Jose Luis Castillo vs. Sebastian Lujan Tonight

[RL_GMA]

Tonight on ESPN.

Who takes it?

[Exciterx30]

I think Lujan does, mainly because Castillo is past his prime and not a real welterweight. Lujan had a war which he won against Walter Matthysse and gave Antonio Margarito a tough bout for a few rounds even making Margarito retreat at some points which is something that not many fighters have been able to do. I say Lujan on points.

[Super_Lightweight]

I really really hope Castillo does.

(^_^)

[The_Italian]

I really really hope Castillo does.

(^_^)

i agree with you.

He's given a lot to the sport in the past...the great war with corrales...two very good fights against floyd mayweather jr...

and its sad that he has to keep fighting on to get out of his debts...i hope he can get himself this victory.

[MAXWELL_]

I think Lujan does, mainly because Castillo is past his prime and not a real welterweight. Lujan had a war which he won against Walter Matthysse and gave Antonio Margarito a tough bout for a few rounds even making Margarito retreat at some points which is something that not many fighters have been able to do. I say Lujan on points.

those are some valid points in lujans favor

valid points for castillo that ive read from fightwriter. i was going to paraphrase and not give him credit but instead:

"Now here’s a fight that has me a bit puzzled. Jose Luis Castillo, although clearly faded, is still a big name. He still has earning potential. So what on earth is his management doing putting him in with a durable, heavy handed, rough customer such as Sebastian Lujan?
The 10-rounder, which tops the bill on Wednesday Night Fights, is one that could, on the face of it, end Castillo’s career. He is 34 years old and he is moving up from 140 pounds to the welterweight division to face a six-years-younger man who has been the full 12 rounds with junior middleweights Jamie Moore and Sergiy Dzinziruk.
Not only this, but Lujan went into the 10th round against Antonio Margarito without going down — and he would probably have gone the 12-round distance had it not been for a horribly cut ear.
Lujan has been sparring with Margarito, so we know that the Argentinean will be in good shape.
One of the offshore sportsbooks opened up Castillo as a solid favourite but players jumped all over the line to hammer it down to even money.
I believe that Castillo should in fact be the favourite in the fight, based on his experience at a very high level, but there is a real doubt as to how much he has left.
Castillo has been in a lot of hard fights. The signs of decline were evident when he barely eked out a win over Herman Ngoudjo. Then there was the fourth-round collapse when Ricky Hatton dug a left hook into his body.
Since the Hatton fight, Castillo has had a win in Mexico, then failed to make weight for a 140-pound elimination match against Timothy Bradley.
It was only a couple of years ago that Castillo was fighting in the lightweight division and considered an elite fighter. Now he has moved up two weight divisions. Perhaps he will be stronger at 147 pounds, or maybe at his age, and after an 18-year career, the veteran from Sonora, Mexico, can no longer push himself in training, or at last not to the extent needed for him to make 140 pounds.
There are a lot of questions to be answered concerning Castillo.
Despite these well-founded doubts, however, Castillo’s great experience has to be respected. Technically he is the better fighter. Lujan can be awfully crude. Castillo throws the more compact, more “educated” punches. Lujan’s strength, though, is going to be a problem for the older man. The Mexican fighter is going to be hitting a big-framed fighter who can absorb punishment. Castillo had better be ready to dig in for the long haul.
One must assume, though, that Castillo’s manager, Fernando Beltran, has done his homework. I have to ask myself why he would risk Castillo in a fight such as this when, if the end is indeed near, a far better-paying fight could surely have been negotiated. Can a shrewd operator such as Beltran have got it so completely wrong in making this match?
Lujan is not a skilled fighter and he nearly got stopped in a wild brawl with fellow-Argentinean Walter Dario Matthysse in which each man was on the floor. When Lujan lost to Jamie Moore, Britain’s Boxing Monthly described the Argentinean as “disappointingly unambitious”. So there is a certain unreliability where Lujan is unconcerned; he has it in him to under perform.
To me, this fight comes into the category of: “Who knows?” As in: Who knows if Castillo is a spent force? Or: Who knows which Lujan will show up?
If Castillo is in fact what the game calls a “shot” fighter, he will probably get battered into defeat and may not even go the distance, but if he has prepared well and has not deteriorated too much, he has the boxing knowledge, ability and savvy to win. I think that Castillo is smart enough to block or avoid Lujan’s looping blows and outscore the Argentinean with his more accurate punching at medium and close range.
Even though the players love Lujan’s chances, and may well be right, I have the feeling that Castillo has enough left to win this fight, although it is likely to be tough going. If Castillo loses, viewers of Wednesday Night Fights will have seen the finish to a great career, but I do not think it has come to that — not quite yet, anyway."

[The Hammer]

I'll be rooting for Jose Luis Castillo.

The poor guy has had a lot of bad luck, such as being robbed in the first Mayweather fight.

[T-97]

I'll be rooting for Jose Luis Castillo.

As will I. I hope Castillo gets a win and retires. He is clearly past it these days, In his prime he would have beaten Hatton.

[Sweet Pea 50]

I got go with Lujan in this one. Thanks for reminding me about this one, thread starter. I almost forgot about tonights fights.

[Kball15]

I think Lujan does, mainly because Castillo is past his prime and not a real welterweight. Lujan had a war which he won against Walter Matthysse and gave Antonio Margarito a tough bout for a few rounds even making Margarito retreat at some points which is something that not many fighters have been able to do. I say Lujan on points.

Should be a damn good scrap