Javier Castillejo


Francisco Javier Castillejo Rodríguez, commonly known as Javier Castillejo, is a Spanish former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2009. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC and lineal light-middleweight titles from 1999 to 2001, the WBC light-middleweight title again in 2005, and the WBA middleweight title from 2006 to 2007. At regional level he held the European light-middleweight title twice between 1994 and 1998, and the European Union middleweight title in 2002.

Professional career

Castillejo made his professional debut on 22 July 1988, when he outpointed Ángel Díez over six rounds in Madrid. He had an immediate rematch with Díez, on 2 September of the same year. Their second fight resulted in Castillejo's first knockout win, when he beat Diez in the fourth round. On 4 November, he had his first fight outside Madrid, and his first knockout win in the first round, when he beat Juan Perez in Torrejón.
Castillejo had four more wins, before he was defeated for the first time. On 19 August 1989, he lost an eight-round decision to Del Bryan, in Benidorm. But he followed that loss with a streak of twenty two victories in a row.
Among the most notable wins during that streak were a fourth-round knockout on 19 October 1990, of Alfonzo Redondo, which gave Castillejo the Spanish Welterweight Championship, at Leganés. On 5 July 1991, he retained that national championship, with another fourth-round knockout victory, this time against Domingo Sanchez, in Lugo. On 10 April 1992, Castillejo got his first win when he knocked out former IBF lightweight champion, Puerto Rican Harry Arroyo, in three rounds at Leganes. He followed that victory with another win against former WBC light welterweight champion Saoul Mamby of Jamaica, by an eight-round decision on 15 May, at Bilbao. On 12 December of that year, Castillejo added the WBC's Mundo Hispano light middleweight title, when he defeated Enrique Areco by a twelve-round decision in Oviedo.

First title shot

Despite the fact that he had not fought outside Spain as a professional yet and thus he had little international fan recognition as a boxer, Castillejo received his first world title try, when he challenged Julio César Vásquez of Argentina, for Vazquez's WBA light middleweight title, on 24 April 1993, also in Leganes. Vazquez outpointed him over 12 rounds, ending his 22 fight winning streak.
After defending his Mundo Hispano regional title with success in a rematch with Victor Hugo Sclarandi on 29 October of that year by a knockout in five rounds, Castillejo finally had his first fight abroad when he beat Bernard Razzano by a knockout in six rounds, at Dijon, France, to conquer the European light middleweight title. He defended the title successfully four times, then lost it, on 3 January 1995 to the then WBA light middleweight champion Laurent Boudouani, in Épernay, France, by knockout in the ninth round.
His next fight was a victory by disqualification in six rounds on 14 July against Carlos Rocha Tovar in Seville. The victory against Tovar was followed by a rematch with Boudouani, who would once again defeat Castillejo, this time around by a twelve-round decision, at Levallois, 6 January 1996.
Castillejo then won six more fights in a row before fighting for a world title again. He regained the EBU light middleweight title by knocking out the former WBA welterweight title challenger, Ahmed Dottuev, in round twelve at Suffolk, England, on 2 July 1998.

First world title

On 29 January 1999, Castillejo got his second chance at becoming a world champion. He outpointed Lineal and WBC light middleweight champion Keith Mullings over twelve rounds to join a handful of world champions to come from Spain. Despite some protests from Mullings' management team, the judges' decision remained, and Castillejo held the WBC title.

Losing the title to De La Hoya

After five defenses, where Castillejo retained the title, a fight was set between him and Oscar De La Hoya. It was Castillejo's first big time, Pay Per View event. Many fans, perhaps ignoring Castillejo's achievements in Europe and as defendind world champion, regarded Castillejo as another stepping stone in De La Hoya's career. Castillejo commented to this regard, saying on a press conference before the fight, which was held in Las Vegas, that " didn't come to Las Vegas to do tourism, but to defend title". Castillejo lasted the twelve round distance with De La Hoya, but was sent to the canvas seconds before the fight ended, and lost a unanimous twelve-round decision and his world title, on 23 June 2001.
After six months, Castillejo returned to the boxing ring, beating the well regarded Xavier Moya by a knockout in five rounds, On 11 January 2002, to win the vacant European Community's Junior Middleweight title, in Barcelona.
On 12 July 2002, he partially regained the WBC light middleweight title, when he beat Roman Karmazin by a twelve-round unanimous decision in Madrid, for the WBC's "Interim" title. This interim recognition was later retired from him, however, because he did not fight the WBC's recognized champion, which at the time was Shane Mosley, who had suffered an injury and was unable to box for the period being.
Castillejo then won four fights in a row, all by knockout.
He fought Fernando Vargas, in a fight that was supposed to be for the WBA's vacant light middleweight title, on 20 August 2005, in Chicago. It was decided ultimately to make the bout a ten-round affair instead of a world championship fight. Despite being dropped in round three, Castillejo was able to last ten rounds with fellow former world light middleweight champion Vargas, but he lost a ten-round decision to the Mexican-American.

