Unified WBC, WBA and IBF super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo faces off WBO 154-pound titleholder Brian Castano at AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, July 17. The pair squares off in the scheduled for twelve rounds world championship bout with the undisputed title on the line.
Charlo vs Castano headlines the PBC boxing fight card live on Showtime. The start time is scheduled for 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT. In the co-main event Rolando Romero defends his interim WBA lightweight title in a twelve-rounder against Austin Dulay. Kicking off the telecast Amilcar Vidal and Immanuwel Aleem do a ten-round battle at middleweight.
Charlo vs Castano tickets
Charlo vs Castano tickets are on sale, and can be purchased through Vivid Seats.
The kick off press conference was held over the weekend. Jermell Charlo and his trainer Derrick James were in attendance. Brian Castano was unable to attend in person due to travel issues. Check out below what they had to say.
Jermell Charlo: I want to win another world title in the same weight class as my brother
“Once you lose a fight, that’s the hardest thing. I lost before and it separates me from my twin brother. He’s never lost. He’s an undefeated champion right now. I was an undefeated champion that lost and I had to figure the ropes out. That loss made a big difference for me.
“After I avenged my loss, I came back to fight Jeison Rosario who was supposedly the new guy. We really trained differently for him because he was a bigger guy. But we stayed strong and we got it done.
“I’m excited to be fighting in San Antonio. We’re going to get on the road for three-and-a-half hours, listen to some good R&B music on the way and we’re going to take care of business and have a good time in San Antonio.
“He’s shorter than me. I’m expecting him to try to throw a lot of body shots. Have you ever seen somebody get slept by me? If he runs into the wrong punch, we have a great game plan. We will make the adjustments. We don’t stop. We will continue to do what we do. I’m not afraid of any man. There’s nothing that can stop me right now. I’m all the way up.
“If he’s saying he’s going to make me risk my life, what do you think I’m going to make him do with his? If you make me risk my life, you better be willing to put your life on the line. I’m not the one to play with. I’m not just devastating with my punches. I’m devastating with my mental. There’s nothing he can do to me that I haven’t seen already. I’ve been in boxing way longer than he can even imagine.
“Tonight, on Juneteenth, my brother will show what I’m worth because that’s my twin. Everything he can do, I can do. We are going to do this together. On July 17, when it comes to my fight, I’m working twice as hard as you can even imagine. I’m going to be different. I’m going to be amazing. I will move. I will box. Whatever he wants, I’m with it. Whatever he does, I will take him out of his game plan. That’s my job.
“Brian Castano is a great fighter. He comes to fight. He doesn’t stop. He does a lot of things that are impressive to the rest of the crowd and I feel that he will fight. He will bang. He will box. He will move back. He will move forward. Lateral movement. Derrick and I have been working hard to prepare for everything. It takes a lot to jump in the ring and become an undisputed champion and with that being said, I’m going to do everything I can in my willpower to win this fight.
“When I win on July 17 and I unify the belts and become undisputed, that’s just another trophy for me. I want to keep it going. I want to win another world title in the same weight class as my brother. We won them at 154. I want to win them at 160. We’re not done.”
Brian Castano: I am going to win and he will suffer
“I feel great, I’m having a great training camp and looking forward to stepping into the ring. This is the fight of my life and I feel so good about it.
“This fight is such an honor and a privilege. To have the chance to unify the four belts is such a unique opportunity. It’s about making history. Only a few fighters have been able to achieve it and write a golden page in the history books of boxing. I plan to be the first Latino to do so.
“Fighting in San Antonio is quite big and everybody knows that Manu Ginobili is such a hero there. We all admire and love Manu, who is one of Argentina’s best-ever in any sport. If you go to San Antonio and you were born in Argentina like myself, you better be ready to give it your all to keep his legacy.
“It’s going to be a tough fight between two great champions. Charlo is strong and a good boxer but he never suffered in the ring before. He will on July 17.
“My prediction is that I am going to win and he will suffer.”
Derrik James, Jermell Charlo’s trainer: With everything that he does well, my job is to make sure that we don’t get a chance to see how good he is
“Everything about success is about overcoming adversity. The adversities of training. The adversity of preparing for fights. The heat in Texas is insane, and for him to just continue to push through all of that is impressive.
“We know the type of fighter that Brian Castano is and we’re preparing for the best version of that. He’s a good fighter. A good boxer. Good technically. Jermell is going to show what we’ve been working on and how he’s progressed from his last fight until now. You will see his greatness.
“Castano is a good fighter and you have to respect his abilities. But at the same time, Jermell is more athletic. He’s faster. His athleticism and his intellect will be the difference. Our goal is to be at our best and take away all of Castano’s attributes. With everything that he does well, my job is to make sure that we don’t get a chance to see how good he is.”
Get the full Charlo vs Castano fight card.
The post Jermell Charlo says undisputed 154-pound title is ‘just another trophy’, targets more belts appeared first on FIGHTMAG.