Post by Dean Robinson on Jan 20, 2008 11:31:15 GMT -5
Steve Molitor retains IBF title with unanimous decision over Ricardo Castillo
16 hours ago
RAMA, Ont. - Make that 26-0 - Steve Molitor remains perfect.
"The Canadian Kid" scored a unanimous decision over Ricardo Castillo of Mexico to retain his International Boxing Federation junior featherweight title in front of a capacity Casino Rama crowd of 5,000 Saturday night.
Castillo was good, but not good enough to dethrone the 27-year-old champ. Castillo slipped to 33-5-0.
It was the third straight successful title defence for the five-foot-seven, Sarnia, Ont.-born resident of Mississauga, Ont.
The 122-pounders sized each other up in the first round, and Molitor stung Castillo with a left to the forehead early in the second.
Most times when Castillo moved in on Molitor, Molitor fended off blows and walloped Castillo with quick left counterpunches. He caught the Mexican with a solid counter in the third round.
Molitor started to bleed from the left eyebrow in the fourth, and he said after the fight he was cut by a head butt. His corner man was Lenny DeJesus, a New Yorker working his 58th world title fight. DeJesus did a great job on the gash and another smaller one under the eye from another head butt a round later, and Molitor protected it well through the fifth.
"He was a big help," Molitor said afterwards. "It's the first time I've ever been cut but I didn't panic because I knew I had a good guy in my corner.
"He's worked with great champions . . . so I knew we had the right guy in there. He stopped the blood pretty good. I don't like my face being marked up and those are two pretty deep cuts. I'll have to go get it stitched up and let my wounds heal."
Castillo was the hunter in the early going, but Molitor scored big with a brain-jarring left to the head near the end of the fifth.
The sixth was even, as was a hard-hitting seventh which ended with each boxer landing punches to the head.
Molitor went on the attack in the eighth. It was his round. His southpaw style was tough for Castillo to handle.
It was a clutch-and-grab ninth as both boxers tired, and Molitor wiped blood away from the side of his left eye as the bell clanged.
"I stayed calm," he said afterwards. "I've been boxing for almost 19 years so, the worst thing you can do is start panicking and getting off your game plan.
"I'm not going to sit here and complain. That's the sport of boxing. It is what it is."
Castillo lost a valuable point mid-way through the 10th when he struck Molitor below the belt. Castillo looked too worn out now to mount the attack that would be required for a late-fight knockout.
Molitor scored for a left at the start of the 11th and had Castillo on the run. A left-right combination rocked Castillo. Over and over, Molitor slugged his opponent with the left.
A fitness fanatic, Molitor was displaying a stamina level that had to make Castillo envious.
Molitor could have gone into the 12th and final round with a conservative approach. He could dance and outbox Castillo. He would have none of that. He was determined to brawl till the end.
"If you look at all my fights, I'm a slow starter," he explained afterwards. "It takes me a while to warm to the task.
"Once I start to slowly break fighters down, that's when I pick it up."
He had Castillo in a corner pounding with a fusillade of punches when the bell sounded for the last time. The crowd roared its approval.
"These people paid big money for their tickets and I'm here to entertain," said Molitor.
The I.B.F. title was vacant when Molitor own it by stopping Michael Hunter in the fifth round in England in November 2006.
All three of Molitor's title defences have been staged in the entertainment hall at Casino Rama near Orillia. It seats 5,200 for concerts but is configured to seat 5,000 for boxing.
Molitor beat South Africa's Takalani Ndlovu by technical knockout in the ninth round last July 14 and he won by unanimous decision over Thailand's Fahsan 3K Battery last Oct. 27.
"Last fight I got caught by being lazy," said Molitor. "I learned from that mistake.
"Tonight I get hit with a head butt and a low blow and I learned from that. Castillo is no bum. He might not be ranked up there with some of the others but . . . this guy was a game fighter and a tough fighter. Castillo was 10 times as good as 3K Battery. So I'm happy with my performance."
