Jermell Charlo On Brian Castano Rematch: I Wanna Knock This Motherf----- Out!

ARLINGTON, Texas – The first time Jermell Charlo came away with a result he disliked, he knocked out Tony Harrison in the 11th round of their rematch. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

The IBF/WBA/WBC 154-pound champion plans to do the same thing to Brian Castano when they meet again May 14 in Carson, California. Houston’s Charlo wants to become the first fighter to stop the rugged Argentine champion inside the distance when they partake in an immediate rematch Showtime will televise from Dignity Health Sports Park.

Charlo discussed how he’ll approach Castano during a recent interview with a group of reporters.

“I wanna knock this motherf----- out,” Charlo said. “You know what I’m saying? The Mell that y’all knew from when I was fightin’ four rounds. You know what I’m saying? And I was going in there, trying to end that four-round fight with a knockout. You know what I’m saying? And I wanna be that guy for 12 rounds now.”

Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs), who owns the WBO belt, and Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KO) boxed to a controversial split draw July 17 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

New Jersey’s Steve Weisfeld scored Castano a 114-113 winner of a 12-round main event Showtime broadcast. Nevada’s Tim Cheatham scored their back-and-forth fight a draw, 114-114.

Puerto Rico’s Nelson Vazquez conspicuously scored what was a much closer contest 117-111 for Charlo, who somehow won nine rounds on Vazquez’s card. Charlo even acknowledged during their post-fight press conference that their fight was closer than Vazquez saw it.

Charlo, 31, and Castano, 32, were supposed to fight a second time March 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Their 12-round, 154-pound championship rematch was postponed for almost two months because Castano suffered a right biceps injury during training camp early in February.

If their rematch doesn’t result in another draw or a no-contest, the Castano-Charlo winner will become boxing’s first fully unified champion within the 154-pound division during the four-belt era.

Charlo’s confidence regarding his rematch with Castano in part stems from how he handled Harrison in their second fight. Their rematch was competitive, much like their first fight, but Charlo knocked out Detroit’s Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) in the 11th round to regain his WBC super welterweight title in December 2019 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Harrison upset Charlo by unanimous decision in their first fight. That closely contested 12-rounder occurred almost a year to the day before their second encounter at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Buenos Aires’ Castano is scheduled to compete in the first rematch of his nine-year pro career. He sought a second shot at Erislandy Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs), but a rematch with the Cuban southpaw never materialized after they boxed to a 12-round split draw in March 2019 at Barclays Center.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.