From the outside looking in, Carlos Castro could have several reasons to be jaded about boxing. Castro was overlooked as a young fighter and it took him several years to sign with a large promoter. He's always been the B-side in his big fights. He lost a pair of split decisions in two of his most significant fights, and the paydays that would've come from those wins. He's also had several spells of inactivity.
But in talking with Castro, he credits boxing with providing him and his family with many of the blessings that they have in their life. Even in the bad moments of his professional career – the close losses, the layoffs, the promotional issues – he sees everything as an opportunity to learn or work on his craft. His enthusiasm for the sport still shines through and his outlook on life is uniformly positive.
Castro (30-3, 14 KOs) faces Bruce
Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBC world featherweight title on
January 31st at Madison Square Garden, which will be on the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson card. For Castro, he knows that this will be
the biggest opportunity of his career; he also understands what he's up
against. As usual, Castro, 31, will be the B-side to Carrington who's from New York
and has been a heavily hyped young fighter. Castro may not be the athlete that
Carrington is, but he's fought tougher opposition and performed well in those
opportunities.
In a wide-ranging interview
below, I talked with Carlos about his days as a young fighter, the big moments of his career, how he is approaching Carrington, his life outside of boxing, and
much more.
Interview by Adam Abramowitz:
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Carlos, can you tell me where you grew up?
I was born in Mexico, but I can’t
really say I was raised there because at the age of three my parents brought me
and my siblings to the United States. So, I basically grew up in Phoenix,
Arizona. I essentially lived my whole live there until seven years ago when I
moved to California to keep pursuing my dream.
How were you initially exposed
to boxing?
Normally it’s because someone’s
background has something to do with boxing, but I didn’t have that background at
all. I want to say it’s destiny or something. We grew up in West Phoenix in a
trailer park and around the corner from us was a bakery shop where my dad used
to buy bread every night before bed. Across from that bakery was a little house
gym where we would always see kids running or boxing and we just decided to
stop and look at them. My dad told me if I wanted to try it out I could, and I
did. And ever since then I never looked back.
What was it about boxing that
initially excited you?
I was eight years old. It was the
attention that it brought, the atmosphere. I got to meet new people out of
school and out of my neighborhood. The excitement was very much about the
training and everything surrounding that.
Did you have a long amateur
career?
I had around 150 fights. I did a couple of tournaments. But I couldn’t do most major tournaments because of my citizenship. For the major tournaments you had to be a citizen of the United States and I wasn’t.
Once I hit high school, I stopped boxing
for a little bit. What can I say; the streets kind of caught my attention. I got called back to the sport due to my wife getting pregnant. I was just
trying to better my future, as well as my kid’s, as he was about to come into the
world.
How old were you when you
became a father for the first time?
I had just turned 17.
I saw that you did fight in the Silver Gloves tournament when you were an amateur.
Yeah, it was pretty cool. I actually won that three times. That was the only major tournament I could actually compete in all the way to nationals. Other than that, I used to go to the USA Boxing tournaments, but I could only advance to the regionals, unfortunately. I would win regionals, but whoever would win second place would advance instead of me.
When you turned pro in Phoenix, what was the fight scene like?
It was great. I turned pro with a great local promotion, Iron Boy Promotions, led by Roberto Vargas. They had a great venue with the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. I don’t know if a lot of people have been there, but it’s a historic arena. The atmosphere was incredible there.
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| Carlos Castro (left) Photo courtesy of Carlos Castro |
You were fighting a lot around Phoenix. At what point did you think that you might be able to advance to a higher level in the sport?
It was always a dream. I believe it’s the dream of every fighter to do that. For me, I had a chance to fight on a Roy Jones Jr. card, I think in Glendale, and I won my fight against another undefeated fighter. I thought I could actually get seen by the bigger players in the sport.
When Top Rank was doing fights in Arizona, they would put me on
their undercards and I wanted an opportunity to grow, to be in this big-fight
atmosphere with the top fighters. And that’s when I thought I could do
it.
What was the process like of signing with Top Rank?
It took a while. I
wish it would have happened sooner. But it was great. I’m thankful for them for
opening doors for me, for the opportunity they gave me.
You’re not known as a knockout
artist. Were there people in the industry who looked at you negatively because
you didn’t have a lot of KOs? Was that an issue for you?
It didn’t concern me, but it was
an issue. A lot of people would say, well you don’t have the one-punch knockout
power and this and that. But it didn’t concern me because some people come with
that natural power and some people don't. Fighters have to grow either way.
When you were a younger fighter, were there a couple of fighters that you looked up to? Do you have a few favorites that you have kept returning to over the years in terms of studying them?
