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Decisions Castillejo; suffers possible jaw injury
20/08/2005
By Scott Shaffer
Fernando Vargas defeated Javier Castillejo by ten-round decision in Chicago on Saturday in his most significant victory since he beat Ike Quartey in 2000. Vargas' performance was economical and workmanlike but not spectacular. However, the decision in Vargas' favor cannot be disputed. Vargas should have become the WBC junior middleweight titlist with this win, but the WBC stripped Castillejo of the title as soon as he signed for this fight, and the matter is now the subject of a lawsuit between Vargas and the WBC. For the most part, Castillejo fought like a 37-year old who wanted to take his $1 million paycheck and go back to Spain without injury. A Vargas combination put Castillejo down for a nine count near the end of round three. The Spaniard looked like he was thinking about taking a knee when Vargas stepped in and landed two shots that made the decision academic. Castillejo recovered between rounds, however, and wasn't in any real danger for the rest of the bout. Vargas haters got a chance to cheer during the seventh, when Castillejo landed a few good shots to carry the round but Vargas reclaimed control late in the eighth and went on to win a decision by scores of 97-92 (twice) and 98-91. During the post-fight interview, Vargas spoke very slowly, possibly due to a broken jaw. Vargas is now 26-2, while Castillejo suffers his first loss in four years. A rematch between Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya could be in the offing in 2006. source: HBO Boxing After Dark
