MURODJON Akhmadaliev jumped over the final hurdle in his way before a September clash with Naoya Inoue by stopping Luis Castillo in round eight. Early on in Guadalajara, ‘MJ’ understandably boxed like a fighter with a big opportunity on his mind.
Once he found his rhythm and range, it became target practice as the 30-year-old dropped Castillo twice on the way to an early finish, recorded at 2:05 of round eight as ‘La Sombra’ shipped heavy leather.
The former unified 122-pounder needed barely a minute to register his first right hook, which had Castillo stepping off momentarily for a walkabout. The Mexican got busy in round two, landing upstairs and down in a bounceback session.
Bringing an inspirational story to the ring, deaf boxer Castillo got the message through his coach’s informal sign language as he found openings for success. Akhmadaliev’s powerful fists sent out a different report in the third as the world-level operator brought his left hand out to play.
MJ’s accuracy was the story of the fight. Talk of an injured left hand seemed to fizzle away as the Uzbek landed a thudding shot to the body with that same paw at the close of round five. Castillo took a count and rose like a warrior, sucking up every last bit of air between rounds.
Castillo boxed conservatively in the sixth. A curved left hand sent him back to the canvas for another count in that round. Akhmadaliev increased the pressure in round eight, bloodying Castillo’s nose, forcing the outgunned Mexican’s corner to throw in the towel and save their man.
It was a patient win for Murodjon Akhmadaliev as he improved to 14-1 (11 KOs), setting up the big showdown with the ‘Monster’ later in the year. Luis Castillo dropped to 31-7 (20 KOs), suffering no shame in defeat.
