by David P. Greisman
Oscar Escandon had to go through training camp twice just to fight once. First his bout with featherweight titleholder Gary Russell Jr. last year was called off less than two weeks from fight night after Russell was injured in training camp. And then he prepared to fight for an interim title against Robinson Castellanos.
He won, earning him the interim World Boxing Council belt at 126 pounds.
“I feel very happy about this victory. It's been a long time coming and I'm very proud to take the title back to my country,” Escandon, who hails from Colombia, said afterward according to quotes provided by Golden Boy Promotions.
Escandon had to come off the canvas in the second round, regaining the lead on the scorecards and winning by technical knockout in the seventh.
“Robinson is a very tough guy. He came to fight, but my training camp showed in this event. I've been trying very hard, sacrificing a lot to be at this stage in my career, including spending time with my family,” Escandon said. “When I was dropped the first time, it was just a sting. I didn't get hurt and I realize that I needed to fight with more intelligence to make sure I secured this victory.”
This is his second interim title; he’d also held one at 122 pounds with a controversial win over Tyson Cave in 2014, losing it four months later to Moises Flores.
Escandon is now 25-2 with 17 KOs.
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