Winning a middleweight title

On 15 July 2006, Castillejo sprang back on the boxing scene by defeating younger Felix Sturm of Germany to seize the WBA middleweight belt in an exciting fight. Sturm, making his first title defense, was headed to a one-sided win until Castillejo caught him with a left hook against the ropes with 13 seconds left in the 10th Round.
Castillejo, then hit Sturm with three uppercuts before the referee called the fight, making Castillejo, 38 at the time of his upset victory, the oldest man to win a recognized version on the World Middleweight Championship. He lost his title in his first defence against Argentine Mariano Natalio Carrera via a disputed 11th-round TKO. Later on, Carrera tested positive for Clenbuterol and was suspended for 6 months by the WBA, thus Castillejo regained his title on 23 February. . He lost the title 28 April 2007 in a rematch against Felix Sturm.
He fought Mariano Natalio Carrera again on 13 November 2007, this time winning by KO in the 6th round.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
72Draw62–8–1 Pablo Navascues104 Apr 2009 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
71Loss62–8 Sebastian SylvesterKO12, 1:5312 Apr 2008 Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, GermanyFor European middleweight title
70Win62–7 Mariano Natalio CarreraKO6, 2:1413 Nov 2007 Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen, Germany
69Loss61–7 Felix SturmUD1228 Apr 2007 König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, GermanyLost WBA middleweight title
6861–6 Mariano Natalio CarreraTKO11, 1:532 Dec 2006 Estrel Hotel, Berlin, GermanyWBA middleweight title at stake;
Originally a TKO win for Carrera, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test
67Win61–6 Felix SturmTKO10, 2:4715 Jul 2006 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, GermanyWon WBA middleweight title
66Win60–6 Luis CarmonaTKO2 3 Feb 2006 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
65Win59–6 Presente BritoPTS84 Nov 2005 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
64Loss58–6 Fernando VargasUD1020 Aug 2005 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois, US
63Win58–5 Enrique CamposTKO5 11 Jun 2004 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
62Win57–5 Genaro RiosTKO3 16 Apr 2004 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
61Win56–5 Ignacio SolarTKO2, 2:2612 Sep 2003 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
60Win55–5 Diego CastilloTKO1 9 May 2003 La Cubierta, Leganés, SpainRetained WBC interim light-middleweight title
59Win54–5 Roman KarmazinUD1212 Jul 2002 Club Polideportivo, Parla, SpainWon vacant WBC interim light-middleweight title
58Win53–5 Pierre MorenoTKO7 26 Apr 2002 Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona, SpainRetained European Union light-middleweight title
57Win52–5 Xavier MoyaTKO5 11 Jan 2002 Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona, SpainWon inaugural European Union light-middleweight title
56Loss51–5 Oscar De La HoyaUD1223 Jun 2001 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, USLost WBC light-middleweight title
55Win51–4 Javier Martinez RodriguezTKO4, 1:4321 Oct 2000 Salon 21, Mexico City, MexicoRetained WBC light-middleweight title
54Win50–4 Tony MarshallUD1221 Jul 2000 La Cubierta, Leganés, SpainRetained WBC light-middleweight title
53Win49–4 Juan RondonTKO3 14 Apr 2000 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
52Win48–4 Mohamed BouallegKO8 17 Mar 2000 Ciudad Real, Spain
51Win47–4 Michael RaskTKO7, 1:4117 Dec 1999 La Cubierta, Leganés, SpainRetained WBC light-middleweight title
50Win46–4 Paolo RobertoTKO7, 1:4710 Sep 1999 La Cubierta, Leganés, SpainRetained WBC light-middleweight title
