Floyd Mayweather Jr retired with an impressive record of 50 wins, no draws, and no defeats. Barring any sensational and highly unlikely comebacks, he will go down in history as a champion with a spotless record—never beaten, despite facing an astonishing number of champions, climbing through multiple weight divisions, and spending twenty years as a professional.
Despite his supreme skill and many triumphs, Mayweather was also one of the most “hated” athletes—sportingly speaking—of recent times. His star-like behavior, a certain arrogance in his personality, and, to some extent, his conservative style—which didn’t appeal to fans of more aggressive boxing—made him unpopular with a considerable portion of the boxing public. So much so that many fans eagerly awaited the day he would be defeated.
That’s why quite a few spectators have disputed some of his decisions, even when his victories were objectively undeniable. Some believed he lost to Oscar De La Hoya, others to Manny Pacquiao, and still others in the first fight with Marcos Maidana. While all of those were competitive and thrilling bouts, from the perspective of the author, Mayweather clearly earned the win in each case.
To truly credit the only fighter who could rightfully claim to have beaten the great Mayweather in the ring, we must go back to April 20, 2002, when PBF faced Mexican boxer José Luis Castillo, known as “El Temible.” Castillo, who had spent years as the sparring partner of the legendary Julio César Chávez, was at the time the WBC lightweight world champion. Mayweather, who had just moved up from super featherweight, was the challenger.
Mayweather began in classic fashion, dominating the first round with ease and elegance, using his jab, footwork, and perfect counterpunching. Many thought they were about to witness another solo performance by the American, who just over a year earlier had delivered a brutal beating to the previously undefeated Diego Corrales—despite some predictions that had him as the underdog.
But Castillo, from the second round onward, proved to be a completely different challenge. He began working the body and cutting off the ring with precision and effectiveness, all while staying well protected behind a tight, high guard. Slowly but surely, his consistent efforts paid off: after a slightly favorable early stretch for the challenger, the Mexican took control of the fight in the fifth round. With smart, steady pressure over the next three rounds, he kept the initiative, landed the better punches, and forced the American superstar to focus almost entirely on defense.
Prompted to action by the barely concealed concern of his corner and the fear of seeing the fight slip away, Mayweather managed to edge ahead on the scorecards with a sparkling eighth round—helped in part by the poor referee Vic Drakulich, who deducted a point from Castillo for a minor infraction.
Far from discouraged, the champion immediately resumed his siege, his courage rewarded shortly thereafter by another questionable call from the inadequate official—this time a point deducted from Floyd for improper use of the elbow, a penalty just as exaggerated as the previous one.
The final two rounds were filled with electric tension. In the eleventh, Mayweather uncharacteristically chose to fight on his opponent’s preferred terms, engaging in a surprising close-quarters battle. With mixed results, he managed to land some sharp combinations, but also left himself open to Castillo’s fierce responses in an exchange-filled round that thrilled the crowd.
The twelfth and final round, which seemed crucial for the outcome of such a tightly contested fight, was instead clearly dominated by Castillo, who relentlessly pressed the action from start to finish against a fatigued challenger focused only on hearing the final bell.
After such a close match, with several razor-thin rounds, it’s impossible to claim absolute certainty about the rightful winner. However, what does seem evident is that the official scorecards—favoring Mayweather by four and five points—were highly questionable.
Media and pundits were more divided than ever. On one side, there were those who defended the judges’ decision, such as the Associated Press (115-111 for Mayweather); on the other, commentators like HBO’s Harold Lederman scored it 115-111 in favor of Castillo. Not even the middle ground was overlooked: famed journalist Dan Rafael argued for a Solomon-like draw (114-114).
In the author’s opinion, despite the overall balance, José Luis Castillo did enough that night to deserve the win. His ring generalship, calculated aggression, and—above all—his greater effectiveness went insufficiently rewarded. This difference in impact was also reflected in the official statistics, which showed that the “loser” had landed 203 punches to Mayweather’s 157.
Floyd granted an immediate rematch to silence any doubts about his superiority and managed to win again—this time without controversy, though still with considerable difficulty, as shown by the extremely narrow scorecards. It was clear that Castillo’s style troubled him more than that of other opponents, even those who were stronger physically or more well-rounded technically.
The record books will forever show an undefeated fighter. But many will carry in their hearts the conviction that a red mark should’ve appeared among that sea of green boxes.