Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eliseo Castillo
Wladimir Klitschko 241 lbs beat Eliseo Castillo 215 lbs by TKO at 2:51 in round 4 of 10
- Date: 2005-04-23
- Location: Arena Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
- Referee: Daniel Van de Wiele
- Judge: Ernst Salzgeber
- Judge: Wilhelm Vogl
- Judge: Klaus Griesel
- Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
- Aired On: HBO Boxing After Dark, Sportschau
Notes
- In his previous fight, Castillo outpointed Michael Moorer, who was 36-years-old and weighed 251 pounds.
- The IBF ranked Klitschko No. 3 at heavyweight, but Castillo was not ranked among the IBF's top 15 heavyweights.
- Klitschko had hoped that the IBF would rank Castillo and sanction the fight as a title eliminator, but they declined to do so. [1]
- Following an impressive laser show, Klitschko entered the ring to the song "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- In Germany, the fight generated 6.44 million average viewers.
Klitschko stops Castillo in fourth round
Associated Press, April 23, 2005
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Former WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko stopped previously unbeaten Cuban Eliseo Castillo in the fourth round Saturday.
Klitschko, the younger brother of WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, knocked Castillo down with a jarring straight right with 9 seconds left in the round.
Castillo climbed to his feet but the referee stopped the fight.
"I wanted to come back, to be world champion again," Klitschko said. "This was a step in the right direction."
The 6-ft-7 Ukrainian (44-3) was once regarded as more promising than big brother Vitali, but his career took a big blow with two recent knockouts to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster in WBO title losses.
Castillo dropped to 18-1-1.