26:13Bazan must now try to change the course of the fight
26:16back in his favor.
26:21Remember, this is scheduled for 12 rounds.
26:26And Bazan with a little trickle of blood
26:29below the left nostril.
26:32You know, guys, this is a tough, grueling fight,
26:36but I still have my mind on what was going on
26:38in those dressing rooms.
26:39Has anybody ever looked in a dressing room before a fight
26:42and seen a group sing in one dressing room
26:47and guys eating in the other one?
26:49You hear that noise when you're in the dressing room
26:51preparing for a boxing match,
26:52and you hear the other corner, and they're making it,
26:54dancing like that, it makes you run to the bathroom.
26:57It does?
26:58It scares the death out of you.
27:00You don't want to hear the other guy having a party
27:01when you're sitting there with the chef.
27:03It makes you feel like they're relaxed and ready to go, huh?
27:06Yeah. You think, hey, they're in there relaxed,
27:08I'm scared to death.
27:09I better go back to the restroom.
27:10How much more relaxed can you be
27:12than eating the peanut butter sandwich?
27:14How much more relaxed can you be
27:15than eating the peanut butter sandwich?
27:19Incidentally, I'm told that Larry was 1,000% correct
27:23in saying that Corrales had half a peanut butter sandwich
27:26and half the turkey club.
27:27That's a lot better.
27:28So now we're accurate.
27:30Okay, he'll only be a welterweight tonight.
27:34His nutritionist, Alex Ariza,
27:38suggested that he wanted Diego to come in at 1.42.
27:41We'll see what the unofficial scale tells us
27:44when he enters the ring.
27:46You see, if the referee doesn't keep his eye on these boxes,
27:48this could turn into a dirty,
27:50elbow-slinging, below-the-belt-punching fight.
27:53Referee's scene doesn't have any clue at all.
27:57Double left hook to the body by Bazan.
27:59Castillo is missing upstairs.
28:02Castillo's throwing his elbow in retaliation.
28:05All out of the sight of the referee.
28:18Castillo's punches seem to be tolling a bigger effect.
28:24No question about that.
28:26And Cesar Lazan must be aware now
28:28that he's being scrutinized by referee Vic Draculic
28:31after these instances in the first three rounds of the fight.
28:34Elbow to the back of the neck by Bazan in round number one.
28:39Draculic saying, don't do that.
28:41Then a low blow in round number two.
28:45And Draculic warning him not to hit low blows.
28:49And then leading with the elbow in round number three.
28:53That was pretty cute.
28:55Well, you're right, George.
28:56This is a challenge to the referee,
28:57and so far he's been more than up to the task.
29:00Oh, he doesn't even have a clue of what's going on.
29:04Can't see it.
29:05Can't see it.
29:07Okay?
29:09Let's go.
29:12Let's go, guys.
29:16Once again in round four,
29:17Coffee Box numbers favoring Jose Luis Castillo,
29:21who landed 26 punches to only 13.
29:23Counted for Bazan.
29:27Break!
29:28Oh, come on. Break!
29:29Harold Letterman agrees, and now has the fight even
29:32on his scorecard a third of the way in.
29:38Bazan seemingly trying to put more steam in his punches now.
29:41He was able to land a good, effective left hook.
29:50But Castillo's one of those guys who just takes what you throw
29:54and keeps on coming.
29:59Those uppercuts Bazan's manager told him to use,
30:02it's starting to pay off a little bit.
30:05Changing the tempo of the bounce slightly.
30:08Back in the favor of Cesar Bazan.
30:12Castillo with a low blow.
30:14Csakulic, the referee, was on the other side.
30:19Good.
30:20Straight right hand inside by Bazan.
30:24Castillo lands a little left hook inside.
30:29They're both brave men.
30:32Big left hook by Castillo.
30:34Backs Bazan up.
30:37These guys are leading with their head on most occasions.
30:40They haven't shown much defense at all.
30:42It was another low blow by Castillo.
30:44This one well below the belt and right on the cuff.
30:47Bazan keeps fighting.
30:54Those elbows can start to work against Castillo now
30:57if he's not careful.
31:00Left side of his eye starting to swell a little bit.
31:03Castillo's still trying to close the distance.
31:07Wants to fight in the phone booth.
31:08Bazan beating him to the punt most of the time in this round.
31:14Well, the fight is on now.
31:15This is just a grueling, tough, hard-nosed fight between two grueling, tough prize fighters.
31:25Blood spilling from both fighters now, looks from the bridge of the nose or the eye of Castillo.
31:37The nose and perhaps the mouth of Bazan.
31:41And the first knockdown is scored by Castillo on a sizzling left hook.
31:46Four, five, six, siete, ocho.
31:49Remember, Jim, earlier before the fight, we talked about this being a left hooker's brawl and ball,
31:58and that was a great left hook.
31:59Yep, but Bazan comes back with two straight right hands.
32:04He's got to step around the side.
32:09You can't stand in front of him.
32:10Castillo's got to step around the side.
32:13Castillo's got to step around the side.
32:16Castillo's got to step around the side.
32:17Castillo's got to step around the side.
32:21Great stuff.
32:27You can wait for five, Gil, yep!
32:44What!
32:46You want, that's all!
32:49Come on, that's all!
32:51He's surprising you.
33:02Take a look at that left hook again.
33:06Beautiful short left hook that Bazan never saw.
33:11And now there is a serious cut, I believe, on the eyelid.
33:18And of Castillo, is it Castillo?
33:24It's the left eye of Jose Luis Castillo, which is beginning to swell shut.
33:29And there's a little cut, as you pointed out in the last round, Larry, on the bridge of his nose.
33:33Bazan's left eye isn't looking too good either.
