On May 30, Murodjon Akhmadaliev will have a tune-up fight ahead of his bout with Naoya Inoue, facing former world-ranked fighter Castillo.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev (Uzbekistan), the WBA interim super bantamweight world champion, who is scheduled to face undisputed champion Naoya Inoue (Ohashi Gym) — 30 wins, no losses, 27 KOs — on September 14 in Japan, has confirmed that he will take a tune-up fight before their bout.

Akhmadaliev will appear on a Matchroom Boxing card broadcast by DAZN, held at Domo Alcade in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 30 (May 31 Japan time). He will face former world-ranked fighter Luis Castillo (Mexico), who holds a record of 31 wins (20 KOs) and 6 losses, in a 10-round super bantamweight contest.

This will be Akhmadaliev’s first return to the ring since December 14, 2023 (December 15 Japan time), when he captured the interim title by defeating then-No. 8 ranked Ricardo Espinoza (Mexico) — 30 wins (25 KOs), 5 losses, 1 no contest — via TKO at 2:59 of round 3 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

On the other hand, Castillo previously fought Tomoki Kameda (TMK) — 42 wins (23 KOs), 4 losses — on February 25, 2023, at ATC Hall in Osaka. Castillo entered the ring as the WBA No. 13 contender, while Kameda was ranked No. 2. Lacking in speed, Castillo was caught with a sharp left hook to the chin in the fifth round and lost by TKO at 1:18 of round 5.

In his comeback bout on October 1 of the same year (October 2 Japan time) in La Paz, Mexico, Castillo suffered an unexpected unanimous decision loss over eight rounds to Lamberto Macias (Mexico), who was on a seven-fight losing streak. Macias, known for frequently serving as an opponent, has since gone on to lose five more consecutive fights.

After failing in his return, Castillo managed to bounce back two months later with a six-round unanimous decision win (58-56 x3) over Brandon Contreras (Mexico), who held a record of 4 wins (1 KO) and 4 losses. However, Castillo has remained inactive since, making the upcoming fight against Akhmadaliev his first bout in about a year and a half.

For Akhmadaliev, who is scheduled to face Inoue, the slow-footed Castillo, lacking both speed and knockout power, seems to be a suitable warm-up opponent. Still, attention is focused on how Akhmadaliev will perform ahead of the biggest fight of his career.

The main event on the same night will be a WBC USA Light Heavyweight Title bout — a direct rematch between champion Manuel Gallegos (Mexico), with a record of 21 wins (18 KOs), 2 losses, and 1 draw, and former champion Khalil Coe (USA), who stands at 9 wins (7 KOs), 1 loss, and 1 draw. The Akhmadaliev vs. Castillo fight will serve as the co-main event.

This bout is likely to serve as a tune-up fight for Akhmadaliev ahead of his clash with Naoya Inoue!

This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.

https://boxing-master.com/prof/embed/#?secret=x2hdidccEV#?secret=JaONuGYWG5

This article has been translated and published with permission from the original author.

The original content belongs to [Name of author/blog].