Castano: I Am In The Prime Of My Career, That Is Why I Sought This Fight

Brian Castano knew the sacrifices he had to make in his career in order to put a title around his waist.

Once he arrived on that stage, there was never a thought of turning back.

Immediately after soundly outpointing Patrick Teixeira to win the WBO junior middleweight title earlier this year, Castano (17-0-1, 12KOs) and his team sought an undisputed showdown with lineal/WBC/WBA/IBF champ Jermell Charlo (34-1, 18KOs). Allowing the fight to marinate was never an option, not after having to wait more than a year for his mandatory title shot versus Teixeira to materialize.

To the credit of all parties involved, not a moment was wasted. The two best junior middleweights in the world meet this weekend, live on Showtime from AT&T Center in San Antonio.

“I am in the prime of my career, that is why I sought this fight,” Castano insisted during a recent press conference to discuss the undisputed championship bout. “I do believe I’m at my best right now. Fans will be able to witness for themselves on July 17 how good I am.”

Argentina’s Castano previously held a secondary version of the WBA junior middleweight title, of which he was stripped due to a fallout in a planned rematch with Michel Soro in 2019. The setback didn’t discourage him, instead setting his sights on the next available belt. A stoppage win over Wale Omotoso later that year positioned Castano for a crack at the WBO title, only for the pandemic and issues with Teixeira securing a travel issue contributing to no fewer than two official postponements and a 15-month ring absence by the time they met this past February.

Castano dominated the fight, his performance coupled with his past achievements enough to convince the masses of his serving as no worse than the second-best junior middleweight in the world today. Charlo has earned the top spot along with recognition as the division’s lineal champion following an eighth-round knockout of Jeison Rosario last September.

Both sides agreed that there was no time like the present to present the division with its first-ever undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

“This the fight of my life. Jermell is a champion. I am a champion,” notes Castano. “This is my era, this is my time. This is the most important fight of my life. I look forward to fighting July 17. I’m doing this for my people, I’m doing this for all of Argentina.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox