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Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano's teams were seen taunting each other before the fighters had their weigh in. Charlo and Castano are set to clash tonight at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. All the belts at 154lbs will be on the line.
Watch the video of Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano's teams taunting each other:
The pair originally fought in 2021, where the bout ended up as a split-decision draw. One judge had the contest in Castano's favor with a scorecard of 114-113. Another had it much wider to Charlo with a scorecard of 117-111. The third had it even at 114-114.
Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano - Who wins?
Due to their extremely close first encounter, many boxing experts are seeing the upcoming bout as a genuine 50-50 fight.
Here is what former world champion Paulie Malignaggi predicted in an interview with Boxing Social:
"That's another one to pick, it hits me like Kambosos and Haney. It's a tough one to pick, man. Firefight. I feel like Castano's a little bit more hungry and he's the ascending fighter so maybe favor Castano. But Charlo is right there still, still at a good age. It's not like he's shot by any means and if his mentality is focused and strong, he could outbox Castano who will bring it all night."
Watch the full interview with Paulie Malignaggi on Boxing Social:
It's difficult to tell who emerges victorious this Saturday and becomes the king at 154lbs. Charlo will once again have a significant height and reach advantage over his opponent. The American is listed at 6'0" with a 73" reach, whereas Castano is 5'7.5" with a 67" reach.
There is a possibility that the Argentinian boxer could prove too rugged for Charlo, who struggled with Castano's physicality in the first bout. However, 'Iron Man' is widely seen as the better boxer and will likely refrain from exchanging with his opponent on the inside.
It is plausible that the winner of this fight could move up to middleweight for more lucrative challenges. Regardless, we can expect a highly competitive bout between the two world class fighters.
