By: Sean Crose
The 31-1 southpaw Luis Nery was on the Keith Thurman – Mario Barrios undercard on Saturday. The 27 year old Mexican squared off against the 27-0 Carlos Castro in a scheduled 10 rounder at super bantamweight. A terrific left in the first put Castro right on the mat. Castro beat the count and Nery went to work, firing away as if he were Aaron Pryor. Castro was able to survive the round, but the opening chapter had clearly gone for Nery in a big way. The pace then slowed considerably in the second.
Castro’s ability to survive Nery’s initial assault was impressive, but by the third round, it was clear the more skilled Nery was well in control of the bout. Castro engaged with his man in the fourth, but wasn’t able to get the better of Nery in the process. With that being said, the match became tighter in the fifth. By the sixth round, things were intriguing. Castro was pushing the action, and having his moments. Nery, on the other hand, had the impressive footwork and perhaps the cleaner punching. Nery also displayed a solid stick-and-move strategy in the seventh.
A slip put Nery on the mat early on in the eighth, but he got up no worse for wear. Sure enough, he began to unload on his man, at least momentarily, later in the round. Nery resumed sticking and moving in the ninth, as it was starting to appear that the bout was now his to lose. The tenth round saw Nery employ effective ring generalship. The judges’ cards ruled in Nery’s favor via split decision.