Coming up, Oscar de la Hoya was a big name for me. Now that I’m paying attention to great fight styles, I really look at Sugar Ray Leonard and Salvador Sanchez. Sanchez is a guy I really look up to a lot.
What was you say is your best punch?
My jab.
How would you describe your
fight style when you started and how have you evolved over the years?
I always liked being a
counterpuncher. My original pro trainer was also my amateur trainer, Andrew
Soto. He’s the one who started me. I started out as a counterpuncher, but
they kind of wanted me to go forward, you know, the Mexican style – hands up,
forward, and stuff like that. But that’s when I transitioned.
I went through a couple of other
trainers as well. I was with Jose Benavidez for a while. Then I moved to
California, and I was with Clemente Medina. I worked with Manny Robles. And now
I’m working with Robert Alcazar.
How long have you been training with Robert Alcazar and what is it about him that has appealed to you?
I’ve been working with him for a few
years. What I like is that he’s more of a technical trainer. He’s always
talking to me about staying loose, staying relaxed, but staying aware. He wants
me to know when to attack at the right time and when to box at the right time.
It's been a good fit.
Your first high-profile fight
was with Luis Nery. A lot of people expected him to get a quick knockout. He
had a really good start to the fight, but you came on strong in the second half.
He wound up winning by a split decision. What did you learn about yourself from that fight with him?
I learned from that fight that I
could take a punch. Luis Nery is no walkover. He really does carry a punch.
He’s a real good fighter. Unfortunately, he’s been undisciplined out of the
ring and that hasn’t helped him. But what I learned is that I can be in
the ring with world champions. I can compete with them.
I’m not making excuses for that fight, but I think I
stayed at that weight class [junior featherweight] for too long. I outgrew that
weight class. I just didn’t see it. But it was a great fight. I learned that I
can be there and I can compete.
You had an interesting fight
with Brandon Figueroa. You were doing very well in the fight for the first
four, five rounds but ultimately he started smothering you. What were your
memories of that fight?
I was actually coming off that
loss with Nery and I had just switched trainers to Robert Alcazar. I had only
been working with him for about a week when we got the call to see if we
wanted to take the fight. We were iffy about it, because the first time you’re
working with a new trainer, you need to take some time to adapt to his style.
But at the end of the day, we took it.
What I remember about that fight
is that we were doing well. I was following the game plan, staying on my toes.
Like you said, he started smothering me and I started falling into bad habits.
But I wasn’t really mentally there; I didn’t compete at that moment. So, he
just smothered me, and he did his thing.
You went from working with Top
Rank to appearing on PBC cards. What was that transition like for
you?
At the beginning, leaving Top Rank, it was a bummer. You expect to stay with a promoter like Top Rank for a long time, but we mutually agreed that it wasn’t working out.
And then
transitioning to PBC was great. I was able to be on big cards, like the undercards
of Pacquiao, the undercards of Canelo. Just seeing the exposure and seeing all
that experience around, it was eye-opening.
You had that great fight with
Stephen Fulton, which I think that you should have won. What were your
impressions of that fight?
Everyone asks me about that
fight. And though I’ve put it in the past, I think I did very well that night.
I think I did a lot better than people expected. And I was just doing it for
myself. I said, hey Carlos, you got to prove it to yourself that you belong in
these types of big fights.
What it came down to was me
taking off some rounds and it was bad timing. Everyone takes a round off here
or there, but I did it in a bad way, where he was able to kind of catch up. I
learned a lot about myself in that fight. And it gave me experience in how to
control fights better.
You knocked Fulton down in the
fifth round. You weren’t supposed to be the puncher in that fight and yet
everyone was in shock when he hit the canvas. What were your thoughts at that
moment?
Honestly, I was shocked myself. I
had to keep my composure. I still talk about that punch. It was just a short, little counter right hand. It wasn’t coming with much power, but it was just a
well-located, high-caliber punch.
As you switched from Phoenix
to Southern California, I’m sure that you’ve picked up some great sparring in the
gyms. Have there been a couple of people that have given you great sparring
work over the years that you remember?
Everywhere you go there’s great sparring. There are always people looking for sparring. I had some great sparring in Manny Robles’ gym with guys from Japan. That style, the way they move was very different. I had some great sparring over the years with Leo Santa Cruz, his experience, his punches, the way he locates them. His combinations were eye-opening. For a guy like me, to learn from someone great like that, it was a great experience.
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| Photo courtesy of Carlos Castro |
When did you know in your own career that you could hang with the top fighters in the sport?
