Floyd Mayweather says he fought injured in a close encounter that the consensus of fans believe the first-ballot Hall of Famer lost on the scorecards.
Still to this day, people talk about the possible defeat on Mayweather’s record for the first Jose Luis Castillo fight back in 2002.
Detractors say Mayweather clearly lost on points at the MGM Grand despite cards reading 116-111 and 115-111 twice in his favor after the final bell.
A rematch happed eight months later at the Mandalay Bay. Despite Floyd seemingly winning by a wider margin, the cards were even closer.
Judges scored 116-113 and 115-113 twice for another unanimous decision to preserve Mayweather’s undefeated record.
Floyd Mayweather vs Jose Luis Castillo Asked bout the first battle, and in response to the doubts, Mayweather stated any opponent taking more than two rounds against him would always call for a rematch anyway.
“Jose Luis Castillo, a tough cookie. It’s just that you’ve never seen me lose a round. So it’s more like I can fight an opponent and win nine rounds. He can win three rounds.
“Then they are going to say, you know what – do a rematch. Or Mayweather didn’t win. It’s been like that my whole career, ” Floyd explained in a Drink Champs conversation on Revolt TV.
Heading into the initial meeting, which many say was a victory for Castillo, Mayweather explained an injury was the cause of the closeness.
“Going into the first fight, I was hurting. The weigh-in was Friday. I was actually shaking out to make weight. The weight was 135 pounds, and my second world title.
“I was hitting the heavy bag shaking out. I was too close [to the bag]. The rotator cuff got f***cked up extremely badly. So I was like, f*** it, my kids still got to eat.
“A true champion can fight through anything. So I said, f*** it, let’s do it,” he said.
Scrutinized career Mayweather fought twice at the lightweight limit after the Castillo saga before moving up in 2004 to face DeMarcus Corley.
Proving his mettle again, the ‘Money’ man dropped Corley twice in the contest to set up a world title challenge against the great Arturo Gatti.
Having to explain himself is nothing new to Mayweather. Many consistently scrutinize his career, who says his achievements don’t rank with the sport’s greats.
However, there’s no denying Floyd Mayweather is the best defensive fighter who ever laced up gloves. But where he rates in the top ten of all time is still up for considerable argument.
