Castillo Is Champion After Beating Johnston

Jose Luis Castillo transformed himself from unranked and obscure to World Boxing Council lightweight champion Saturday, producing 12 punishing rounds and surprising champion Stevie Johnston with a majority-decision victory at the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens.

Making the fifth defense of his title, Johnston (30-2) couldn’t answer Castillo’s two-pronged attack of clutching and effective counter-punching.

Johnston landed a few stiff lefts that resulted in Castillo walking back to his corner bleary-eyed at the end of the third round, but the fight’s remaining rounds were defined by Castillo rocking Johnston’s head with the more impressive inside combinations as a crowd of 1,500 cheered.

“I fought the wrong fight,” said Johnston, who settled for $100,000 for the chance to showcase his skills on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” “My head wasn’t in it. I was too tense, too tight. It wasn’t my day.”

Judge Dick Young scored the bout a 114-114 draw, but Castillo (41-4) received a 116-111 decision from James Jen-Kin and a 115-113 edge from Gelasio Percy. The Times scored the bout in Castillo’s favor, 115-113.

“I was almost ready to knock him [Johnston] out in the 12th, that’s how much I felt like a champion today,” Castillo said.

Castillo, a sparring partner of Julio Cesar Chavez from Guymas, Mexico, becomes only the second active WBC champion from Mexico, joining Erik Morales.

There were no knockdowns and Castillo had a one-point deduction for holding Johnston’s arm in the fourth round, which he would’ve won after an impressive three-punch combination.

While Johnston attempted to deflate Castillo with body blows, the challenger responded by bullying Johnston into corners and ropes, lessening the sting of the champion’s combinations and scoring the more effective blows.

“He has good tactics inside,” Johnston said.

Said Castillo: “My right hand was the key.”

Promoter Bob Arum had Johnston penciled in for a September title defense that Johnston officials claimed was a $400,000 payday. Arum said he’ll arrange for a rematch with Castillo by the end of the year.

“I [messed] up my career today, but I can rebuild it,” Johnston said. “This is a minor setback.”

Johnston altered his training, remaining home in Denver to be near his pregnant wife, Vivi, rather than attend the Top Rank camp in Las Vegas.

Asked how he’d spend Father’s Day, Johnston said, “Packing my eyes up with ice and thinking about the loss.”

The highlight of the undercard was the professional debut of Fontana junior lightweight Marshall Martinez, a former U.S. Olympic team member who was expected to easily dispose of Armen Kalagian. Martinez instead suffered a broken nose when Kalagian threw a wild left hook in the first round and elbowed Martinez, causing a gash on the left side of Martinez’s nose and a gruesome, steady stream of blood from the right nostril.

Martinez’s anticipated power display never materialized and he settled for a four-round unanimous decision. Top Rank manager Cameron Dunkin said Martinez will be sidelined for two to three months.

In another bout, Martinez’s cousin, Steven Luevano of La Puente, scored a second-round knockout in his professional debut.

*

Andrew Golota landed a flurry of punches, but none did much damage in a lopsided decision over Orlin Norris in a 10-round heavyweight fight late Friday night at Las Vegas. . . . Also Friday, Roberto Duran returned to the ring on his 49th birthday and stopped Pat Lawlor, winning the Boxing National Assn.’s super middleweight title by unanimous decision at Panama City, Panama.

*

The Associated Press contributed to this story.