(Photos by Daniel Cork)
Haymarket, VA's Juan Rodriguez lost by four-round unanimous decision to James Martin in the opening bout at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
Here is the report from ringside photographer, Daniel Cork. In the first round, Rodriguez caught Martin with a shot that caused Martin to stumble backward a bit, gloves touching canvas, ruled a knockdown. But Martin didn’t miss a beat in the second and third rounds, visibly wobbling Rodriguez at a couple points. The judges scored the contest 39-37 and 38-37 twice.
Rodriguez fall to (8-15-, 6 KO's) while Martin improves his record to (5-1).
(Photos by David Algranati)
Washington, DC super featherweight "The Dark Menace" Tiara Brown defended her NABO Super Featherweight championship title by majority decision against the tough Vanessa Bradford of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada tonight, October 24th at the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex in Brooklyn, NY. Judge Robin Taylor saw the contest a draw at 76-76, but was overruled by judge Ron McNair who saw it for Brown with the score of 79-73 and John Basile scoring it 77-75.
Brown remains undefeated at (9-0, 6 KO's) while her opponents Vanessa Bradford falls to (5-2-2).
(Photos by Micaela Sotelo)
Former champion Brian Carlos Castano will look to further cement his place in the 154-pound division when he battles exciting veteran contender Wale "Lucky Boy" Omotoso in a 10-round super welterweight showdown that headlines FS1 PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, November 2 from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Here is what Castano had to say from training camp at Legends Gym in Norwalk, California with his head trainer and father Carlos.
What are you looking to show to the rest of this division in the fight against Omotoso?
"As I do in every fight, I try to prove that I belong among the best in the division. I may no longer be a world champion, but I still feel I am a world champion because I didn't lose in the ring. So, I want to show against Omotoso and the world that I'm ready for everyone."
What do you know about Omotoso's style and what kind of fight can fans expect?
"He is a warrior that always comes straight forward to fight. He has proven many times that he can take punches and compete with anyone. Since I´m a warrior too, I think the fans are going to be in for an exciting war."
What did you think of the decision in the Lara fight? Did you believe you did enough to win the fight?
"Even though I know it was a competitive fight, I know I did enough to get the win. I respect Lara as a great champion, but you cannot win fights of that level by only backpedaling all the time. I applied the pressure and connected with great punches, so I saw myself as the winner."
Is the rematch with Lara the fight you want with a win on November 2?
"I thought I was going to have the rematch with Lara already but he probably didn't want it. First things first, I have a tough challenge in front of me in Omotoso and I never underestimate anybody. I have to beat him in convincing fashion in order to earn another world title shot, either with Lara or any of the other top fighters in the division."
How does it feel to be sharing a card with another one of Argentina's best fighters, Jesus Cuellar (who fights Javier Fortuna in the co-main event)? Is there added inspiration because Argentina will be so represented on the telecast?
"It's always a great honor to represent Argentina in the U.S., which is the mecca of boxing. To share the card with a guy like Cuellar, whom I've known well since our times together on Argentina's national team in the amateurs, will definitely be something meaningful. I know we're both working hard to make our country proud on November 2."
On Saturday, November 2 at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, undefeated former champion Brian Carlos Castano will battle veteran contender Wale "Lucky Boy" Omotoso in a 10-round super welterweight showdown that headlines FS1 PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
The card also features former world champions Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna and Jesus Andres Cuellar colliding in a 10-round super featherweight showdown in the co-feature.
Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions:
"Saturday, November 2 promises to be a can't-miss night with two 50-50 fights that guarantee action as long as they last. The main event on FS1 and FOX Deportes will have an exciting unbeaten champion in Brian Carlos Castano looking to climb back into championship contention against Wale Omotoso, who comes forward and refuses to relent every time he's in the ring. Combined with the Fortuna vs. Cuellar fight, fans at MGM National Harbor aren't going to want to leave their seats for a minute during this show."
Castano, out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, (15-0-1, 11 KO's) won the interim WBA Super Welterweight Championship by sixth-round KO victory over Emmanuel de Jesus in 2016 and successfully defended that title against Michel Soro before being elevated to the regular champion when he stopped Cedric Vitu in 2018. On March 2 Castano battled to a split-draw against current WBA Super Welterweight champion Erislandy Lara.
Castano:
"I cannot wait to get into the ring again and show I'm one of the best fighters in this division. I believe I should still be holding my title, and that makes me feel even more motivated to beat a tough opponent like Omotoso. He's a straight forward fighter that takes every fight to you and has never been knocked out. I know I have to prove myself in this fight in order to get back to the world title."
Omotoso (28-4, 22 KOs) of Lagos, Nigeria and now living in Los Angeles, is nicknamed "Lucky Boy''. The 34-year-old scored a dominant knockout over longtime contender Curtis Stevens on FOX in August, in just his third fight at 154-pounds. A veteran who has gone the distance against then unbeaten fighters in his only four defeats, Omotoso looks to put himself in position to fight for a world title with a victory over Castano on November 2.
Omotoso:
"I'm very excited for this fight against a great opponent who is always in exciting fights like me. None of the welterweights wanted to fight me because I'm too dangerous, so now I'm on my way to fighting the best at 154-pounds. I feel stronger and more solid in my base at this weight. I know that I'm going to have to be at my best against Castaño and do what I know how to do."
Fortuna,34, (34-2-1, 23 KOs) defeated veteran contender Sharif Bogere on Feb. 9 by unanimous decision. Fortuna won a featherweight world championship with a unanimous decision over Bryan Vasquez in 2015 before losing the title in 2016 against Jason Sosa. Originally from La Romana, Dominican Republic and now living in Braintree, Massachusetts, Fortuna is 5-1going into this contest.
Fortuna:
"Cuellar knows that he can't beat me and knows he didn't want to take this fight. I'm a real fighter and I bring it every time in the ring. I hope he at least shows up on fight night to take his beating with no excuses."
Cuellar, 33, (29-3, 22 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina like Castaño, defeated Claudio Marrero back in 2013 for the interim featherweight title and defended it three times before being knocking out Vic Darchinyan in 2015 for the world title. He lost the title the next year with a split decision loss to Abner Mares. Cuellar moved up in weight and lost a super featherweight championship match against Gervonta Davis in 2017. After scoring a knockout over Carlos Padilla back in March 9 Cuellar is trying to get back into the world title picture.
Cuellar:
"I'm thrilled to be facing Fortuna because we were supposed to fight back 2013 but it didn't end up happening. When we were both training in Oxnard we traded some words and there was no love lost. Now, I'm excited to settle everything in the ring on November 2."
