Castillo Suspended, Fined for Missing Target Weight

The Nevada State Athletic Commission meted out its punishment to Jose Luis Castillo on Thursday for his failure to make weight for June’s World Boxing Council lightweight title fight against Diego Corrales, causing the match to be canceled.

In a unanimous vote by the four commissioners present at a hearing in Reno, Castillo was suspended for the remainder of the year, fined $250,000 and forbidden from fighting at less than 140 pounds in Nevada in the future.

Corrales labeled the ruling “mind-boggling,” feeling it was much too lenient

Castillo weighed in at 139 1/2 pounds for the June fight, 4 1/2 pounds over the limit. Corrales weighed in at 135.

“Mr. Castillo was given the opportunity to explain his actions and inactions,” said Keith Kizer, the commission’s executive director, after the hearing. “I think it was a fair penalty. It helps guarantee that this will not happen again, either with Mr. Castillo or any other fighter.”

Corrales, when informed by a reporter by telephone of the commission’s ruling, was silent for a moment before speaking.

“That’s it?” he finally said. “I’m shocked. I’m at a loss for words. That’s just not right. It’s mind-boggling. I thought for sure they’d give him a year. But that’s the commission. They get to do what they want to do.”

Gary Shaw, Corrales’ promoter, also did not feel justice had been done.

“I’m highly disappointed,” Shaw said. “They should have revoked his license. All they did was slap him on the hands. So he can’t fight again this year. He wasn’t fighting again this year anyway. And he can’t fight under 140 pounds. The whole world knows he wasn’t going to fight under 140 anyway. The commission failed to use its bully pulpit.”

Castillo told the commissioners that someone in his camp had advised him to drain enough blood from his body to make weight, then have the blood returned. “That story was totally concocted,” Shaw said. “It’s ludicrous. Instead of the commission congratulating Castillo for not doing that, how about recognizing that Diego Corrales did make weight? That deserves congratulations.”

It was the second time in his planned trilogy against Corrales that Castillo failed to lower his weight to the maximum allowable. In their second fight last October, Castillo stepped on the scale at 138 1/2 pounds, Corrales again weighing in at the required 135. The fight went on nonetheless, although it was no longer a title fight and Castillo had to pay a $120,000 fine. Castillo won that fight on a fourth-round knockout after losing his first fight against Corrales on a 10th-round TKO.