Mexican Warrior: Jose Luis Castillo, the Man Who Beat Mayweather

Jose Luis Castillo was born on December 14, 1973 in Emplame, Mexico. Castillo might not have grabbed the glory of fellow countrymen Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales, but he was just as dangerous and a great Mexican warrior. He came from a family with nine children, and his father was a railroad worker who boxed part-time to make extra money. He started as an amateur at age 12 and held a record of 32-3 when he went to Mexico City at the age of 16 to look into joining the national team. Being unimpressed with what he found, he left and turned pro. His first professional bout was in May 1990 in Baja. By the time Castillo turned 18, he was a 16-0 professional boxer with 15 KOs.

In these early days, Castillo fought as a featherweight (126 lbs). In July 1993 he was fed to Cesar Soto, a future featherweight world champion. Soto was 2 years older, but vastly more experienced at 35-5-2. The bout was for the Mexican featherweight title, and Castillo lost it in a crushing 2nd Round kayo. It was just too much, too soon. It was the beginning of a mixed time for Castillo, who was young and still developing. Between 1993 and mid-1996, he challenged for the Mexican featherweight title twice more, and lost by knockout both times. Things changed for Castillo when he was taken aboard the camp of the King of Mexican Boxing, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez . Castillo served as a sparring partner to Chavez from 1996 to 2000, and began to improve rapidly.

In 1997 he challenged for the Mexican featherweight title for a fourth time, and this time won it by knockout. After defending the national title twice, winning both times by knockout, he moved up in weight to 130 lbs and challenged for the Mexican super featherweight title. He lost that bout, a classic Mexican war that few people north of the border saw, by 10th Round stoppage. It was the last time Castillo would lose for a long time.

In August 1999, Castillo came back and won the Mexican super featherweight title on the second try, once again by knockout. Aged 25 with a record of 38-4, it was time for "El Temible" to step out on the world stage. He did this by meeting 34 year old Jorge Paez and knocking him out in the 5th. That and a victory over journeyman Steve Quinonez put Castillo in line for a June 2000 challenge at Stevie "Lil' But Bad" Johnston's WBC Lightweight Title .

Shocking the World

Castillo was by now a 5'8" lightweight with a 68" reach. He was a tough, durable trench warrior. "El Temible's" best game plan was all about pressure. He was the kind of fighter that wanted to grab onto the other guy's belt buckle and trade punches at close range. If it worked, he would win the exchange by throwing more shots, harder shots, and by smothering the other guy's shots. This is probably why he lost those early bouts by knockout: a kid fighting with a strategy like that was going out either on top or on his shield.

Stevie Johnston was 30-1, and considered the best 135 pound boxer in the world. Castillo, on the other hand, was so little known only true insiders were even aware he had been Chavez's sparring partner. Johnston did not know how good his opponent really was, so he must have been surprised to have his hands full with Castillo's clinches, elbows, and left hooks. It was dirty, but it won the fight by the narrowest of margins on a Majority Decision. Castillo had scored The Ring's Upset of the Year and won the WBC Lightweight Title. The narrow margin of victory guaranteed an immediate rematch, so the two men met again in September. Better prepared, Johnston came back and fought even harder to regain his title. Castillo applied even more rough-housing pressure tactics. The result was a Draw. Castillo kept the title.

"El Temible" opened 2001 by fighting fellow Mexican and Johnston rival Cesar Bazan. Bazan's freakish height and long arms had given Johnston a great deal of trouble, but did little to daunt Castillo, who knocked Bazan out in the 6th.

Floyd Mayweather

After winning a few defenses against minor opposition, in 2002 Castillo met a rising, flashy 27-0 superstar named Floyd Mayweather, Jr . Mayweather used his speed and skills to control the early rounds with his jab and fleet feet. Then Castillo got his momentum going and gave Mayweather something he had never experienced before: a guy with the grit to wade through all those fast, sharp shots, and then dig a couple of left hooks into the body. The numbers tell it all: Castillo twice as many power punches as Mayweather, literally overwhelming him on the inside. He also threw and landed more jabs. The late rounds were particularly telling, as Castillo broke Mayweather up on the inside, hammering his body. He should have won a clean points victory, but instead was robbed in a stinker decision .

