Devon Alexander vs Walter Castillo Preview Nov. 21st
After a two-year absence from the ring, former two division world champion Devon Alexander of St. Louis will be taking on Walter Castillo of Nicaragua at the Coliseum in Saint Petersburg, Florida this Tuesday, November 21st. The 10-round welterweight bout can be seen live in the U.S. on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. Alexander hasn’t fought since October of 2015 when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Aaron Martinez of Mexico. Castillo’s last outing was seventh-round TKO defeat at the hands of Sergey Lipinets in July of 2016, so he’s been out of the ring for well over a year.
Alexander vs Castillo Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Walter Castillo +500
- Devon Alexander -900
My Pick
Alexander has fallen below the radar lately due to his inactivity and the fact he’s lost his last two fights and three of his last four. Castillo has also been struggling lately as he’s one just one of his last four fights along with two losses and a draw. The 30-year-old southpaw Alexander will climb through the ring ropes with a record of 26-4 along with 14 Kos. Alexander hopes to rebound after being dominated by England’s Amir Khan over 12 rounds in December of 2014 and then losing to Martinez.
Alexander didn’t let his hands ago against Khan and paid for it by dropping a wide unanimous decision as he attempted to outbox the former champion. Alexander’s a former junior welterweight and welterweight world titleholder though and needs a win here to prove he’s still a legitimate contender. He stands just over 5-feet-8-inches tall with a reach of 70 inches. He’s fought 211 rounds since turning pro back in 2004 and isn’t really a big hitter with a current knockout ratio of 47 per cent.
The former champ has taken on quite a few top boxers such as Khan, Martinez, Shawn Porter, Jesus Soto Karass, Tim Bradley, Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse, Andriy Kotelnik, Junior Witter, Juan Urango and DeMarcus Corley. Alexander’s never been stopped and his losses have come against Martinez, Khan, Bradley and Porter. But while he has a solid chin, he needs to be more active in the ring and can’t afford to take rounds off.
The 29-year-old Castillo has a similar record to Alexander as he’s 26-4-1. however, he has a bit more power with 19 Kos under his belt for a knockout ratio of 61 per cent. He turned pro back in 2008, has fought 150 rounds since then and now fights out of Miami, Florida. Castillo’s losses came at the hands of Edwin Palacios by four-round split decision in his pro debut, to Vicente Mosquera by 10-round split decision in 2012, by 10-round unanimous decision to Amir Inam in 2015 and the stoppage to Lipinets last year.
Castillo’s lone draw was a 12-round majority affair with Keita Obara in November of 2015. Most of Castillo’s other opponents aren’t very recognizable to most fans and he’s struggled and fallen just short when stepping up in class and he’ll be stepping up in class again when he steps into the ring against Alexander on Tuesday night. Castillo is 5-foot-10 with a 71.5-inch reach, so has slight advantages in both areas. He’s got a two-inch edge in height and a 1.5-inch reach advantage.
Prediction…
This should be an interesting bout since both men are coming off of extended layoffs and both need a victory badly to get their careers back on track. Alexander needs to take the fight to Castillo and let his hands go right from the opening bell, especially since this is a 10-round bout. Alexander has a solid chin and enough experience to know what to do here and if he sticks to what he does best then he should earn a win.
This is a must win for Alexander if he wants another title shot.
Play Alexander -900 @ 5dimes.eu
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Devon Alexander betting • Walter Castillo betting