By Carlos Irusta

IN THE EARLY HOURS of June 17 of 2005, Jorge Castro faced death at close range. He was aboard his car and, in the middle of the fog, he crushed it against a tree. During the next month, we spent 19 days in coma.

“I can’t remember nothing, because I was asleep”, he said. He laid in the presidential room of Hospital Cosme Argerich. The presidential room is just in case that the Argentinean president has a problem. If not, it could be used by anyone. Castro, finally, left the hospital in a wheelchair. Looking at him in those days it sounded impossible to think about him in a ring again.

BUT CASTRO IS CASTRO. He came home with a tremendous problem in his right hand. “I was not move it”, he said. He started to work in his wheelchair with his personal doctor, Walter Quainter. “I will come back” he likes to say.

Just last May 26, at Luna Park Stadium, Castro kayoed in 7, Derrick Harmon in an eliminatory for the light heavy division in the WBA rankings. Don King was at the ringside, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, special guest of “KO TO DRUGS” WBA meeting. Vice-president of Argentina, Daniel Scioli, also. It was a special night for Castro “Locomotive”, who was down on all three cards when he kayoed Harmon.

FINALLY, CASTRO WILL BE BACK in the ring. Next April 22nd at Luna Park again. “We don’t know the opponent now, It could be former middleweight champion Reggie Johnson: I defeated him twice in Argentina, but we are not sure”. Other two names in discussion are Panamanian Tito Mendoza or Orlando Rivera from USA. Castro, at 38, has a pro record of 129 (89 KO)-10-3. He was WBA middleweight champion in 1994. He will be fighting again and against all-odds.

“My dream is to have a chance for the lightheavy WBA belt. I am the number 1 contender in the ranking and Gilbertico Mendoza has promised me a chance. I will be world champion again, believe me”.