Freddy Castillo: The Legendary Mexican Boxing Champion
Freddy Castillo was a Mexican boxer from Mérida who held world titles at light-flyweight and flyweight. He won the WBC light-flyweight title in 1978 and later became WBC flyweight champion after moving up in weight.
Boxing career and major results
Castillo won the WBC light-flyweight championship from Luis Estaba in February 1978. Four years later, on July 24, 1982, he defeated Prudencio Cardona by unanimous decision over 15 rounds in Mérida to win the WBC flyweight title.
Castillo’s first defense came against Eleoncio Mercedes on November 6, 1982, at Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium. Mercedes won by split decision over 15 rounds, taking the WBC flyweight title from Castillo. The defeat ended Castillo’s second divisional world-title reign.
Those championship bouts are the best-documented landmarks of Castillo’s career. He was also a southpaw, and he competed against notable Mexican and international flyweights during a long professional career. Published career records vary slightly, so the account here focuses on the title results recorded by the WBC and in contemporary reporting.
Sources
Sources: BoxRec: WBC Light-Flyweight Champions; BoxRec: WBC Flyweight Title Fights; UPI, November 6, 1982; World Boxing Council: Eleoncio Mercedes becomes champion.
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
