May 16, 2004
GIFU, JAPAN-Trailing on points, fading and frustrated Martin Castillo (26-1, 15 KOs), 114.75, Mexico, acquired the WBA interim 115-pound belt with a come-from-behind stoppage as he landed a well-timed right to the button of aggressive Japanese lefty Hideyasu Ishihara (15-3-1, 11 KOs), 115, to drop him so badly that the referee stopped counting and declared a halt at 2:41 of the eleventh round on Sunday evening in Gifu, Japan. After the tenth, the official tallies read: Ove Ovessen (Denmark) 97-93, Henk Meijers (Netherland) 96-94, both for Ishihara, and Ferdinand Estrella (Philippines) 97-93 for Castillo.
Ishihara, ex-OPBF champ, began fireworks from the outset of the opening canto, but Castillo, a year his junior at 27, calmly responded with more accurate combinations to the belly and the face, winning a point. Though the Japanese lefty took the third with his aggressiveness, the Mexican was in command in the second and fourth by displaying his technical superiority despite sustaining a slight gash over the right eyebrow. It was promptly stopped by veteran cutman Miguel Diaz from Las Vegas.
The tide turned in the fifth, as Castillo surprisingly showed a sign of fading as he began retreating against the taller Ishihara’s rough-and-tumble aggression. Ishihara, piloted by well-reputed Korean trainer Waryon Yuh, dominated four rounds from the fifth. Ishihara often pinned him to the ropes with a flurry of punches. Castillo, whose speed and zip were obviously gone, desperately took back a point with a fewer but more accurate combos in the ninth. The tenth was won by Ishihara.
Aware of leading on points, Ishihara might become a bit careless and took a short but very sharp right shot to the chin. Down he went. Struggling to raise himself and resume fighting, he fell twice before the Thai referee Pinit Prayadsab mercifully stopped counting and called a halt. Ishihara stayed prone on the canvas for minutes. Had he utilized his southpaw jabs to keep his distance in the last two rounds, Ishihara could have escaped from such a lethal shot to reach a victory. But it was eventually Castillo’s night.
Bantam Sunao Uno, 119.5, earned a unanimous nod over Thailander Kaiyasit Chuwatana, 119.25, over ten. Masakazu Sugawara, 122, stopped Chaloemchat Kietprasanchai, 121.75, in three.
Promoter: Matsuda Promotions.
WBA supervisor: Robert Mack (US).
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(5-16-04)