33:37Round five was another one that favored Castillo in CompuBox numbers.
33:4248 out of 88.
33:4468 of the 80 punches connected on in the round were power shots.
33:47You know, both of these fighters were unknown in the U.S. before they fought.
33:52Stevie Johnson gives you an idea of the depth of outstanding fighters in Mexico from lightweight on down.
34:05It gives you an idea of how tough Stevie Johnston is, too, because you're looking at 48 rounds in Stevie Johnston's life with these two guys, 24 with each of them.
34:15And he gave just about as good as he got all the way through, although losing two of the four fights.
34:22At some point, these guys are going to have to start getting up, getting some kind of defense going.
34:27George, that's another fight.
34:30George, that's another fight.
34:30It ain't going to happen here.
34:36Big right hand by Bazan.
34:38Break.
34:39Go.
34:44Whoever decide to move their head a little bit and continuously throw the shots can win this boxing match,
34:49because this thing could be worn from loss of blood and too much swelling.
35:01Castello.
35:02Castello.
35:02Castello.
35:03Castello.
35:04Castillo.
35:04Castillo was able to knock him down, but he threw away a lot of his energy trying to finish him.
35:08Oh, but he landed a huge straight right there.
35:12It will take him almost three minutes to get his strength back to try and do it again.
35:16Another left hook, and Bazan may not make it.
35:24Well, he's up.
35:26That was a cranked half hook, half uppercut.
35:28George pointed out to you in the first round the way Castillo likes to drop his elbow
35:33and turn the left hook into an uppercut.
35:35That's exactly what he did there, and it was a beautiful shot.
35:39I'm not sure Bazan can withstand this.
35:42The referee is watching it very closely.
35:44Castillo did a lot of damage with that one shot.
35:49Bazan still firing.
35:51He's got a lot of guts.
35:53Still standing in front of him, though.
35:55You got to move from side to side.
36:00Bazan grabbing Castillo behind the head,
36:03seemingly to keep himself from falling down.
36:06Blood coming out of the nose of Bazan.
36:12Castillo raking in the power shots,
36:15and Draculic has seen it up.
36:16Oh.
36:21Thrilling victory for Jose Luis Castillo.
36:24Well, that's our first look at Castillo,
36:26and whoever wants to take him on
36:30is going to have his hands and his head full.
36:34Four losses, but three of them way back,
36:37much earlier in his career,
36:38and obviously in the four years of sparring with Chavez,
36:41he learned a lot.
36:42Three of those losses, he says,
36:44were TKOs on cuts,
36:47and we saw him cut up tonight
36:48so we can understand how that would have happened.
36:53But you're not going to ask for your money back
36:55after going to see him fight.
37:01And if this was a war of wills,
37:03Castillo won it because he forced Bazan to fight his fight.
37:08Bazan was strong.
37:09Ooh, but the rear hook, uppercut hook.
37:13Take another look at this shot, George.
37:15He bends right into it.
37:17That's what you want that punch.
37:18Just when you want it to occur,
37:19when a guy drops his head.
37:20Well, Castillo said that if he wasn't a prize fighter,
37:24he wanted to be a baseball player,
37:26he hit that one over the fence.
37:28Yeah.
37:32And here's the moment
37:33at which referee Victor Kulic
37:35decided that Cesar Bazan
37:38was taking too much punishment to continue.
37:41As Jose Luis Castillo closed the show,
37:44landing 33 of 67 power shots
37:46by CompuBox numbers in that round.
37:52And now let's go up to Michael Buffer
37:53for the official particulars on the TKO.
37:56Ladies and gentlemen,
37:57referee Victor Kulic has to step in
38:00and call a halt to the bout.
38:02The official time,
38:03two minutes,
38:0454 seconds of round number six.
38:07The winner by TKO victory
38:09and still the WBC lightweight champion
38:13of the world,
38:14Jose Luis Castillo.
38:19Final CompuBox numbers.
38:38And you can see the edge for Castillo
38:41as he landed 49 more shots
38:43than did Bazan,
38:45threw three more,
38:46landed at the higher connects percentage,
38:48particularly after the second round
38:50when he got inside
38:51in the third, fourth, and fifth
38:52and was able to fire away at close range.
38:55He was exceedingly accurate,
38:57especially with power punches.
38:58He landed 70 more of those
39:00than did Bazan
39:01and threw 141 more power punches
39:04as Bazan started off the fight
39:06trying to keep Castillo away with his jab.
39:12So a big victory for Jose Luis Castillo
39:15and George Foreman.
39:16There's a syndrome in the sport
39:17called the sparring partner mentality.
39:19Guys spend a lot of years
39:21sparring with big-name fighters
39:22and they lose something
39:23of their confidence
39:24and their assertiveness.
39:25That certainly didn't appear
39:26to happen to Jose Luis Castillo
39:27in his years of challenge.
39:28Not at all.
39:28And Bazan was a good fighter.
39:30He had a good left jab,
39:31even came back with hooks.
39:32But the other guy was just too much.
39:33Castillo, he's the champ.
39:35No, indeed.
39:35An excellent performance
39:37by a guy about whom
39:38we had not known too much
39:39prior to this weekend,
39:41but who appears to be
39:42a force to be reckoned with
39:43for the future
39:44in the 135-pound division.
39:46Larry, final comment
39:47about Bazan and Castillo?
39:49Well, when and if,
39:51when and if Corrales
39:53or Mayweather
39:54want to move up to 135,
39:56they'll have him
39:57as a serious obstacle
39:59if not a wall to run into.
40:01All right.
40:02Well, let's get ready now
40:03for the 130-pound fight,
40:05which is, of course,
40:05the main event of the evening,
40:07as we told you,
40:07the main event of the evening,
40:09as we told you.
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