FIGHT OF FANTASY: JOSE LUIS CASTILLO
and box a little bit and punch when he’s moving backwards – make him miss and make him pay. “Castillo is relentless, good defense coming in. He had good head movement, like [Julio Cesar] Chavez used to fight – he was Chavez’s main sparring partner. He got a bunch of those skills like Chavez if you see him fight, the way he would come forward, go side-to-side, go to the body and take a good shot. It would be Castillo pushing Zepeda back and not letting him do what he wants to do. “If you see when [Castillo] fought Mayweather the first time, he was making Mayweather fight. Nobody fights like Mayweather; he’s so elusive. He’s a great boxer. [Castillo] forced him to stay in the pocket too long. “I think for six rounds, it’s back and forth, exciting – maybe 3-3, 4-2. A close fight. But I think in the second half of the fight, Castillo’s experience and come- forward action breaks Zepeda. I see Castillo taking over the second half of the fight, and I’m going to say he wins the decision.” Prediction: Castillo PTS
“William Zepeda is volume, volume, volume. I see steady pressure from both. It’s who can make the opponent more uncomfortable. Physically I see the strength favoring Castillo – much more physical, being able to move Zepeda inside. However, Zepeda would have the advantage of volume. Castillo was not necessarily a fast fighter, just consistent. As the rounds went by, [it would pick up] a little bit more. “At the end of the day, it’s a very tough one. The fans are definitely the winners in that one. I could see Zepeda going down a couple of times, just because Castillo was stronger, but I could see Zepeda in the end winning a decision because of his volume and activity.” Prediction: Zepeda PTS
who is also a pressure fighter but a different kind of pressure fighter. He’s physically strong. He’s educated inside. So I think with Castillo being the physically stronger guy … Look what Castillo did to Mayweather, pushed him back, and a lot of us thought he won that first fight. “I think towards the later rounds – and I don’t know if [Zepeda] would be able to do this, but box. Castillo would be the stronger, heavier guy, and his presence and physical being would push Zepeda back. So I think Zepeda would have to take a step back, use his jab and angles to outbox Castillo. “Castillo would just be Castillo. If I would work on anything, if I was his trainer, I would maybe start a little earlier, because Castillo would [otherwise] take his time, put pressure on you. He would throw one or two shots at a time, and that’s what would hurt him at the beginning. So, I would [advise] Castillo to start a little bit faster, maybe take an extra 15-20 minutes warming up in the dressing room to make sure he’s nice and warm when he comes out for the fight and put pressure on Zepeda from the beginning. “I think I would give the edge to Castillo, because that man just keeps coming forward. And I believe even though Zepeda has some power, Castillo is the heavier puncher – and those thudding punches hurt. I think Castillo would wear down Zepeda. And Zepeda’s will would hurt him in the later rounds when he would try to push back Castillo, but Castillo would get inside and work that body and uppercuts and be that dominant inside fighter that he is. Zepeda puts pressure, but that’s what Castillo is counting on, and that would make it that much easier for Castillo to beat Zepeda. I think with Castillo’s short hooks, uppercuts and downstairs … I think he would really hurt and stop him.” Prediction: Castillo TKO
VS.
WILLIAM ZEPEDA By Anson Wainwright
I magine a world where Jose Luis Castillo and William Zepeda could meet in a 12-round lightweight matchup. Pitting two high-volume pressure fighters against each other with national bragging rights on the line, neither of these Mexican warriors would give an inch. Simply put: It would be a fan-friendly fight. After a decade as a professional fighter and 44 fights, Castillo burst onto the world scene in June 2000 when he upset Stevie Johnston (MD 12) to claim the WBC lightweight title. He would remain at the top for several years. He fought Johnston to a draw in his first defense and bludgeoned compatriot Cesar Bazan (TKO 6) in his second. The Mexicali native ran Floyd Mayweather close, narrowly losing a 12-round unanimous decision. Mayweather did win a clearer decision in a rematch, but Castillo rebounded to beat Juan Lazcano (UD 12 for the vacant Ring and WBC titles), Joel Casamayor (SD 12) and Julio Diaz (TKO 10). And despite losing to Diego Corrales in 10 rounds, Castillo could take solace from the fact that it was one of the greatest fights of all time. Zepeda won his first 21 fights in Mexico before catching eyes on the international stage with several impressive performances in the early 2020s, notably against unbeaten prospect Hector Tanajara (TKO 6), grizzled gatekeeper Rene Alvarado (UD 10), former 130-pound titlist Joseph Diaz (UD 12) and former world title challenger Mercito Gesta (KO 6), all in California. However, he narrowly defeated but struggled against tricky former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer (SD 10, MD 12) and was bested by Shakur Stevenson (UD 12) when he fought for the WBC title. He then bounced back with a career-best win over Lamont Roach (UD 12) to claim the belt after Stevenson was stripped. While fighters with movement may trouble both Castillo and Zepeda, that wouldn’t be an issue in this fight. Castillo vs. Zepeda would almost certainly be an exciting war of attrition, with Zepeda setting a fast pace and Castillo having to match his countryman. Both have power and match well physically, but the nip-and-tuck battle would likely go rounds. It could be a fight of fine margins. But ultimately, who would do enough to pick up the win?
JUAN DIAZ Former unified lightweight titleholder “That would have been a great fight. This would be a battle of wills. Both fighters are strong-minded individuals who press forward and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. “William Zepeda is about 5-9, a southpaw. He’s a high-volume puncher, puts on a lot of pressure and has a lot of weapons in his arsenal. The work rate is incredible and [he’s an] all-around great fighter. You saw what he did to Shakur Stevenson – he put him on his back foot and put a lot of pressure on him. “Then you have Jose Luis Castillo,
RAUL MARQUEZ Former junior middleweight titleholder/ commentator “It’s bombs away because of their styles of fighting. They’re Mexican. They’re high-volume punchers, have great chins. They come to fight. Both are relentless. It’s a really competitive matchup. I think the promotion would be unbelievable. It’s got the ingredients of a war. “Zepeda, he’s a volume puncher; he’s got respectable power; he’s very busy. The Zepeda who beat Roach, that’s the kind of fight he would have to fight against Castillo. He would have to mix it up. Zepeda showed some boxing ability. I think if he went toe-to-toe with Castillo, Castillo would get the better of him. He would have to mix it up, apply pressure at times and then let Castillo come to him
ROBERTO DIAZ Manager “A classic Mexico against Mexico matchup. A very good fight for the fans. As is the case many times when Mexico fights Mexico, you get a guaranteed war, and this would be no different. “Castillo is very well known for
his pressure. Many people saw him deserve a win over Floyd Mayweather in the first fight because of his constant pressure. This is a kid that grew up working with Julio Cesar Chavez and fought very similar to Chavez: give and take, pressuring, working the body, moving forward and cutting off the ring.
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Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk, and you
can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght.
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