49Win45–4 Humberto ArandaTKO4, 2:5214 May 1999 Pabellón Europa, Leganés, SpainRetained WBC light-middleweight title
48Win44–4 Keith Mullings1229 Jan 1999 La Cubierta, Leganés, SpainWon WBC light-middleweight title
47Win43–4 Cristinel AcatrineiTKO2 16 Oct 1998 La Cubierta, Leganés, Spain
46Win42–4 Ahmet DottuevTKO12, 1:382 Jul 1998 Corn Exchange, Ipswich, EnglandWon vacant European light-middleweight title
45Win41–4 Fernando Jose RieraPTS1018 Mar 1997 Valencia, SpainWon Spanish light-middleweight title
44Win40–4 Juan Ramon MedinaTKO8 12 Jul 1996 Hernani, SpainWon WBC Mundo Hispano light-middleweight title
43Win39–4 Tibor HorvathTKO4 16 May 1996 Madrid, Spain
42Win38–4 Stefan DriscuTKO2 7 Mar 1996 Madrid, Spain
41Loss37–4 Laurent BoudouaniUD126 Jan 1996 Palais des sports Marcel-Cerdan, Levallois-Perret, FranceFor European light-middleweight title
40Win37–3 Carlos Rocha Tomar6 14 Jul 1995 Seville, Spain
39Loss36–3 Laurent BoudouaniTKO9 3 Jan 1995 Épernay, FranceLost European light-middleweight title
38Win36–2 Ludovic ProtoTKO8 23 Jul 1994 Boiro, SpainRetained European light-middleweight title
37Win35–2 Patrick VungboPTS1229 May 1994 Leganés, SpainRetained European light-middleweight title
36Win34–2 Valentino MancaTKO3 25 Mar 1994 Córdoba, SpainRetained European light-middleweight title
35Win33–2 Santo ColomboTKO3 19 Feb 1994 Leganés, SpainRetained European light-middleweight title
34Win32–2 Bernard RazzanoRTD6 11 Jan 1994 Dijon, FranceWon European light-middleweight title
33Win31–2 Hugo Daniel SclarandiKO5 29 Oct 1993 Leganés, SpainRetained WBC Mundo Hispano light-middleweight title
32Win30–2 Javier RiveraTKO4 25 Jun 1993 Leganés, Spain
31Loss29–2 Julio César VásquezUD1224 Apr 1993 Polideportivo Parquesur Sport, Leganés, SpainFor WBA light-middleweight title
30Win29–1 Jesus Carlos VelezPTS826 Mar 1993 Leganés, Spain
29Win27–1 Enrique ArecoUD1212 Dec 1992 Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Oviedo, SpainWon vacant WBC Mundo Hispano light-middleweight title
28Win27–1 Antonio CampbellKO3 13 Oct 1992 Leganés, Spain
27Win26–1 Vasile CiteaPTS817 Jul 1992 Leganés, Spain
26Win25–1 Jorge Sclarandi819 Jun 1992 Leganés, Spain
25Win24–1 Saoul MambyPTS815 May 1992 Bilbao, Spain
24Win23–1 Harry ArroyoTKO3 10 Apr 1992 Leganés, Spain
23Win22–1 Edison MartinezKO3 14 Mar 1992 Leganés, Spain
22Win21–1 Lindon ScarlettPTS88 Feb 1992 Polideportivo Parquesur Sport, Leganés, Spain
21Win20–1 Gejza Stipak4, 3:0017 Jan 1992 Leganés, Spain
20Win19–1 Patrick VungboTKO5 6 Dec 1991 Leganés, Spain
19Win18–1 Domingo SanchezTKO4 5 Jul 1991 Lugo, SpainRetained Spanish welterweight title
18Win17–1 Juan RosarioTKO6 18 May 1991 Madrid, Spain
17Win16–1 Eric DindainePTS821 Dec 1990 Leganés, Spain
16Win15–1 Alfonso RedondoTKO4 19 Oct 1990 Leganés, SpainWon Spanish welterweight title
15Win14–1 Jose Salinas1 17 Aug 1990 Almería, Spain
14Win13–1 Claudio SalgadoTKO1 14 Jul 1990 Parla, Spain
13Win12–1 Mateo ValdezTKO2 31 May 1990 Madrid, Spain
12Win11–1 Felix RodriguezTKO5 5 May 1990 Zaragoza, Spain
11Win10–1 Carlos TavarezTKO2 16 Feb 1990 Bilbao, Spain
10Win9–1 Louie AntunaPTS630 Dec 1989 Santoña, Spain
9Win8–1 Jimmy BartesTKO2 16 Nov 1989 Madrid, Spain
8Loss7–1 Del BryanPTS819 Aug 1989 Benidorm, Spain
7Win7–0 Victor CarvalhoPTS629 Jul 1989 Madrid, Spain
6Win6–0 Juan Antonio LopezPTS814 Jun 1989 Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
5Win5–0 Modesto VillardellTKO1 23 Feb 1989 Madrid, Spain
4Win4–0 Santiago VasquezPTS619 Nov 1988 Irun, Spain
3Win3–0 Juan PerezTKO1 4 Nov 1988 Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
2Win2–0 Angel Diez4 2 Sep 1988 San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Spain
1Win1–0 Angel Diez622 Jul 1988 Madrid, Spain