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Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano rematch: Calls grow for decider after bout ends in draw

The junior middleweight title unification bout between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano ended in a split draw and fans slammed the decision

The hotly anticipated boxing bout between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano ended in a split decision draw following 12 action-packed rounds. Charlo had hoped to be crowned the first undisputed champ with all four belts at 154 pounds. For now, however, he will have to settle for the three titles he already had. Fans were generally thrilled by the performance, but many slammed the final scorecard.

The junior middleweight title unification bout between Charlo and Castano took place Saturday, July 17, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. One judge gave Castano the win at 114-113, another gave Charlo the win at 117-111. The third judge had it even at 114-114, the Houston Chronicle reported.

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The match

Charlo started slow and gave away early rounds. However, sticking to his usual style, he finished strong. According to sportswriter Matt Young, all three judges had him sweeping the final three rounds and that earned him the draw. Charlo did not walk home as the undisputed champion but hopes to secure the WBO belt from Castano in a rematch. "I want that," Charlo said after the bout. "That’s my goal. That’s my destiny. We shall see."

It initially seemed Castano would take all the belts home before Charlo picked up the pace in the later rounds. Midway through the 10th round, Castano appeared to wobble and was on the verge of going down several times. However, he stood his ground and saved himself from defeat. Both the titans aspired to become the first junior middleweight to hold all four belts. As noted by Young, the last undisputed champion was Winky Wright, who clinched three belts after defeating Shane Mosley in 2004. A fourth belt has been added since.

Boxing fans inundated social media with calls for a rematch, with some slamming judge Nelson Vasquez for giving Charlo a 117-111 victory. "Great fight. Close fight. I want to see a rematch. I had Castano winning. 117-111 was a terrible scorecard. Terrible!" former boxer Andre Ward tweeted. "For the record thought Castano won close. Def hoping for a rematch by the end of the year," one Twitter user wrote. "I like Jermell Charlo but I think Castaño won the fight 7-5. A draw is acceptable but the judge who scored the fight 117-111 to Charlo needs to be investigated. Rematch," another added.

"Tremendous fight! A draw shouldn't surprise anyone. I had Castano 7-5. Worthy Fight of the Year candidate! That 9-3 scorecard is sickening. Gotta do the rematch! #CharloCastaño," one commented. "I’m not upset with a draw, I think #charlo was lucky tonight to leave with a draw. I had #castano up 2 rounds. But let’s hope they make the rematch it will be," another chimed in. "Castano walked away with a shit load of new fans and credibility, Charlo walked away with all the bets and a shit load of fans who are still not sold. Charlo v Castano deserves a rematch," another wrote.