Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn has revealed that Lenin Castillo is ‘responsive’ after he was brutally knocked out by Callum Smith in the second round of their bout on Saturday evening. Castillo was caught with a devastating right hand that sent him flying to the canvas, giving Smith his first victory since he was defeated by Canelo Alvarez back in December.
The Dominican fighter was visibly hurt in the immediate aftermath of the knockout blow, which came on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence against Oleksandr Usyk.
He received plenty of medical attention in the ring before he was stretchered out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and sent on his way to a local hospital for checks.
Hearn, who promotes Joshua, has since revealed that Castillo is ‘responsive’ and will be properly assessed over the coming hours.
“A horrible brutal knockout. Castillo is responsive and on his way to hospital,” tweeted Hearn.
A number of pundits at ringside were also worried about Castillo, with Chris Eubank Jr expressing his sympathy with the 33-year-old and reminding fans of the dangers of boxing.
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“A lot of people think there is pain and anger between fighters, but most of the time it’s business,” Eubank Jr told Sky Sports Box Office.
“You want him to get back out afterwards, you don’t want him to get taken off on a stretcher.
“Hopefully he’s alright in the morning, but this is boxing.”
Undefeated light-welterweight champion Josh Taylor also weighed in on the explosive finish, adding: “You go out with the intention of hurting your opponent and knocking him out, but hopefully he gets a check-up and everything is okay.
“Bittersweet for Callum, he was patient and got the shot away in the end.”
The result saw Castillo taste defeat for the fourth time in 25 fights, while Smith registered his 28th career victory under the lights in the capital.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen who will come out on top between Joshua and Usyk in the main event.
The ring walks are expected to take place at around 9.50pm, but the timing could be subject to change depending on the other undercard bouts.
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Joshua’s long-time rival, Tyson Fury, recently admitted that he is expecting the Brit to beat Usyk with ease in order to enable a future undisputed clash between the pair.
“I think he walks straight through Usyk,” Fury told Seconds Out.
“People are trying to build it up as a scary fight but [Usyk] didn’t have the power to halt cruiserweights like Mairis Briedis or whoever else he fought.
“Do I want him to win? Definitely, because me beating up Usyk doesn’t make as much sense or as much money as me beating up Joshua in the big fights everyone wants to see.”
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