Two of Matchroom Boxing’s top American prospects were upset Saturday night on the Liam Paro-Richardson Hitchins undercard in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Marc Castro, a lightweight from Fresno, California, and Jalil Hackett, a welterweight from Washington, D.C., lost 10-round split decisions to unheralded opponents they were heavily favored to beat. Both bouts were competitive, but Castro and Hackett lost on two scorecards apiece and were defeated for the first time as professionals.
Argentina’s Agustin Quintana was a more active, accurate puncher than Castro, who entered the ring as a 13-1 favorite, according to FanDuel sportsbook. Castro countered the aggressive Quintana at times, but he was kept on his back foot more often than not, couldn’t keep Quintana from coming forward and didn’t defend himself well enough to win.
Judges Carlos Colon (97-93) and Gerardo Martinez (96-94) scored seven and six rounds, respectively, for Buenos Aires’ Quintana. Judge Luis Ruiz scored six rounds for Castro, who won 96-94 on his card.
The 25-year-old Castro (13-1, 8 KOs), a decorated amateur, hasn’t advanced as expected since Eddie Hearn’s company signed him amid much fanfare in 2020. Known for beating emerging American lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis three times in the amateurs, Castro has been beset by injuries, inconsistency and defensive deficiencies as a pro.
The 28-year-old Quintana (21-2-1, 13 KOs) won a third straight fight since countryman Juan Javier Carrasco (then 15-1) knocked him out in the fifth round of their December 2022 fight in Buenos Aires.
Hackett, 21, struggled in a second consecutive bout since he signed with Matchroom late in the spring. Martinez and Ruiz both scored Puerto Rico’s Jose Roman a 96-94 winner over Hackett (9-1, 7 KOs), who won 96-94 according to Colon.
Once one of the prized prospects on Floyd Mayweather’s promotional roster, Hackett has regressed since he stopped fighting on Gervonta Davis’ undercards during the second half of 2023. Hackett struggled defensively and seemingly with his conditioning in his Matchroom debut – a 10-round, unanimous-decision defeat of New York-based veteran Peter Dobson (16-2, 9 KOs) on July 13 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Hackett still topped Dobson by scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94. He wasn’t as fortunate Saturday night.
An assertive Hackett got off to a strong start, yet Roman appeared to out-hustle a fading fighter later in a bout that was contested largely on the inside. Roman rallied during the second half of their bout, when he countered Hackett to the body and head as Hackett pressed the action.
Like Castro, Hackett’s ineffectiveness defensively cost him on the scorecards Saturday night. The taller, slightly sharper Roman (14-1, 6 KOs) has won three bouts in a row since suffering his lone loss, an eight-round unanimous decision to Cesar Francis (then 11-0) in October 2021 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
