Abraham Nova makes quick work of Castillo

Abraham Nova (16-0, 12 KOs) made a statement last night as he stopped Mexico’s Luis Castillo (20-4, 15 KOs) in the first round of a scheduled 10 round title fight last night at Encore Boston Harbor. A sold-out crowd at the new resort casino watched Nova return and retain his NABA Super Featherweight Championship title in spectacular fashion.

After a tentative first round that saw both fighters land combinations, with just seconds left in the opening round remaining, Nova sent Castillo to the ropes with a hard jab and then dropped the Mexican fighter with a textbook jab and cross. Castillo was hurt badly and could not beat the ten count.

“It was much shorter fight than I expected but I don’t get paid for overtime so… I’m ok with it.”, laughed Nova, the flashy young contender who is now ranked #6 in the world by the WBA after the fight.

Abraham Nova Stops Luis Castillo in The First Round https://t.co/Th7j1bbbdc pic.twitter.com/yjBaQuCACi

— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) August 24, 2019

As for his thoughts on a title shot in the division that includes champions such as Gervonta Davis, Tevin Farmer and Andrew Cancio, ‘Super Nova’ who hails from Albany, New York was confident in his abilities to beat any of the current belt holders.

“As soon as I get the call, I’m ready. I’m not picking or calling out any of them, I just want a title shot. If I had to fight all of them at the same time to get a belt, I would. No matter which one I get, I will win a world championship next year.”

Nova’s promoter, Ken Casey is on board with his fighter’s plans for a title shot next year.

“We’re gonna have him fight in Belgium in December on the undercard of the WBA cruiserweight title fight. After that, we want a title shot but if that doesn’t come at the start of the new year, we would go to Albany and do a show in his hometown. He deserves it and he has a huge fan base there. Then we should absolutely be in position to challenge for a world title.”

Nova boxing on these Murphys Boxing cards has looked impressive in the ring as he was in similar fashion in his stoppage win against Mario Ezequiel Sayal Lozano back in May on UFC Fight Pass. He is one to keep an eye out on as he moves up the ranks.

In the co-main event, Murphys Boxing’s Carlos Gongora (17-0, 13 KOs) stopped the usually durable Alan Zavala (15-4, 13 KOs) in the first round of a middleweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds. All it took was a 4 punch headshot combination that landed flush and the Mexican who fights out of San Diego hit the canvas and was unable to beat the count. Gongora, a former Olympian from Ecuador, entered the world rankings at #15 in the WBA last month and after the surprisingly quick knockout is looking to stay on the fast track and return to the ring again this fall.

Here are the results in other action on the card which can be seen on the FightNight Live’s Facebook channel here:

New York welterweight prospect, Brian Ceballo (10-0, 5 KOs) kept his undefeated streak intact against Luis Edward Flores (24-14, 20 KOs) by landing a brutal body shot in the fourth round of a scheduled 8 round bout that left the veteran fighter withering in pain on the canvas.

Popular local prospect Khiry Todd (9-1, 7 KOs) dropped and stopped Alex Duarte (14-8-1, 11 KOs) in the first round of a scheduled 6 round welterweight bout. Todd, who hails from nearby Lynn, Massachusetts, is one of the best fighters out of the exciting New England welterweight picture. Locally the division is home to the likes of promising young fighters like James Perella, Anthony Velazquez, Mike Ohan Jr., Joe Farina, Derrick Whitley Jr., Brandon Higgins and more who together would make for an amazing regional tournament in 2020.

One of those previously mentioned welterweights and the busiest of the bunch, former amateur standout, James Perella (5-0, 4 KOs) stopped Jose Aubel (8-6, 7 KOs) in the fourth round of a scheduled 4 round welterweight bout. It was Perella’s 5th victory in just 5 months as a professional. Up against a bizarre height disadvantage, the game fighter from Argentina tried hard but could not get inside Perella’s massive height and reach advantage. Aubel’s corner complained vehemently to officials after the stoppage, rightly claiming it was a behind the head blow that caused the final knockdown but that didn’t take away the fact Perella dominated every second of the fight. The lanky southpaw from nearby Mansfield continues to build a following of supportive fans and has shown considerable improvement in each of his five fights.