May 25, 2006
May 25, 2006
OSAKA, JAPAN
WBA 115-pound champ Martin Castillo (30-1, 16 KOs) will put his belt on the line against the top contender Nobuo Nashiro (7-0, 4 KOs), a fast-rising Japanese puncher, in Higashi Osaka, Japan, on July 22. It was announced by Muto Promotions on Wednesday. For Castillo, a technically excellent champ, it will be his third visit to Japan, as he previously defeated tall southpaw Hideyasu Ishihara (retired) twice in 2004 and 2005. Having displayed his beautiful counter-punching and tremendous elusiveness, Castillo became popular among fight fans here. Castillo acquired the WBA interim belt by flattening Ishihara with a single countering shot in the eleventh, and unified the WBA throne by defeating the legitimate ruler Alexander Munoz of Venezuela in Texas in 2004. The champ kept his throne on four occasions to his credit.
Nashiro, five years his junior at 24, is a university graduate, who has been rising very quickly by recently defeating three world contenders in a row. He scored an upset decision over ex-world challenger Hidenobu Honda, Japanese super-fly champ Seiji Tanaka (who unfortunately passed away after his tenth round stoppage by Nashiro) and then WBA #2 ranked Prosper Matsuura. Nashiro is a non-stop punching Rocky Marciano stylist, though neither sophisticated nor skillful. Should he win the belt, he will reach the peak in his eighth pro bout, which will tie the record of Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, ex-WBC bantam kingpin who dethroned Greg Richardson in as many pro games in 1997.
(5-25-06)