Going
up against Jose Luis Castillo, at The MGM Grand in his home of Las
Vegas, 25 year old Floyd Mayweather challenged the 28 year old known
as "El Terrible" for the Mexican's WBC lightweight crown. What happened
in the ring that night has certainly become the subject of great debate;
becoming even more so as the years have passed and Mayweather's greatness
has grown. Was Castillo robbed that night, or, at the very least,
is the Mexican the only man to have come close to putting down a blueprint
(something Floyd claims does not exist) on how to defeat the exceptionally
gifted multi-weight king?
Mayweather won the early rounds that
night, but Castillo, an underrated boxer who was also uncommonly tough,
came on after a slow start and began putting rounds in the bank. How
did Castillo achieve the mid-rounds success he enjoyed, by forgetting
about Mayweather's head and instead targeting, with efficiency, his
midsection. Castillo, cutting off the ring, boxed a patient fight,
he did not get flustered by Floyd's superb defensive moves and head
movement, and he also used his physical strength by leaning on Mayweather,
looking to both slow him down and tire him out. These tactics proved
effective, enough for many respected judges to feel that Mayweather
should not be sporting the perfect record he is today.
Officially,
Mayweather improved to 29-0 and captured his second world title by
margins of 116-111 and 115-111 twice. But Castillo, who fell to 45-5-1,
was convinced he'd done enough to have won. Those who agreed/agree
with him include Harold Lederman of HBO, who had it a wide 115-111
for Castillo. Dan Rafael of ESPN had it all even at 114-114.
After
the far tougher than expected rumble, Mayweather underwent surgery
on his left shoulder. Floyd had partially blamed is damaged rotator
cuff for the tough win and craved a rematch. The two met again in
December of 2002, with Mayweather winning in a more convincing manner
this time; in a showing even his critics were forced to applaud. Interestingly,
however the judges' scores were far closer in the rematch, with Floyd
prevailing by just two points on two cards.