Molitor turned pro in May 2000 after posting a 93-11 record as an amateur.
16 hours ago
RAMA, Ont. - Make that 26-0 - Steve Molitor remains perfect.
"The Canadian Kid" scored a unanimous decision over Ricardo Castillo of Mexico to retain his International Boxing Federation junior featherweight title in front of a capacity Casino Rama crowd of 5,000 Saturday night.
Castillo was good, but not good enough to dethrone the 27-year-old champ. Castillo slipped to 33-5-0.
It was the third straight successful title defence for the five-foot-seven, Sarnia, Ont.-born resident of Mississauga, Ont.
The 122-pounders sized each other up in the first round, and Molitor stung Castillo with a left to the forehead early in the second.
Most times when Castillo moved in on Molitor, Molitor fended off blows and walloped Castillo with quick left counterpunches. He caught the Mexican with a solid counter in the third round.
Molitor started to bleed from the left eyebrow in the fourth, and he said after the fight he was cut by a head butt. His corner man was Lenny DeJesus, a New Yorker working his 58th world title fight. DeJesus did a great job on the gash and another smaller one under the eye from another head butt a round later, and Molitor protected it well through the fifth.
"He was a big help," Molitor said afterwards. "It's the first time I've ever been cut but I didn't panic because I knew I had a good guy in my corner.
"He's worked with great champions . . . so I knew we had the right guy in there. He stopped the blood pretty good. I don't like my face being marked up and those are two pretty deep cuts. I'll have to go get it stitched up and let my wounds heal."
Castillo was the hunter in the early going, but Molitor scored big with a brain-jarring left to the head near the end of the fifth.
The sixth was even, as was a hard-hitting seventh which ended with each boxer landing punches to the head.
Molitor went on the attack in the eighth. It was his round. His southpaw style was tough for Castillo to handle.
It was a clutch-and-grab ninth as both boxers tired, and Molitor wiped blood away from the side of his left eye as the bell clanged.
"I stayed calm," he said afterwards. "I've been boxing for almost 19 years so, the worst thing you can do is start panicking and getting off your game plan.
"I'm not going to sit here and complain. That's the sport of boxing. It is what it is."
Castillo lost a valuable point mid-way through the 10th when he struck Molitor below the belt. Castillo looked too worn out now to mount the attack that would be required for a late-fight knockout.
Molitor scored for a left at the start of the 11th and had Castillo on the run. A left-right combination rocked Castillo. Over and over, Molitor slugged his opponent with the left.
A fitness fanatic, Molitor was displaying a stamina level that had to make Castillo envious.
Molitor could have gone into the 12th and final round with a conservative approach. He could dance and outbox Castillo. He would have none of that. He was determined to brawl till the end.
"If you look at all my fights, I'm a slow starter," he explained afterwards. "It takes me a while to warm to the task.
"Once I start to slowly break fighters down, that's when I pick it up."
He had Castillo in a corner pounding with a fusillade of punches when the bell sounded for the last time. The crowd roared its approval.
"These people paid big money for their tickets and I'm here to entertain," said Molitor.
The I.B.F. title was vacant when Molitor own it by stopping Michael Hunter in the fifth round in England in November 2006.
All three of Molitor's title defences have been staged in the entertainment hall at Casino Rama near Orillia. It seats 5,200 for concerts but is configured to seat 5,000 for boxing.
Molitor beat South Africa's Takalani Ndlovu by technical knockout in the ninth round last July 14 and he won by unanimous decision over Thailand's Fahsan 3K Battery last Oct. 27.
"Last fight I got caught by being lazy," said Molitor. "I learned from that mistake.
"Tonight I get hit with a head butt and a low blow and I learned from that. Castillo is no bum. He might not be ranked up there with some of the others but . . . this guy was a game fighter and a tough fighter. Castillo was 10 times as good as 3K Battery. So I'm happy with my performance."
Molitor turned pro in May 2000 after posting a 93-11 record as an amateur.