By Jake Donovan
Nothing's come easy in the pro career of Martin "El Gallito" Castillo, but there finally appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. The former Olympian, who celebrated his 31 st birthday earlier this month, receives a shot at redemption next month, which, if victorious, could parlay into the biggest payday of career.
All of this, after losing an alphabet title, normally the one bargaining chip lower fighters are able to bring to the negotiating table.
Castillo hopes for 2008 to serve as the year he regains his place atop the junior bantamweight division. The journey begins on February 15, when he takes on Fernando Montiel in a televised support bout to the Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor rematch in Las Vegas.
A win over Montiel, ranked #2 at 115 lb by BoxingScene, would give Castillo (#4) an alphabet title, but more importantly, set the stage for a lucrative showdown with wildly popular Jorge Arce later in the year. A fight with Arce is something Castillo has demanded for years. Even though it's now within reach, he knows all of that could change should he not come through in the present task at hand.
"I was pleased to hear that Top Rank has such big plans for me in 2008, but none of that matters if I am not successful against Fernando Montiel next month," acknowledged Castillo (33-2, 17KO), presently riding a three-fight win streak after a fluke stoppage loss to unheralded newcomer Nobuo Nashiro in July 2006.
"I've been waiting for an opportunity like this for over a year. I'm just glad Montiel was brave enough to give me the chance, and for my promoter (Top Rank, Inc.) being able to put me in a position to fight for a title."
It's no easy task at hand, as Montiel can switch between boxer and puncher on the drop of a dime. Though as of late, getting both versions to show up in the ring has been problematic for the Mexican. Montiel looked spectacular in his last two outings, but in the past has struggled in lethargic showings against some of the better fighters in the lower weight classes such as Jhonny Gonzalez and Mark Johnson, losing both HBO-televised bouts in which he reverted to pure boxer mode.
Castillo plans to bring the best out of Montiel, no matter what version shows up.
"We're working on cutting off the ring. Montiel runs way too much and I will have to force him to fight," insists Castillo. "I'm going to fight an intelligent fight and I plan on being victorious."
It might take more than just emerging victorious to secure bigger and better fights, an item always difficult to come by even when Castillo was reigning as a titlist. It wasn't the road he expected to travel when turning pro in 1998, two years after having represented Mexico in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, nor did he believe that it would take so long to become in high demand, or demanded at all.
Sometimes, it takes losing in order to start winning.
"For a long time, I was winning, but couldn't get any other big names to fight me. Ever since my loss (to Nashiro), everyone wants to fight me, which is great. Even in losing that fight, I still feel I'm the best junior bantamweight in the world. Now I finally get my chance to prove it, by beating one of the best in Montiel."
Castillo was generally regarded as the best in the division after his big win over previously unbeaten Alexander Munoz in December 2004. The bout was a pick-'em on paper, and by far the most significant Telefutura main even in recent years, if not the history of their Friday night Solo Boxeo series. None of that stopped Castillo from dominating Munoz, taking the fight to the puncher, dropping him twice and snatching his hardware via wide unanimous decision.
The road to Munoz was a long one, figuratively and literally. Castillo was forced to engage in an elimination bout at the start of 2004, when he pitched a shutout over Roger Galicia in Kansas City. Four months later, he'd stamp his passport and travel to the Far East, where he was forced to rally from a slight deficit on the scorecards to stop Hideyasu Ishihara in eleven rounds to claim interim status for the title Munoz was presently toting.
The Munoz win opened doors for Castillo, as he received a showcase slot on the undercard of the epic first battle between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao in March 2005. Castillo opened the show by serving up a boxing lesson to fellow 1996 Olympian and former titlist Eric Morel, then stuck around to watch Jorge Arce survive a bloodbath in stopping Hussein Hussein in the evening's co-feature. He hoped that a fight with Arce was in the cards in the immediate future, but was instead once again dispatched to Japan for a rematch with Ishihara.
In terms of remaining in the public eye, it went from bad to worse for Castillo once 2005 became 2006. The year began on a familiar front, accepting a rematch with Munoz on the undercard of the rematch between Morales and Pacquiao. The thing about looking so good in a first fight against a familiar face is it's nearly impossible to duplicate. Such rang true for Castillo, who seemed off of his game all night against a determined Munoz, having to rally in the championship rounds in order to pull out a razor-thin decision.
Once again, the prospect of an Arce fight was the main topic of discussion. Once again, Castillo was forced to follow a PPV showcase with an off-(American) TV bout in Japan. Only the results didn't pan out quite as expected for Castillo, who suffered a bad cut early in the fight against Nashiro, a 7-fight novice heading in. Castillo fell behind but was able to rally back midway through, only to see his efforts cut short by the referee's decision to stop the fight in the 10 th round.
Ever the professional, Castillo offered no excuses, crediting Nashiro's bravery and accepting the referee's decision to act on the side of safety. Instead, he viewed the defeat as cause to pause and rebuild. Three wins have since followed, including an impressive showing over Jonathan Perez last October on Telefutura. A new head trainer has also been brought on board, as Castillo joined forces with the recently ubiquitous Rudy Perez, longtime trainer of future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera.
"Training has been excellent; Rudy and I have been very comfortable since the first day. We've been working very hard at the gym getting ready for this title fight. I'm back to the point in my career where training has been the top priority again. I keep training, waiting for an opportunity to come along. Whenever someone gives me a chance I take it, which is why I accepted the Montiel fight right away."
Castillo's revival came at the perfect time for promoter Top Rank, who believe his style and status among the division's best makes him a perfect fit for next month's PPV show.
"Martin Castillo is on the PPV card because he is an action, hard-hitting elite fighter who is wildly popular with Latino fans who are the heartbeat of our PPV in Southwestern USA. Pavlik's rise to power has re-awakened mid-America fight fans, many of who will be at the MGM Grand on February 16. Taylor will have his fight fans coming in from Little Rock, Arkansas. So Bob Arum has once again constructed a PPV card appealing to all fans in all corners of the USA."
Which can only mean a wider audience for Castillo to strut his stuff. A bigger audience means more recognition, which also means more bargaining power should a long-awaited showdown with Arce finally become a reality, which is rumored to occur later this year, should both win next month in separate bouts.
"I have been discussing that fight for who knows how long," says Castillo. "It would be a great fight, it would be great publicity for me, and keep me in the public eye."
Of course, history could always repeat itself, which would leave Castillo somewhere in Asia for his next bout. But the thought of another stamp on his passport no longer upsets El Gallito.
"It doesn't matter where I fight. I just want the chance to fight to prove that I'm the best ."
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His feature column runs every Tuesday, and his Prospect of the Week series runs every Thursday. Jake is also BoxingScene's official Telefutura correspondent.
Please feel free to submit any comments or questions to Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com