It wasn’t in the gym. I think it was the fights themselves that taught me that. Top Rank gave me one of my toughest fights of my career, the Genesis Servania fight. Everyone didn’t think I was ready for it. It was a big test for me. I don’t know if I was supposed to win that fight or not.
I was saying Carlos, you can actually hang with him. This guy was just coming from giving Oscar Valdez one of the toughest fights of his career. And I beat him, so I deserve to be here.
You’re coming back from a long
layoff of over a year. Being a professional for over a decade, how do you deal
with the downtime?
It’s a layoff, but we’ve been
working this whole time. We’ve been at the gym. We’ve been practicing on our
craft, those little things that you need to work on. I’m not one of those guys
that leaves the gym and only comes back when I have a fight date.
We were actually supposed to
fight Rey Vargas on the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach card, but it fell through.
We did a full training camp for that fight and then they postponed it. Then
they postponed it again and then Vargas said that he wouldn’t be ready until
next year. After that we slowed down our training a little bit. But then the
Bruce Carrington fight came up.
It’s all
mentality. If you let it get to you where you say, hey we’ve been having a
layoff, it’s going to get to you. For me it’s not a layoff because I’ve been
training. I’ve been in the gym. And now it’s just me showing my mentality of hey,
Carlos, this is the biggest opportunity that you’re going to get. It’s time to
go.
Now you’re facing Bruce
Carrington, who’s a Top Rank fighter, but it’s not on a Top Rank card, do you
currently have a promotional contract?
I have a working relationship with
TGB Promotions.
I’m sure that you’ve seen Bruce
Carrington fight before. I won’t ask you for a game plan because that’s not
fair, but what are your impressions of him?
He’s a hungry, great fighter who
brings a lot of energy. Like any fighter, we all have flaws and that’s
going to be the difference in this fight: who can expose the other guy’s flaws
better. It will be about who will be on their A-game that night. But he’s a
great fighter and someone I’m looking forward to sharing the ring with.
Is there anyone you brought
in specifically to this camp to help prepare you for Carrington?
We brought in some very good
fighters, no big names, but we brought in some Ukrainians, some good
counterpunchers, some long fighters. But as I’ve always said: every fight is
different, no matter who it is or what they have done before. It’s about what we’re
going to do on that night.
I know that Carrington is guy
who likes to fight in the pocket and slug it out at times, even if he doesn’t
need to. Are you comfortable in an inside fight? If you had your druthers,
what’s your preferred style of fighting?
I feel comfortable on the inside, but as they say: If it’s not necessary, why do it? I’ll be more comfortable in the mid-ranges, poking him out, seeing what he can do from mid-range because as you said, he often likes to be on the inside. I’ve never really seen him fight from the mid-range or from the long range.
What could you tell us about
your life outside of boxing?
Now I live in Fullerton,
California. I’ve been living here for the past seven years. My daughter was
just two or three months old when me moved and my son was seven. Now they’re
big. My son’s going to be 15. My daughter just turned 8.
My lifestyle outside of the ring
is just being a father. I talked to my wife recently about this. Boxing has given me a
lot. It’s given me the chances I couldn’t have had if I had a regular job. Being
in my kids’ lives, being involved in their activities, it’s great. My daughter
does gymnastics. My son plays soccer for a club. Being involved in their
routines, taking him to his soccer games on the weekends, traveling with them
and just being in their lives, there’s something great about it.
Do you like staying in
California for your training camps?
Yes. When I first moved here I
said we’re going to be here for a year and then move back to Arizona. But
California really grew on me and it would be hard for me to move back
now.
Have there been one or two
people who have really helped you out in your career, who have shaped who you
have become as a fighter or a person?
Someone who’s always been there
for me has been my first promoter, Roberto Vargas. He’s been there as a
promoter and a friend, giving me advice about boxing and life, about fatherhood
and the future.
My wife has been there for me as
well. As fighters, we go through ups and downs. And
there are often things that we don’t talk about, but she’s helped me out a lot.
She’s opened up my eyes in many different ways and gives me great advice.
Did she have a background or
exposure to boxing before meeting you?
No, she didn’t know anything
about boxing. She didn’t even know I was a fighter when we first met.
Returning to your upcoming fight, how does it feel to be on a
huge card like this, where the eyes of the boxing world will be watching?
It feels great. This atmosphere,
being at this stage of my career, I'm sure it's going to bring out the best in
me. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. As I said, boxing has taken me
to so many places where I just have to take advantage of it and embrace
everything coming, and have fun doing it.
What does it mean to you to be
fighting in Madison Square Garden?
It means a lot. You always had big fights and big names there. Miguel Cotto fought there a lot. I always remember that. And to have the opportunity to fight there, it means the world to me. I’m really looking forward to it.
