SANTA MONICA, Calif. – It was not the ending he wanted, but unbeaten junior lightweight Marc Castro will take the resulting victory.
Castro outboxed George Acosta, winning by technical decision Wednesday night on the famed Santa Monica Pier.
The 24-year-old Castro boxed from distance throughout much of the fight. Castro repeatedly connected with lead and counter right crosses to Acosta’s head.
Acosta did his best work during round three, increasing his punch output and landing more to the head. However, Acosta did very little after that. He was at his best when he initiated exchanges, sneaking occasional straight right hands that split the guard or left hooks to the head of Castro.
As the bout progressed into the middle rounds, both fighters had difficulty with the canvas, slipping on the ads in the center of the ring, likely from the perspiration that fell off the bodies of fighters throughout the night. Acosta regressed in his attack, oftentimes getting hit with an array of punches and combinations. Gone were the moments earlier in the fight when he did find success by initiating an attack, and landing punches and combinations.
During round seven, an accidental clash of heads caused an immediate swelling above Acosta’s right eye. A ringside physician checked the swelling, and recommended referee Rudy Barragan to stop the fight at the 1:10 mark.
All three judges scored the bout 70-63 in favor of Castro, who improved to 13-0, 8 knockouts.
Acosta, who resides in Whittier, California, falls to 17-3, 3 KOs. In his previous fight on February 8, Acosta lost by unanimous decision to Rene Tellez Giron.
Castro, who resides in Fresno, California, had previously fought on April 6, defeating Abraham Montoya by unanimous decision. On November 18, in nearby Inglewood, Castro stopped Gonzalo Fuenzalida in round seven.
In the co-main event, welterweight contender Shakhram Giyasov, who is rated No. 7 by The Ring at 130 pounds, defeated Miguel Parra by split decision. Each fighter won by scores of 95-94, while the third judge scored the bout 96-93 for Giyasov, who improved to 16-0, 9 KOs.
After a slow start, both fighters began letting their hands go with more authority during round three. Giyasov landed a solid left hook to the head that caught Parra’s attention. Giyasov proceeded to outbox Parra, particularly to the head, where Giyasov landed two jabs followed by a straight right hand.
During round seven, a left hook to the body of Parra forced referee David Soliven to deduct a point from Giyasov. Replays showed the punch landed above the beltline of Parra, making it a legal blow. Later in the round, Giyasov threw and landed a punch that landed below the beltline, but was not warned for that particular punch.
Later in the round, Giyasov, who switched from conventional to southpaw at times, threw and landed a series of left crosses to the head of Parra, but Parra was able to fight through it.
Parra continued to be game. At times, he was able to land an occasional hook or cross that caught Giyasov’s attention. Sensing he was down on the scorecards, Parra was the aggressor, throwing and landing punches with more conviction. Parra likely won that 10th round, but he had dug himself a hole from earlier in the fight.
Giyasov, who is originally from Bukhara, Uzbekistan and now resides in Brooklyn, New York, previously fought on February 24, defeating Pablo Cesar Cano by unanimous decision. The 31-year-old is managed by Vadim Kornilov and trained by Joel Diaz.
Parra, who resides in Tepic, Mexico, falls to 22-5-1, 14 KOs. The 30-year-old has lost four of his last six fights, including losses to Roiman Villa and Florian Marku.
In the opening bout of the Matchroom Boxing card, amateur standout and super middleweight prospect Nathan Lugo of Marietta, Georgia improved to 2-0, 2 KOs, battering Ray Corona and stopping him in the second round.
Lugo battered Corona early on, snapping back the head of Corona several times early on in the fight. Corona never backed down or gave any indication of giving up, at times connecting a punch to the head.
Early on during the second round, a punch landed flush, again snapping back the head of Corona. Later in the round, a combination forced referee Rudy Barragan to step in and stop the fight at 54 seconds.
Corona, who is originally from Chicago, Illinois and now resides in Provo, Utah, falls to 4-2.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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