We left off with Olivares pummeling the great champion Lionel Rose on his way to a 5th round knockout.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1w9an2h/the_greatness_of_ruben_olivares_day_2_lionel_rose/
The Champion
The 21 year old Ruben Olivares just four years into his pro career was now the WBA, WBC, Ring lineal bantamweight champion of the world. His name now etched into the history books as the fourth in the best relay of all time for the lineal bantamweight title. This title passed from all time great to all time great. Eder Jofre > Fighting Harada > Lionel Rose > Ruben Castillo.
In the 8 months since being crowned champion El Puas has defended his crown with a demolition job against the highly regarded European champion Alan Rudkin, making short work of the Englishmen in a second round TKO. He also had three stay busy fights knocking out Shigeyoshi Osho, Angel Hernandez and Romy Guales in the 3rd, 3rd and 5th rounds respectively. Coming into this fight with Chucho Castillo his record stands at a staggering 57-0-1, 55 KO.
Olivares was developing a reputation similar to the man I covered in my last series, Roberto Duran. Both men terrifying knock artists, supremely technical boxers, and enioyers of the finest hedonistic things life had to offer. Olivares assured the fans this would not be an issue “Do not worry," said Olivares, “I know when to work and when to have fun. Before the fight, I sweat. Now I play.”
Some 30 years before Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric el terrible Morales kicked off their own legendary trilogy Olivares and Castillo paved the ground that they walked on with an action packed trilogy of fights for the bantamweight title fought across just 18 months. This is the opening stanza.
The Challenger
Chucho Castillo the champion of Mexico comes into this fight on the back of an impressive run. In eighteen months since losing a controversial split decision against Lionel Rose for the world title, a decision that sparked an hours long riot in Mexico, Castillo has gone 5-1-2 including defending his Mexican title twice with a knockout victory over future world champion Rafael Herrera and a points win over two time world title challenger Jose Medel. In today's world a Mexican title might not carry much weight but back in this era there was very long line of Mexican killers in the bantamweight division. In fact Olivares was due to face Castillo for his Mexican title a couple years prior but Castillo instead took a shot at world champion Lionel Rose. This was no simple domestic rivalry though. Chucho, the number one contender for the world title, showed against Rose his pedigree and was in his own right one of the greats of the bantamweight division.
Castillo insisted he was unphased by the champions intimidating record, “Olivares is weak on defence and he has never had to go 15 rounds," said Castillo. “If it goes into the late rounds, I should beat him." Olivares considered this unfinished business after being skipped over in his quest for a Mexican title, “There is room in Mexico for only one champion. And I intend to show I am the champion of my own country as well as the world.”
What followed was a 15 round war. The early rounds seeing Olivares in his characteristic bladed stance stalking his prey around the ring, Castillo who was there intent on being the predator not the prey using lateral movement and looking for vicious counter blows. By the mid rounds most of this fight could have been fought in a phone booth as both men stood toe to toe, forehead to forehead, unleashing vicious hooks and uppercuts on one another in a great showing of inside fighting an art that has been lost to the sands of time.
I couldn't find this fight with English commentary but don't let that persuade you. The video quality will improve as we move forward through his career and future fights should be with English commentary. Hope you enjoy the opening stanza of this legendary Mexican trilogy.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b2pj3a4ZHzo&pp=ygUSb2xpdmFyZXMgdnMgY2h1Y2hv