SAN ANTONIO — Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa will look to bounce back from his first career defeat in a brand new weight class when he takes on Carlos Castro at 126 pounds in a World Boxing Council featherweight title eliminator bout on Showtime at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The winner of the co-main event between the Weslaco native Figueroa (22-1-1) and Castro (27-1) will earn a shot at the WBC’s 126-pound title, which is up for grabs in Saturday’s main event between Mark Magsayo and Rey Vargas.
“We’re looking to make a statement on July 9,” Figueroa said. “Me not worrying about squeezing to make 122 pounds and really killing myself at the end of camp just makes me more relaxed mentally. I feel fresher heading into this fight, and I just can’t wait to showcase that.”
Figueroa, who captured the WBC super bantamweight world championship at 122 pounds with a knockout of Luis Nery in May 2021, lost his last bout in a majority decision against Stephen Fulton in November 2021.
“I’m going to be a lot stronger and more explosive. If people were impressed with my conditioning at 122, just imagine what it’s going to be like at 126. Everyone is going to see a better version of myself.”
The Weslaco native has spent his training camp in the “Alamo City,” working alongside his brother, former world champion Omar Figueroa Jr. The younger Figueroa still hopes for a rematch against Fulton at 126 pounds. The majority decision loss in November, the first of his career, helped “The Heartbreaker” grow as a fighter.
“I learned a lot from the Fulton fight and grew a lot because of it,” Figueroa said. “I took the good from the bad and kept moving on. We went back to the drawing board and saw some things that we did like from that fight, and saw places where we could improve. I’ve been working on adapting. I’ve learned to be a little more patient, more technical, to use my distance better and capitalize on my shots.”
Figueroa will take on Castro in his featherweight debut. Castro’s journey to fight night mirrors that of Figueroa in that they’re both coming off their first career defeats and are moving up in weight. Figueroa believes it will add to the excitement inside the ring.
“Castro is a great fighter. He’s patient and very technical,” Figueroa said. “There are some things that I have to do to take that away from him and put the pressure on him, like I do so well. I know he’s going to come to fight with a lot to prove. We’re both coming off fresh losses and moving up in weight, so I know we’re stepping into that ring to make a statement.”