However, Mayweather showed that he had a lot of class as well as guts, and gave Castillo a rematch. Mayweather showed he had the stuff of a great fighter by greatly improving on his previous performance with Castillo. He opened the fight much as he did with the first, with quick movement and fast hands. Castillo surged forward and bagged most of the middle rounds with his formidable pressure tactics, but then Mayweather re-asserted himself and carried the closing rounds. Mayweather won the rematch, and this time justifiably.

Mayweather's experience with Castillo would serve him well when he met the British mauler Ricky Hatton. He had already been there and done that with Castillo. However, anyone who watched that first fight knows the truth: regardless of what the record books say, Mayweather is not an undefeated fighter.

Regaining the Title

Mayweather did not keep the WBC Lightweight Title for very long, preferring to move on to bigger and better challenges. After a string of tune-up bouts, Castillo was matched against Juan "The Hispanic Causing Panic" Luzcano in June 2004 for the vacant belt. Luzcano was a serious new contender. He had beaten the likes of Wilfredo Vasquez, John John Molina, and Jesse James Leija. to keep his NABF title. To earn his shot at the vacant title, he stopped none other than Castillo's old nemesis Stevie Johnston. Luzcano was (and still is) a tough customer, but in this battle between gritty Mexican boxers, Castillo proved he was the grittier.

Castillo then went on to defend his newly regained title against Cuban sensation Joel Casamayor. This product of the Cuban National Team had an illustrious record at 130lbs, with a win and a loss to Diego Corrales, a loss to "Popo" Freitas, and a win over future champion Nate Campbell. In a thrilling bout on Showtime, Castillo won a good Split Decision. He opened 2005 by making a second defense against Julio Diaz. Diaz would later capture the IBF Lightweight Title briefly, but Castillo whipped "The Kid" and stopped him in the 10th. The wins over Luzcano, Casamayor and Diaz solidified Castillo's place as the best lightweight in the world.

The time had come for a May 2005 showdown against another former 130 lbs championand current WBO 135 lbs champion, Casamayor's old rival Diego Corrales. Meeting at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the pair fought a bitter war that saw Corrales pile on the points early, but with Castillo slowly gaining on him later. Castillo was cut under the left eye in the 5th, but Corrales was getting badly busted up in the exchanges. In the 10th, Castillo put Corrales down twice. In serious trouble, Corrales spat out his mouthpiece after both knockdowns to get extra recovery time, and was a point was deducted for the second spit-out. Following the 2nd knockdown, "El Temible" moved in to finish off Corrales, but Corrales had recovered just enough to land a big left hook and drop Castillo. When Castillo got up dazed, it was Corrales who came on to knockout Castillo! Diego Corrales had pulled out the big win and seized the lightweight division's throne from Castillo.

The fight was the most thrilling installment yet in the 130 and 135 lbs round-robin. It led to a rematch five months later in what proved to be one of the most shameful events of Castillo's career. Castillo arrived at the weigh in unable to make weight. The lowest he could get was 138.5 lbs. A member of his team was even caught trying to tamper with the scales. He was fined for his lack of professionalism, but Corrales was still presented with the unpalatable option of having to fight a bigger, stronger Castillo to earn his purse. Much to his credit, Corralles (no gentleman himself) choose to press on, but the difference showed: leading on points, Corrales was knocked out by a Castillo left hook in the 4th. Castillo had gotten his revenge, but had not won back the World Lightweight Title because of his failure to make weight.

The Downside of a Career

Castillo moved up to 140 lbs. He defeated journeyman Rolando Reyes in 2006, and then undefeated Herman Ngoudjo in 2007. That fight earned the veteran 33 year old Castillo a shot at the WBC Super Lightweight Title, but before he could cash that title shot in, he was matched with 42-0 British brawling sensation Ricky Hatton. The two fought a brief war that finally saw someone with more grit and pressure than even Castillo could bear. Castillo's nose was smashed in the 1st Round; he retailated mostly with low blows, but managed to cut Hatton in the 3rd. However, he was outmatched and overwhelmed, and was dropped to the canvas by a rib-shattering left hook to the body in the 4th. It was Castillo's second stoppage loss.

Jose Luis Castillo is still active today, on the comeback trail as a 147 pounder. However, his prospects are dim after a July 2007 loss to journeyman Sebastian Andres Lujan.

Sources: boxrec.com; hbo.com; live fight footage; The Ring