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SAN ANTONIO - Carlos Castro’s confidence hasn’t waned since he suffered his first professional defeat five months ago.
The Phoenix resident realizes that a victory Saturday night over a respected former 122-pound champion can move him right into a position comparable to the spot he occupied prior to his 12-round, split-decision loss to Luis Nery on February 5 at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. If Castro conquers Figueroa in their 12-round WBC featherweight elimination match, the native Mexican could become the mandatory challenger for the winner of the main event Saturday night between champion Mark Magsayo and Rey Vargas.
“It would mean a lot,” Castro told BoxingScene.com. “It would turn my career around 360 because, you know, after losing to Nery I think a lot of people kinda doubt me now and see me as a small opponent. Beating a fighter like Brandon Figueroa, a fighter of that caliber and with that kind of name, it would put me back on the top of the list and put me back in line for a title shot.”
Figueroa, 25, and Castro, 28, both have moved up from the 122-pound division to the 126-pound featherweight limit for this meaningful fight.
Like Castro (27-1, 12 KOs), Figueroa wants to impress in his return to the ring from his first professional loss. Philadelphia’s Stephen Fulton defeated Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) by majority decision in their 12-round, 122-pound title unification fight November 27 in Las Vegas, but Castro took notice of Figueroa’s aggression and volume punching in an action-packed battle he watched from a ringside seat at Park MGM’s Dolby Live.
“I think it’s gonna be a real good, interesting fight,” Castro said. “You know, we’ve just gotta be ready. I think he’s a great fighter. You know, he’s proved to be on the top of the 122-pound list. I just think that he’s a real good, relentless fighter, a come-forward fighter. We’ve just gotta be smart and be ready for what he brings.”
Figueroa stopped Nery in the seventh round of their fight for Nery’s WBC super bantamweight title in May 2021.
“He did what Brandon does, just come forward and throw his punches,” Castro said of Figueroa’s performance against Nery. “That was just a great shot that landed and caught him wide open. You know, but I think it was a close fight, where the fight could’ve gone either way if it would’ve gone to the scorecards.”
Tijuana’s Nery led Figueroa on the scorecard of judge Lou Moret, 59-55, but trailed on the card of judge Zachary Young, 58-56, when Figueroa landed a left hand to the body that abruptly brought their fight to an end at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Judge Edward Hernandez Sr. had Figueroa-Nery even, 57-57, through six rounds.
Nery (32-1, 24 KOs), in his first fight after Figueroa stopped him, dropped Castro in the first round. Castro recovered to make their 10-round contest competitive, but Nery beat him on two scorecards (96-93, 95-94, 94-95).
The disparate results of their fights with the strong Mexican southpaw are among the reasons most oddsmakers favor Figueroa by at least a 6-1 margin over Castro.
“I like being the underdog,” Castro said. “I like being the guy people look at like that. I wanna be the [dark] horse in this fight.”
Showtime will broadcast Figueroa-Castro as the co-feature before the Philippines’ Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) makes his first WBC featherweight title defense against Mexico’s Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs). Indianapolis’ Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) and the Dominican Republic’s Jackson Marinez (19-2, 7 KOs) will meet in a 10-round lightweight fight that’ll open a Showtime telecast set to start at 9 p.m. ET.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.